Phillies Nation

Righty pitcher Eric Pettis was drafted by the Phillies in the 35th round of the 2010 amateur draft. After signing with the Phils, Pettis was assigned to short-season Williamsport where he proceeded to mow down opposing batters in the New York-Penn League and proved himself to be a late round steal. In 20 games (5 starts) with the Crosscutters, Pettis posted an 8-0 record with 7 saves, a 1.37 ERA and 67 strike outs in 59 innings pitched.

The 22-year-old Pettis later joined the Class A BlueClaws for their run into the postseason and helped the club lock down a second consecutive South Atlantic League title.

Now, back with the BlueClaws to make a run at a threepeat, Pettis will be sharing duties at the back end of the bullpen. This week, prior to the BlueClaws’ exhibition game against the Monmouth University Hawks, I spoke with Eric about his coaches, his spring training highlights and more. Check out the media player below to listen to the interview.

You can follow Eric Pettis on Twitter by clicking HERE.

You can also check out Eric’s blog by clicking HERE.

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Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider. To check out more from Jay, be sure to visit his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Aw, man.

You mean this doofus recorded ANOTHER one of these things? And he brought his Phrontier-cha-ma-callit buddy on to do it with him? Oh, well this should be superb.

What? It’s an HOUR of baseball talk? Man, I bet that guy won’t even include a handy timeline for us to navigate in case we don’t want to listen to these two nincompoops while we’re working/reading/being awesome. He’s probably above it all. Jerk. No WAY am I listening to this podcast, despite its potential to be somewhat relevant to me as a Phillies fan. No sirree. I’m totally ignoring the link to listen at the bottom, and in no way will I send feedback on Twitter to Phrontiersman or atomicruckus, and I’m definitely not calling the Trade Me Line at (801)-TRADE-ME to give feedback or leave a rant/rave. Pshaw.

What’s that? A timeline for easy navigation and a download/listen link can be found after the jump? Well, you won’t find me checking it out!

Continue reading PN Podcast, Rebooted: Episode 2

Hi, friends!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been tasked with reviving the dormant Phillies Nation podcast. Seeing as I’m certainly no professional, the planning and execution of this revival took a little more time than I would have liked.

Nevertheless, we’ve got the ball rolling again, and an episode complete. This first episode is a little cut-and-dry; outside of callers to the Trade Me Line, it’s just me. But soon enough, we’ll have guests from around the baseball community, as well as appearances from the rest of the PN crew.

Remember, this version of the podcast is interactive! If you have a rant or rave about the Phillies, let us hear it, and you could end up in the podcast! The voicemail line is (801) TRADE-ME, that’s (801) 872-3363. You’ve probably seen the number hyped up a little on Facebook or Twitter and been leery of calling in. Well, this is proof that there’s nothing to fear, and that this ‘cast truly is interactive.

If you have feedback or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me at Phrontiersman@gmail.com. Good or bad, really, I welcome it all.

In this episode, I touch on the August hot streak, the impressive sell-out streak and Tyson Gillies’s bonehead move, and we top things off with a few voicemails from fans like you.

Again, bare bones for now, but with the raw tools and potential to fill out our skills like a Dom Brown, the PN Podcast is back.

Click here to listen to Podcast 2010: Episode 1.

Welcome to the Phillies Nation Podcast!

Today, I talked with Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.com and SNY.tv about the stars of the New York Mets as we get you ready for the start of the season.  It’s part of our NL East Preview (read the Mets preview here) and our overall MLB preview as the season is just a few days away.

Matt was good enough to take some time to talk about Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, having Jason Bay in the order, and the shaky pitching staff, as he put it.  When talking about Reyes, he said the decision to keep him on the bench for the first week of the season is certainly a head scratcher.  He’s been cleared to play, but the Mets want to take it slow with him.  However, there’s no taking it slow this year for a team that won just 70 games last year.

He said the real concern is Carlos Beltran’s knee injury.  Beltran has gone downhill the last few seasons and will be sidelined until May. Matt says the concern lies in his defense of centerfield, which is a large piece of grass to graze.

Phillies Nation Podcast – Episode 26

In 2003, Matt Cerrone moved to Washington, DC, and started MetsBlog.com as a project in college, because, as an out-of-market fan, he could not watch the games on TV, he missed listening to WFAN, and had no Mets fans to talk with about the team. He continued to write the blog as a hobby; and made it his full-time job in 2006.

In six years of blogging, he turned MetsBlog.com from five page views per month to five million page views per month, which it logged in December 2009.

In 2007, MetsBlog.com partnered with SNY, the TV home of the Mets, to help develop more in-depth content while working to create team-specific blogs and digital projects for their website, SNY.TV, with whom Matt was nominated for two New York Emmy Awards in 2008.

During his time writing MetsBlog.com, he’s have been interviewed about the Mets and my work in digital media on radio, including WFAN, ESPN, and on countless other stations across the country; and on television, including SNY, ESPN News, WNBC and WPIX, among others; while being quoted in several print publications, including The New York Times, New York Daily News, Newsday, Sports Illustrated and on ESPN.com.

Welcome to the Phillies Nation Podcast!

Joining us today on the PN Podcast is Mandy Housenick, the Phillies beat writer from The Morning Call of Allentown.   Mandy is back in the area after her trip to Clearwater for the opening week of Spring Training.  The topics of dicussion include Cole Hamels, Brad Lidge, the bullpen situation, and the youngsters taking part in the festivities

Mandy says Cole Hamels has a renewed sense of optimism and looks to be in the best shape of his career heading into the 2010 season, which is obviously great news.  She also says he will be working diligently on that curveball, something everyone wants to see.  As for the new man in town, Roy Halladay, he’s so big and such a rock star, that the media room runs out of food every time he speaks.  Amazing.

Mandy is originally from the Wilkes-Barre area and started writing for The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre when she was 16. She had played four sports, but was diagnosed with HCM, the same heart disease that killed college basketball star Hank Gathers, the summer going into her junior year of high school. Following that news, she started writing about sports instead of playing them. She’s a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in Newspaper.

The Morning Call is the third full-time job she’s had. Mandy has been there for six years and is in her second year covering the Phillies. Prior to that, Many covered high school and college sports at TMC and was the backup Phillies writer. She traveled in the playoffs last season and covered every home playoff game in 2008.

Phillies Nation Podcast – Episode 25

Welcome to the Phillies Nation Podcast!

Pat Gallen is joined today by Victor Rojas of the MLB Network just hours after the Mark McGwire interview in which he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs during his career.

Victor sheds some light on the situation, saying that his candor was self-serving because of his new job with the St. Louis Cardinals.  On the flip side, he thinks Big Mac left the door open on too many issues and had an opportunity to close them by simply saying he took them to get an edge over the competition. Until players are completely open, Victor says, there will always be questions surrounding players who dance around the topic without hitting it head on.

As far as the Hall of Fame is concerned, Victor isn’t sure much will change with this confession.  He does believe that more and more retired players who are linked to steroids will follow suit to try and save face and win some people back.  Victor does believe Pete Rose should be in the Hall, and that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have an asterisk or plaque symbolizing those who may have cheated.

Rojas is one of the lead anchors for the MLB Network, both as a studio host and play-by-play voice.  Before joining the new baseball-only network, Rojas was a voice for both the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks.  Before taking his skills to the booth, he was the GM for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League.

Phillies Nation Podcast – Episode 24

Welcome to the Phillies Nation Podcast!

On today’s podcast, Pat Gallen chats with Chuck Hixson, a Phillies minor league insider for Phillybaseballnews.com, part of the Scout.com network for Fox Sports.  Pat and Chuck discuss the minor league prospects changing hands in the Roy Halladay-Cliff Lee megadeal.  They also give opinions on Kyle Drabek and what his loss means to the farm system, as well as Domonic Brown and his role as the big shot in the minors.

Pat also gives an opinion on the statements made by Dave Montgomery yesterday on ESPN Radio.  He stated that the Phillies are “in the red” and are not making money as everyone thinks.  Pat blasts the Phillies owner and sides with the fans on this subject.

Chuck is the Phillies minor league insider for Phillybaseballnews.com which is part of the Scout network for Fox.  He was formerly the Washington Nationals Examiner for Examiner.com.  You can check him out on Twitter here.

Phillies Nation Podcast – Episode 23

Welcome to the Phillies Nation Podcast!

Joining Pat on the podcast today is Scott Lauber from the Wilmington News Journal. Pat gets Scott’s perspective on the Roy Halladay-Cliff Lee blockbuster trade from the Major League level and what it means to the Phillies now and in the long term.

Scott also talks about the contract extension given to Halladay and whether or not it will keep the Phillies from making future moves. He believes, after some thinking, that this is a good deal for the Phillies.  Listen in and he’ll tell you why.

Scott Lauber is the Phils beat reporter for the Wilmington News Journal and is a fixture in the Phillies clubhouse throughout the season.  For some of the most up-to-date Twitter action regarding the Phillies, you can find Scott here.

Phillies Nation Podcast – Episode 22

Welcome to the Phillies Nation Podcast!

On today’s podcast, Pat Gallen is joined by CSNPhilly reporter John Finger.  Pat and John discuss the Winter Meetings that just wrapped up in Indianapolis.  Some of the topics they touch on: Roy Halladay and where he may end up, who ends up in the bullpen, and what John thinks of the Placido Polanco signing.

John Finger is closer to 40 than 30 and vividly remembers every Philadelphia baseball playoffs since 1976 and every 76ers’ training camp at Franklin & Marshall College since 1980. He writes mostly about baseball, but has been known to dabble in a few other sports, mainly cycling, track & field and anything that requires endurance and/or a sense of humor. Away from work John writes fiction as well as about pop culture. He also enjoys marathon running, punk rock, books and movies as well as debunking myths and goofing off.

John attended J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pa., and a very large university (Temple) in Philadelphia. He lives in Lancaster and dotes on his wife Ellen and their two sons, Michael and Theodore.

Phillies Nation Podcast – Episode 21

Pat Gallen can be reached via email at Pat@Philliesnation.com

Welcome to the Phillies Nation Podcast!

Today, Pat Gallen is joined by Mike Gill of 97.3 ESPN Radio in Atlantic City.  Mike and Pat break down all of the free agent news that pertains to the Phillies.  Third base, the bullpen, a new bench, and a fifth starter are some of the topics they touch on in the podcast today.

Mike and Pat both agree that Adrian Beltre, and possibly Mark Derosa, is a good fit for this team, and that Chone Figgins is probably a bit too expensive for the Phillies.  As for the starters, there are a ton of names out there, but Pat and Mike seem to agree on one or two that could stand out for the Phils in 2010.

Mike Gill is the host of “The Sports Bash with Mike Gill” on 97.3 ESPN FM in South Jersey. The station is a 50,000 watt sports station that reachess eight, NJ counties (Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean, Camden, Burlington, Salem, Cumberland and Glouchester) plus Delaware, parts of Philly and into Maryland.

The station became 97.3 ESPN on June 1st, 2009 flipping over from 1450AM. Mike is a West Virginia University graduate and grew up in South Jersey. He began his career covering the Mountineers and their 1996 run to the sweet 16, after that Mike has covered many college bowl games, NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs, NFL playoffs, one Super Bowl. two NLDS,two NLCS and two World Series. He has also worked at 102.7 WJSE, 1490 The Game as morning show host and has been afternoon host on 97.3 ESPN/ESPN1450-AM for the past 4 years. You can catch Mike every year covering the Phillies in Clearwater, FL at spring training, the 2010 season with be his 7th year down in Clearwater.

Phillies Nation Podcast – Episode 20

Pat Gallen can be reached via email at Pat@Philliesnation.com