It's a Q&A with John Flynn!

PhoulBallz.com was lucky to have folk music artist John Flynn take a few moments to answer some questions about baseball, his national anthem performances at Phillies games and his career. You can see John live in person in Wilmington, Delaware this coming Saturday at YoYo Joe's Toys and Fun.

-John, you're a Philadelphia area native and a Temple graduate. What is it like to perform in your home town?

Its always the best! The more I travel around the country, the more convinced I am that I was lucky to be raised around here...

- You've been seen around the area at live shows wearing Phillies gear, and of course at multiple Phillies games performing the National Anthem. Where do baseball and the Phillies rank with you?

As someone that grew up in Delaware County in the seventies, the Phillies were always on my radar. But I didn't really become a baseball fan until I became a musician. Driving home from gigs late at night I would pick up Phillies games from the west coast... so you see it was Harry, Whitey and Wheels who lured me in! I travel alone a lot but their voices always made me a little less lonesome out on the road. Because of the strength of our AM station, you could pick up Phillies games way out in Chicago!

- In Clearwater this spring, when the Phils faced Toronto, you performed both anthems...a portion of your Canadian anthem was in French. Difficult to learn, or were you already down with the French?

I had high school French, which means I don't speak any at all! I learned to sing the anthem phoenetically but I've had it translated for me so I kind of do know what I'm singing.

- Can I get you to tell our readers the perks of an Anthem performer?

My kids would say VIP parking! They think that's pretty cool. I still get a kick out of hanging around on the field before the game... and of course high-fiving the Phanatic! You know, after all these years it never fails to give me chills to sing the Star Spangled Banner... to see the faces of the folks in the crowd... you really understand what the song means in times like these when you finish singing and that roar goes up from the crowd!

- Growing up, who were your favorite baseball players? And now?

The names that jump to mind from my baseball card days are Johnny Callison and Dick Allen. (Mr. Allen is still a favorite... he had some words of wisdom for me the time I got booed at the Vet while doing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". I wrote all about it in a song called "Hey Vicente". The title refers to Vicente Padilla who gave up a grand slam to Edgar Renteria just before the seventh inning stretch...) As I settle into deep middle-age, I love to watch Jamie Moyer pitch... also love to see Chase and Jimmy play the infield! And of course you never know what will happen when Ryan Howard steps in! It's a great time to be a Phillies fan!

- Are there any John Flynn athletic tales from your youth to share? Or was it always about the music?

Nothing to speak of... I played lacrosse in high school. Now, I'm a pretty avid distance runner. Last year I did the Boston Marathon with my 20 year-old daughter Sarah!

- What could Phillies phans expect from a John Flynn show?

My shows range- depending on the audience- from family and children's music, to songs that speak about the stuff we read in the newspapers every day.

- You've passed down music to your children. Did you pass down the Philadelphia sports phandom also?

I'm not sure yet... My 17 year-old son Cole watches the Phils on the tube with me during the regular season, but the others kind of wait for the playoffs to get interested.

- You sing a great holiday tune about the wonders of mixing booze and fire arms called, "Christmas Balls". Is there any chance I could get you to do a spring time remix called Phoul Ballz (dot com)?

I'll have to think about that! Ha ha.

Alright, thanks a bunch. John will be performing all spring and summer long all over the country. Check out John's myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/johnflynnfolksinger for tour dates, or check out http://www.johnflynn.net/for more information on his music.

Slick fielding Sam is the Champion of the (PhoulBallz) world!

Phillies Ball(z)girl Sam Arnone was kind enough to answer some questions for the PhoulBallz site and all of you. Sam will be entering her 3rd season as a Phillies ballgirl and is a junior at Drexel University. Sam hails from the great town of Mt. Ephram, NJ. 1- Since the Phillies are the World Champions of baseball teams, are the Phillies ballgirls the world champions of ballgirl teams? - Of Course!!! There are not that many teams that have Ballgirls, so the competition is a little scarce. I would definitely put my team up against any other Ballgirl team with full confidence! 2- What is your routine to prepare for a day of on-field duties? - Before a game, I am always a little nervous. Once I am ready to leave my house and head to the ballpark I triple check my bag to make sure I have my glove and then I check again. I always have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat because it keeps me full and gives me energy for the entire game. I guess I might have to find a new favorite sa

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against. The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball wi

2021 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #22 SS Casey Martin

Please visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work, get access to material like this before anyone else and get access to interviews as well as other exclusive content you can't get anywhere else. A third round draft pick last year, Arkansas junior Casey Martin was quickly signed by the Phillies and consideration as one of the organization's top infield prospects quickly began. The team's confidence in his ceiling is likely evident in the signing bonus he got, which was reportedly $1.3 million, which was considerably more than slot money dictated by his 87th overall draft position ($685K). The right-handed batting Martin tallied a .311/.393/.545 slash line with 30 homers, 24 steals and 112 RBI in 143 games through his college career at Arkansas. Reports had him falling in the draft as a result of an injury to the hamate bone in his left hand prior to his 2020 season. Prior to the procedure, Baseball America projected Martin as a top ten draft pick.

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog