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On episode 53 of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Jay interviews pro wrestling superstar Joey Ryan, who chats about independent wrestling, his try out for the WWE, his time with TNA, being a finalist for the MLB Fan Cave as well as his beloved LA Angels. Tug and Jay also remember former Phils manager and Angels legend Jim Fregosi and chat about the Phillies' pitching staff for the coming season plus much more. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes . 

This past week the Phillies announced twelve nominees for the team's Wall of Fame. Annually, the Phils induct one individual that has made great contributions to the organization. Voting is being hosted at Phillies.com and will last through March 14th, as the field of options for the annual lone honoree is narrowed. Fans are able to vote for three different Phillies alumni and each vote is applied points, based on placement. A first place vote gets 5 points, a second place vote gets 3 points, and a third place vote gets 1 point. Following the deadline, the five individuals with the top point totals will be placed on the official ballot, which will be voted on by the official Wall of Fame Selection Committee, who will determine the man who will join the top names in team history in Ashburn Alley at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. Vice President of Alumni Relations, Larry Shenk, informed me in 2010 that, "The Phillies Wall of Fame Selection Committee is composed of 15 ...

Washington Nationals, you just had two consecutive 100+ loss seasons...what are you gonna do now? We're going to Beard-o World! On Monday, the Nationals signed Eric Bruntlett to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Bruntlett batted .172 with a .462 OPS in 72 games for the Phillies in 2009. I hope Santa brought you something good, Nats fans, because your team sure as heck isn't going to. --------------------------------- Looking for a good way to spend those AmEx and Visa gift cards that you got for the holidays? Make sure you check out Chris Jaffe's book Evaluating Baseball's Managers, A History and Analysis of Performance in the Major Leagues, 1876–2008. Jaffe is a writer for HardballTimes.com . The book, just made available to the public, is a remarkable study of Major League managers throughout the history of the sport and applies a sabremetric approach to reviewing the performances of such great skippers as Connie Mack and Tommy Lasorda. ...