Jason Weitzel from Phillies blog Beerleaguer joins the show to talk about being named Best of Philly Sportswriter.  Oh, and the Fightins.

We talk about the Best of honor and he genuinely seems both excited and humbled.  We ask if any of the sportswriters in the city have reached out to him, and he says that none have.  People, we know you read his site.  You can’t send a quick congrats email to the guy?  Petty.

(For those from out-of-town who don’t know what Best of Philly is, Philadelphia Magazine puts out a yearly issue honoring the best in the area in many different categories – 299 winners this year.  Some, yes, are bogus and silly and not that big a deal to anyone other than the person who won.  But this is Philly.  This is a sports town.  To be named Best Sportswriter is a big deal.  At least that’s the way I see it.  He deserves it, and he deserves congratulations.)

We talk with Weitzel about his site and how he’s made it a part of his job at the Reading Eagle Company. The site is a true success story in the world of blogs, as it started as a side venture and he’s partnered with his employer to make it a viable part of his responsibilities. 

Beerleaguer has a prominent quote on the front page from Buzz Bissinger, so we ask Weitzel about his relationship with the most polarizing figure in the blogosphere.  That leads to an interesting discussion about the likes of Bissinger and Murray Chass (and even Wilbon) who say they hate blogs, yet admit in the next breath that they don’t have time to seek out and read the good ones.  If they know blogs are bad, what blogs are they reading, and if they can easily find the bad ones, why can’t they easily find the good ones...as everyone is reading them and linking to them.

We also talk a lot (A LOT) about the Phillies, including the J-Roll situation and if the fans are right to boo or we should all just move on.  We talk about the role sports talk radio has in this town with regard to the corrosive reputation we have around the country.

We get in-depth about the recent draft picks who have signed and talk about Pat Gillick’s tenure as GM and how he’s tried to replenish the farm system.   We talk about this year, and exactly how important it is to make the playoffs for the franchise. 

And we finish with some predictions: will the Phils make the playoffs. Hint - we all think yes.  But he gives some interesting thoughts as to why and how, taking some good shots at the Mets along the way.

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