Our Conversation with Todd Zolecki

We were privileged to have had the opportunity recently to talk with Inquirer Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki, who was good enough to take time out of his busy schedule for us. Todd took the time to talk baseball, crappy airlines and where a certain Chris Farley movie ranks in the pantheon of movie comedies.

UPDATE: Make sure you also check out Todd's fantastic blog, The Phillies Zone.

CA: What’s the best part of being the Phillies beat writer?

TZ: I enjoy telling stories, and I like how the story of the baseball season takes months to unfold. For example, Brad Lidge went from a guy who needed knee surgery in spring training and opened the season on the DL to having one of the best seasons for a closer in baseball history. It was fun telling people that story as it developed.

CA: Aside from dealing with American Airlines, what’s the worst thing about being the Phillies beat writer?

TZ: First, it's US Airways that is the bane of my existance. But I would say the worst thing is the hours. You work a lot of nights and weekends, so you miss a lot of things. It can be tough to have a "normal" life. But I'm not complaining.

CA: You’re a Wisconsin native. Are Brewers fans feeling good that their team made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years, or disappointed that it ended so quickly?

TZ: I think they're happy they finally made it. The feeling baseball fans feel when their team makes the postseason is so much different than fans of a football team or basketball team or hockey team. It's tough to make the playoffs in baseball, so just making the playoffs is an accomplishment.

CA: Chase Utley is a pretty private person. Tell us something we don’t know about him.

TZ: He's got a pretty good sense of humor. It's very, very dry, but he can be pretty funny.

(Warning - Below is Utley unedited)


CA: Do you think he’ll make it back quickly from surgery?

TZ: I think he'll be back closer to four months than six months. The guy loves baseball and he takes a lot of pride in being physically and mentally prepared to play. If he can be back in time for the season opener, I think he will be.

CA: Nothing against Albert Pujols, but it seems as though he’s the darling of the national media. Is it because he makes the very difficult look routine? He is enormously talented, but it seemed like the national media types were pretty dismissive of Ryan Howard.

TZ: I think Howard lost the MVP only because of his averge. No MVP had ever hit less than .267. Howard hit .251. I don't think media-types dismissed Howard. He did finish second. I just think Pujols' numbers were too impressive to ignore.

CA: On Opening Day 2009, the Phillies fifth starter will be:

TZ: J.A. Happ. I think if Carlos Carrasco is really, really impressive he could have a shot, but I'd give the edge to Happ right now.

CA: Where does Tommy Boy rank among the all-time greatest cinematic achievements?

TZ: Somewhere below Caddyshack, Stripes, Animal House and Wedding Crashers, but above Happy Gilmore and Superbad.



CA: Did you have a moment, either during the season or in the playoffs, when you thought to yourself that the Phillies might win the World Series?

TZ: I would say Shane Victorino's grand slam against CC Sabathia in Game 2 of the NLDS. I had been telling people before the Phillies clinched the NL East that if they could get into the playoffs they would have as good a chance as anybody to win the World Series. I believed that. But when Victorino hit that grand slam against Sabathia, I thought they had a really good chance.

CA: Fair to call the deal for Brad Lidge one of the more lopsided trades in recent history?

TZ: I would say so. You've got to give the Phillies credit for that one. They scouted him pretty seriously late in 2007 and liked what they saw. Lidge needed a change of scenery, and the Phillies gave him one.

CA: The funniest guy in the Phillies clubhouse is…

TZ: There are a lot of guys with pretty good senses of humor. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Brett Myers and Ryan Howard come to mind. I'm not sure who is the funniest of that group, but they can make you laugh.

(Note: We're hoping to make this a regular feature with Philly area beat writers. Let us know who you'd like to hear from next!)