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In the midst of Monday's WWE Raw program on the USA Network, a tag team was billed as having the names of two Phillies prospects who were actually in the midst of a game at home in Clearwater, FL. The show, being broadcast live from nearby Tampa, featured a pair of new-comer, enhancement talents billed as Carlos Tocci and Mitch Walding who were set to face off against the rising superstar duo known as Enzo and Cass. The match ended in a squash with the known stars going over in a quick fashion. Around the time of the match airing on TV, the Threshers were heading toward extra-innings against division rival Daytona.  Clearwater would go on to lose 6-5 in 10 innings.  Tocci went 1-for-5 and Walding was 1-for-4 with a walk in the contest. Check out the embedded Instagram post below for video of the pair's announcement.  Below that is an image of the imposter Phils prospects. *UPDATE*- The players offered their thoughts .  See below for that also. Shout o...

For those of you that read the site regularly and perhaps also follow a few Phillies Nation staffers on Twitter, you know that some of us are lifelong professional wrestling fanatics. Not surprisingly, some Phillies minor league players have also long enjoyed action in the squared circle as well. This weekend marks the Super Bowl of the pro wrestling world, with WWE's WrestleMania set to take place in California. I caught up with minor league hurler Mark Leiter Jr. along with outfield prospect Brian Pointer to get their predictions on the full card. Here is how the two youngsters see the event shaking out along with some insight from each man on the World Champ Brock Lesnar's part time/special attraction status with the company as well as if they each see his main event challenger Roman Reigns as a viable contender for the championship strap: WWE World Heavyweight Title Match, Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Leiter- I like Reigns, but whoever wrote that ending to the...

On the 65th edition of the show, Tug and Jay are joined by Impact Wrestling superstar Gunner to chat about his career and the upcoming BaseBrawl event at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park later this month. The guys also talk about the progress of prospects such as Joey Gallo , J.P. Crawford , Tyler Knigge , Roman Quinn , Aaron Altherr and others. The Phillies' 2014 draft approach is also discussed. 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 .

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 . 

On the 51st edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Jay and Tug discuss the return of Bobby Abreu to the Phillies as well as the team's off-season of aging. Other topics include the Phillies' TV broadcast changes, WWE's WrestleMania season kicking off with the Royal Rumble this Sunday and Daniel Bryan's insane popularity. 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 . 

Jay and Tug are back with episode 35 of the PhoulBallz Podcast.  On this week's edition Steve Susdorf dials in to talk about breaking into the majors last week, his time playing in front of fans at each level of the Phils' system, some good causes he's involved in and plenty more.  The guys also chat about Ethan Martin 's promotion to the majors, Cody Asche 's big league debut, Phillies alumni weekend and hanging with Jerry "the King" Lawler. 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 .

The PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast is back with episode number 19.  In this edition of the program, Jay and Tug discuss Phillies prospects Harold Martinez , Colby Shreve , Kenny Giles and Tyler Knigge .  In addition, the duo compares their excitement levels for opening day and WrestleMania.  The IronPigs' new urinal gaming system is discussed, as are local player Bill Rice and Phils' versatile youngster Freddy Galvis . Check out the media player below to hear the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Once again, we're back with another edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast.  On episode 17, Tug and I talk about tons of topics, including big league free agents, Cody Asche , Tommy Joseph , Darin Ruf and other Phillies talents in the Arizona Fall League and other off-season leagues, the World Series, the Triple-A IronPigs' new manager, the rebranding of the Double-A Reading team, the MiLBY awards, pro wrestling as well as plenty more. Check out the media player below to hear the full episode, or download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Professional wrestler CM Punk, whose contract with World Wrestling Entertainment was set to expire this past Sunday, has been threatening for weeks that he would win the WWE Championship in his final match, in his home town of Chicago, and take the title with him when he left the company. Punk has been stirring up great amounts buzz for the sport of pro wrestling in recent weeks, as he has come close to breaking away from the "script" by insulting the boss, Vince McMahon, as well as other WWE big shots on multiple occasions. Recently, Punk declared that he was "the voice of the voiceless", offering recognition to other stars who were either let go by or never given a chance by WWE. On Monday, after escaping the WWE's Money in the Bank event on the previous night with the WWE championship, CM Punk was spotted sporting a Cubs jersey at Wrigley Field with Phillies' 2008 World Series Most Valuable Player Cole Hamels. The Phillies tweeted an image of the two ch...

This week I spoke with the voice of Philadelphia sports, Dan Baker, who is, of course, the public address announcer at Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field. The interview was lengthy and will be featured here in multiple parts. In the first portion, Dan Baker speaks about getting his start in professional sports, including time as a substitute ring announcer for the World Wrestling Federation, as well as how he spends his time between professional sports seasons. Use the media player below to listen to part 1 of my interview with Dan Baker and check back in the coming days for additional exclusive comments from Dan. ________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter by clicking HERE . Connect with PhoulBallz.com on Facebook by clicking HERE .

Jordan Ellis is currently a relief pitcher for the Single-A level affiliate of the Phillies, the Lakewood BlueClaws. Drafted in the 28th round of the 2008 amateur draft out of Villanova University, Ellis got his pro career off to a great start with a 3-0 record and 3.00 ERA for short season Williamsport in 2008. He spent time with Lakewood last year also, as he posted a 4-4 record with a 6.42 ERA in 17 games. This season, Ellis landed in the BlueClaws' closer spot after teammate Josh Zeid experienced some tough outings. Through 23 games in 2010, Ellis is 2-2 with 4 saves and a 2.73 ERA. I spoke with Jordan recently and that interview lies ahead. Jordan, you've had a solid season thus far. What do you attribute to your success thus far in 2010? The biggest thing is just trying to be consistent. I had an up and down season last year, and the biggest thing coming into this season was, obviously, to rebound and be consistent with my mechanics and on the mound. And that's really...

Two days into the winter meetings in Las Vegas NV, and the Phillies' have made no additions. On day #2, the Phils retained the services of their manager, Charlie Manuel, for an extra season. Charlie's club option for 2010 will be picked up, and Manuel was extended through 2011. Manuel's 2009 salary will be $1.5 million, and just about double that by 2011. Day 1 of the winter meetings was fairly uneventful in Vegas, at least as far as the team roster and staff goes. There was some fun had here at home though. 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins attended the live World Wrestling Entertainment program Monday Night Raw at the Wachovia Center, where he was seated in the front row. A WWE star nicknamed "MVP", Montel Vontavious Porter, targeted Rollins with a Philadelphia diss-filled rant that saw Porter claim he was a real MVP, unlike the fluke J-Roll. Porter also claimed to be better than Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. It was a classic heel tirade. Insult the home crowd...