Starters Press Conference Live from Clearwater

Starting at 1:30 pm., all five Phillies starting pitchers will hold their first press conference together, live from Spring Training in Clearwater, Florida. CSNPhilly.com has live coverage, and you can watch the presser in it’s entirety right here.

What will be asked of the gentlemen? What is Joe Blanton feeling as the black sheep of the bunch? Who will get the most questions? Find out at 1:30 pm!

UPDATE, 4:20 pm.: Here are some excerpts from the press conference earlier today

-Roy Halladay when asked if he (or the others) envied anything about one of the other pitchers:

“I wish I threw left‑handed.  Yeah, it’s fun to watch all of them.  Everybody does something different, different ways of pitching. But I think the main thing is everybody up here works quick.  They’re aggressive and they go after guys.  It’s fun to watch guys pitch like that.  It kind of keeps you in it.  Seeing guys attacking, it’s it fun to watch.”

-Cliff Lee on whether the guys want to compete against each other, not just the opposition:

“To be honest with you, for me, I could care a less what the guy ahead of me did.  I want to go out there and do the best I can regardless.  I hope that we have shutouts every single day.  No doubt about it.

Obviously, the better they pitch, the better our team does.  That’s great.  But whether the guy that pitched ahead of me the day before threw a complete game shutout or gave up five in the first inning, I’m still going to go out there and do the same thing.  I want to get deep in the game, put up as many zeros as I can and give the team a chance to win.

That’s it for me.  I don’t try to compete against these guys.  I try to compete against the other team.  That’s the way I look at it.”

-Lee on being compared to the 90’s Braves pitching staffs:

“I think we haven’t thrown a single pitch as a group yet.  So it’s kind of early to say we’re one of the best rotations in the history of the game.  Obviously, we’re a very talented group, and there is potential for all of that.  But it’s just that, it’s potential.

I think the best rotation I can remember is the Braves back with Glavine, Smoltz, Steve Avery and Maddux.  I mean, that was ‑‑ I don’t even remember who the fifth guy was, but those four were pretty dang good.

More to come…

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Pat Gallen

Pat joined Phillies Nation in July 2009, coming over from Examiner.com. As a previous employee of both Comcast SportsNet and the National Basketball Association, Pat prides himself on being a well-rounded individual when it comes to sports. However, the Phillies are first on the list. You’ll usually find Pat chiming in on the Phillies Nation Facebook or Twitter account, weekdays on 97.3 ESPN radio or hosting Phillies Nation TV. He’s also a Senior Writer for the site, and in his free time is a music enthusiast and Will Ferrell movie-follower. His favorite beer: Philly’s own Yards. In 2015, Pat moved on from Phillies Nation as a sports anchor and reporter for CBS-3 in Philadelphia.

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