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4.28.23 (Feat. Bob Nightengale) Chicago White Sox’ Window Closing? Cardinals in Danger? Pirates Legit?

One of Major League Baseball's top insiders, USA Today's Bob Nightengale, makes his first appearance of the 2023 season on the Jack Vita Show, to discuss the latest news and stories from the world of baseball.
 
Through their first 26 games, the Chicago White Sox are off to a terrible start. Under new manager Pedro Grifol, the club enters play Friday at 7-19, having lost eight straight games, in fourth place in a weak American League Central division. After wildly underperforming in 2022, the White Sox had a relatively quiet offseason. The club signed outfielder Andrew Benintendi to a five-year, $75 million contract, the richest free agent deal in franchise history. The Sox also added former Cleveland Guardians and San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger. The White Sox switched managers and added a pair of veterans, hoping that the team would bounce back in 2023. Instead, the White Sox are trending in the opposite direction and are now in serious danger of falling out of contention before the start of May. Bob and Jack check the pulse of the White Sox and discuss if the team has any signs of life.
 
Bob and Jack discuss the biggest surprises from the first month of the MLB season. The St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies all made the postseason last year, but are off to slow starts to begin the new season. Should we be concerned about any of these teams?
 
Similarly, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles have exceeded expectations in the early part of the season. Are these teams legit? The Pirates have the best record in the National League. Are they in it for the long haul, and can they compete for the National League Central crown, or are they still another year away from being a serious player in the division?
 
Bob also reported earlier in the week that the Padres have growing concerns for their highly priced slugger Juan Soto, who has struggled since the club acquired him from the Washington Nationals at last year's trade deadline. Bob discusses why Soto could be traded upon the conclusion of the 2023 season.
 
All this, and much more from around the league, this week on the Jack Vita Show!
 
You can follow Bob on Twitter (@BNightengale) and read his work at USA Today's website!

(Belated) 2023 MLB Season Preview + Early Season Surprises

After seven weeks away, Jack is FINALLY back to finish off his MLB Season Preview for the 2023 season. Initially slated to record a division preview for each of the six MLB divisions, Jack, however was unable to record while in Arizona for spring training. Thus, he was unable to finish the division preview series after dropping just one episode (American League West).
 
In the latest episode of the Jack Vita Show, Jack reveals the rest of his division winners and wild card picks. Jack welcomes Sports Spectrum writer and US News reporter Cole Claybourn to the show for the first time, as the two not only share their outlooks for each division, but share some thoughts on the first three weeks of the regular season. Are the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs legit? Should St. Louis Cardinals fans be concerned about their team after their rough start to the season? Who do Jack and Cole have winning the World Series in 2023? The two tackle all of these questions, and much, much more on the latest episode of the Jack Vita Show!
 
American League East (0:00 - 15:20)
American League Central (15:20 - 25:55)
American League West (25:55 - 36:25)
National League East (36:25 - 43:10)
National League Central (43:10 - 1:09:55)
National League West (1:09:55 - END)
 
Subscribe to Cole's podcast, In No Hurry with Cole Douglas Claybourn and follow him on Twitter @ColeClaybourn!

2023 MLB Preview Series: The AL West

The first edition of our six-part 2023 MLB Preview Series is out now! Join chief meteorologist of Newswest 9 in Odessa, Texas Anthony Franze and Jack Vita rousing discussion on the American League West, as we approach Opening Day.
 
They share their projected win totals for all five AL West teams.First, Anthony and Jack discuss the new rules and changes coming to Major League Baseball in 2023, such as the pitch clock, restrictions on defensive shifts, and the 'ghost runner' extra innings rule that is now here to stay permanently. Anthony and Jack share their thoughts on the new rules (0:00 - 11:00).
 
Then, they put Anthony's beloved Texas Rangers under the microscope. The Rangers had a very active offseason in which they entirely made over their pitching staff, signing Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney and Jake Odorizzi. The Rangers finished 68-94 in 2022, after spending big on free agents Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Jon Gray. Will they turn a corner and return to the postseason in 2023? (11:00 - 33:15).
 
Next up, the Oakland Athletics. The A's finished 60-102 in 2022. It was the first time the A's lost 100 games since 1979. Jack and Anthony provide an outlook for the A's, after the club traded away star catcher Sean Murphy (33:15 - 46:50).
 
The Los Angeles Angels have greatly disappointed in recent years, failing to finish above .500 in each of their last seven seasons. Can 2023 be different, after the club added Tyler Anderson, Hunter Renfroe, Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury? (46:50 - 1:01:30).
 
The Houston Astros are the reigning 2022 World Series champions. The Astros have won the AL West in every full, 162-game season, since the start of 2017. After Justin Verlander departed as a free agent, and the Astros signed Jose Abreu, will the Astros continue to reign supreme in the West? (1:01:30 - 1:10:15).
 
Finally, the Seattle Mariners, on paper, appear to present the greatest challenge to the Astros in the division. The Mariners led the Astros in Game 1 and Game 2 of the ALDS last October, and took the Astros to 18 innings in Game 3, but still were swept by the Astros. The Mariners appear to be closing the gap. Will they win their first division title since 2001, in 2023? Anthony and Jack discuss (1:10:15 - 1:29:15).
 
Then, The Funny 115's Mario Lanza shares his Mariners outlook for 2023. Mario, our unofficial Seattle sports guy, has submitted a Mariners preview for the AL West preview show for three straight years now. Find out where Mario projects the M's to finish this season (1:29:15 - END).
 
You can follow Anthony (@AnthonyFranzeWX) and Mario (@MarioJLanza) on Twitter.

Survivor Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick on The Traitors, Return to Reality TV After 13 Years Away

Our very own Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick returned to reality television in 2022 on USA Network's Snake in the Grass, after 13 years away from competing! Now she's out of retirement, and back with her first multi-episode show since Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Stephenie competed on Peacock's new hit reality show, The Traitors. Stephenie visits the Jack Vita Show for the SEVENTH time, to discuss her time competing in Scotland on The Traitors.
 
Stephenie first appeared on reality television in the year 2005, when she competed on Survivor's tenth season, Survivor: Palau. After outlasting her entire Ulong tribe, she quickly became a fan favorite, and was immediately invited back to play again on the show's eleventh season, Survivor: Guatemala. Five years later, she returned for Survivor's 20th season, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.
 
Stephenie did extremely well on The Traitors, reaching the show's penultimate episode. She was 'murdered' by the traitors, as the traitors feared she was onto them. Stephenie was the final contestant murdered, just as she was the final remaining member of the Ulong tribe on Survivor: Palau.
 
Stephenie discusses her return to reality television after over a decade away from competing. How did she come to the decision to return to competition shows? Stephenie tells the story of how she came out of retirement, and discusses what it was like playing a new competition show that had never aired in the United States before. Is there anything she could have done differently in order to obtain a victory? We take a deep dive into Stephenie's time on The Traitors, and hear all about the show from her perspective.
 
You can follow Stephenie on Instagram @Steph_LaGrossa_Kendrick.
 
If you've missed any of our previous episodes with Stephenie, you can check them out to hear her discuss her time on Survivor and Snake in the Grass, her life as a baseball wife, and hear her interview her nephew Philipp, who is a star second baseman on the Toms River Little League Team that played on ESPN last summer.

Gervase Peterson Previews Super Bowl LVII, Talks Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, Survivor: Borneo, Survivor: Blood vs. Water

Survivor legend and longtime Philadelphia sports fan Gervase Peterson visits the Jack Vita Show to preview Super Bowl LVII, talk Philly sports, and reflect on his time on reality television.
 
Back in 2000, Gervase competed on the first season of Survivor, Survivor: Borneo. It was a national phenomenon. 53 million people tuned in to the show's season finale, where Richard Hatch was awarded the million dollar prize. The show was such a huge success. It laid the groundwork for the franchise to create 42 more seasons, and counting, as Survivor has been on the air for over 22.5 years. Cast members from the first season became household names overnight, rubbing elbows with A-list celebrities at red carpet events. Gervase discusses his time on Survivor and what the ride was like after the show aired. What drew him to Survivor, what was his strategy, and why didn't the Pagong tribe come out on top of Tagi? Gervase shares how he formed an alliance on Pagong, but was unable to get his tribe to vote together after the merge. Gervase also tells the story of how Pagong tried to vote out Jeff Probst at their very first tribal council!
 
Later, Gervase discusses his Philadelphia sports fandom. The Phillies are coming off their first World Series appearance since 2009, and the Eagles will be playing against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday. It's the first time that both the Eagles and Phillies have played for a championship in the same year since 1980; and only the second time in Philadelphia history. Gervase previews the Super Bowl and talks some NFL. He shares his thoughts on the 2022 Eagles, led by Jalen Hurts and his prediction for the big game. Gervase talks Phillies, 76ers and Flyers, while he's at it.
 
13 years after competing on Survivor: Borneo, Gervase returned to Survivor, competing on the show's 27th season, Survivor: Blood vs. Water. Gervase finished third on Blood vs. Water, surviving all 39 days, but coming up short of the million dollar prize. Gervase talks about what it was like coming out of retirement and returning to reality television. It's an episode you won't want to miss!

Scott Rolen Enters MLB Hall of Fame, Baseball Hall of Fame Snubs, Mike Clevinger Scandal

Ryan Pacatte joins Jack Vita to discuss and break down the 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame voting. Former St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen was voted into the Hall of Fame Tuesday by the BBWAA. No other players were voted in to be inducted, although Colorado Rockies great Todd Helton (72.2%) and closer Billy Wagner (68.1%) came close, and are on track to enter the Hall soon. 2000 National League MVP Jeff Kent was denied entry for the tenth time, and now falls off the writer's ballot. He will have a chance to enter the Hall of Fame through one of the veterans committees. Ryan and Jack discuss the Hall of Fame cases for players that did not receive induction in 2023, including Helton, Wagner, Kent, Andruw Jones, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Andy Pettitte and Bobby Abreu. Later on, Ryan and Jack discuss the latest news stories from the MLB offseason, including Major League Baseball's investigation into Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Mike Clevinger and a big trade between the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins, where the Marlins sent Pablo Lopez and prospects to Minnesota in exchange for 2022 AL batting champion Luis Arraez. Ryan and Jack break it all down!

Big Brother’s Rachel Reilly, Survivor’s Stephenie LaGrossa Talk The Traitors, Snake in the Grass

Big Brother legend Rachel Reilly Villegas joins Survivor legend Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick and average podcaster Jack Vita for a fun conversation on the Jack Vita Show, discussing their time on USA's Snake in the Grass, and previewing their latest adventure: The Traitors, airing on Peacock beginning January 12, 2023.
Rachel won Big Brother 13 in the year 2011. She has also won Fear Factor and Snake in the Grass, and competed on The Amazing Race three times, placing third on two separate seasons.
Stephenie became the last remaining member of her Ulong tribe on Survivor's 10th season, Survivor: Palau. She quickly became one of the biggest fan favorites in the show's history, and was brought back to compete on the very next season, Survivor: Guatemala, where she placed second. She later appeared on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and Snake in the Grass.
Hear about how Stephenie and Rachel became friends after competing against each other on Snake in the Grass. Will they team up and work together this time? Rachel has a strong track record of winning on reality competition shows. Stephenie doesn't. Will Rachel win her fourth different show? Can Stephenie finally pick up the W this time around? Tune in for a very fun conversation with a pair of reality television icons!

Houston Astros Pitcher JP France Talks Pitching, Minor Leagues, Mean Girls, Christian Faith

Houston Astros pitcher JP France has spent the last five years working his way through the Astros farm system. He was selected in the 14th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft out of Mississippi State University. In his last 17 appearances of the 2022 Triple-A season in Sugar Land, France logged a 2.52 ERA over 39.1 innings pitched. In November, France was placed on the Astros Major League active roster, and he hopes to make his Major League debut in 2023. His wife, Jessica McCain France, appeared on five different seasons of reality television series that aired on MTV between the years 2013 and 2016, including The Real World: Portland, The Challenge: Rivals II, The Challenge: Free Agents, The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II, and The Challenge: Rivals III. Jessica is currently pregnant with the couple's first child, and is due to give birth very soon.
 
France visits the Jack Vita Show to discuss a wide variety of topics including, his love for hunting and the movie Mean Girls, life in the minor leagues, changes that have come to minor league baseball in recent years — some of which that are soon coming to MLB, such as the pitch clock — preparing for fatherhood, his Christian faith, his wife's reality television career, pitching, and much more.
 
France has pitched both as a starter and a reliever. He pitched primarily out of the bullpen towards the end of last season. How does pitching as a reliever differ from pitching as a starter? France explains. He discusses his pitch mix, how to mentally turn the page from a bad outing, and how he attacks hitters. Tune in to the Jack Vita Show for an episode you will not want to miss!
 
We featured JP's wife Jess on the Jack Vita Show last summer. Check it out here!