There’s a reason Jayson Stark is in the writer’s wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Here in Philadelphia, we were fortunate to have him covering the Phillies for so long and because of that, we’ve been able to enjoy his coverage of the sport nationally for the past two decades, first at ESPN and now at The Athletic.

His writing is awesome and entertaining. I look forward to his weekly columns all season long. But, the reason he’s gotten to be who he is, is because of the relationships he’s been able to develop over the years with absolutely everyone in the sport.

His relationships with the Phillies have always been at the top of that list, so it’s no surprise that as Spring Training opens, the first interview he does on his podcast “Starkville” (co-hosted by former Phillie Doug Glanville), is Kyle Schwarber.

The beauty of Jayson (and Doug) is that their interviews are not cookie cutter. It’s not the sam B.S. questions that come during many national interviews. It’s not a 10-minute interview with canned questions. It’s long-form conversation. It’s just hanging out with the guys you root for night in and night out from March to November.

This interview with Schwarber lasts 45 minutes, but it also takes place on a golf course in Clearwater where Schwarber is golfing with J.T. Realmuto, Bryson Stott and (I think) Garrett Stubbs. (And there’s a couple references to some friendly wagering taking place among the foursome).

Realmuto hops on the interview a few times – especially when Schwarber has to hit a shot – and all the golf stuff is hysterical.

There are some great nuggets in this interview – almost all of it about the Phillies. It’s worth sitting down and giving it a watch/listen. But I will transcribe one of Schwarber’s answers for you, because it’s about you.

Stark mentions that Schwarber told him recently that Red October in 2022 was the greatest atmosphere in which he’s ever played. Stark asks Schwarber how that’s possible considering he played in Chicago in 2016 when the Cubs ended a 108-year championship drought. (He also played for the Red Sox in Fenway in the postseason). Here’s his response:

“The difference is in 2016 there was 108 years on the line. There was a nervous, but excited energy. They wanted us to get the job done in Chicago. We lost two in Chicago. We lost 3 and 4 and then won 5-6-7. Having that nervous energy is different than when you show up in Philly and they’re rocking from the first pitch and it didn’t matter until it was over after the last pitch. They were just going the whole game. They just wanted the other team to feel like they were a presence that they could not ignore Philly as a home team advantage.”

In other words, Cubs fans suck. Phillies fans are awesome.

OK… those are my words, not Schwarber’s, but you know, they’re close.

Anyway… check out the interview. It’s a beauty.