In order to redeem membership into the Athlete Club at WIP, Marks & Reese producer Jack Fritz will try to do the impossible. On Wednesday, August 11 at 3:00 PM, Fritz will attempt to run a mile in under eight minutes.
Fritz's attempt comes weeks after a failed performance at Phillies Fantasy Baseball Camp against WIP's Joe DeCamara, who not only was beaned but was robbed of a clear base hit against Fritz. He was then challenged to run the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon in November. This is the first mile of that potential feat.
Phillies announcers Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen will call the play-by-play of the event alongside Jon Marks and Ike Reese at the WIP Tastykake Studios. Eliot Shorr-Parks will track Fritz running in real time as the sideline reporter for the event. Conditions call for 95 degrees and sunny.
"This will be different," said Franzke, who is calling his first ever mile run.
"This is going to be a new one for me. I'm not sure the tone I want this to take. I've debated this a little bit, Larry and I are going to talk some tomorrow. Larry is up for a good pratt-fall if someone wants to trip on their jog."
Longtime mentors and show hosts Jon Marks and Ike Reese have differing opinions on the matter.
"No. He has not shot at this," said Reese on Monday. "I think he is going to crumble under the pressure. This is a guy who had an 11 something ERA at Bloomsburg."
It should be noted that Reese is also President of the Athlete's Club at WIP.
"Jack Fritz has failed at so many challenges since he became the producer of the Marks & Reese Show," wrote Marks. "He's due to win at something right? Jack has trained hard for this and I believe he wins the challenge and runs a mile in less than eight minutes."
"I wish Fritz the best of luck in trying to earn 'athlete status at WIP. He will need luck," chimed in midday host Joe DeCamara. "I think we all know Jack is pushing the proverbial boulder up the hill. He'll never actually get to the top of the hill. Poor fella. It's like a Greek tragedy. We all know he lacks the skill and heart, but he doesn't seem to actually understand that. Good luck, Jack!"
When asked for a statement, here is what Fritz had to say:
"I'm excited to prove to the listeners of this station and to my fellow athletes at WIP that I am a winner and not a quitter. As someone who has long hated running, I've been putting in the work to shed the labels thrown upon me post-DeCamara and I look forward to the results of this work to be shown on Wednesday."