Hot Stove Baseball Podcast Inning 2 (2014-'15)

Legendary baseball scout Gary Hughes of the Boston Red Sox and @Broadcastermick (Mick Gillispie) Chicago Cubs Spring Training Voice talk about the Cubs 2015 spring training broadcast schedule. The problem players deal with lifting weights in the off season. Gambling in baseball and should Pete Rose reinstated.

Legendary baseball scout Gary Hughes of the Boston Red Sox and @Broadcastermick (Mick Gillispie) Chicago Cubs Spring Training Voice remembers the late Cubs legend Ernie Banks. Major League Baseball will look at banning the shift with new Commissioner Rob Manfred. The 2015 Hall of Fame class is among the best in history.

Legendary baseball scout Gary Hughes and @Broadcastermick (Mick Gillispie) talk about the best off-season movers and shakers in Major League Baseball, including the rise of San Diego and the rebuild in Philadelphia. Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees 97 years ago today and his memorabilia still brings big money. Baseball lost some legendary figures in 2014.

Bluejays CEO job Kenny Williams White Sox VP not give permission to interview -Orioles GM Dan Duquette, The team blocking the move? Ethical? The podcast starts with Mick and Gary discussing the Toronto Blue Jays CEO job search. White Sox Vice President Kenny Williams and Baltimore Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette have both been connected to the opening. The second segment is a review of Winter Meetings. Gary's Boston Redsox made a cluster of moves- trading Yoenis Cespedes , Alex Wilson Gabe Speier for Rick Porecello form the Tigers. Then traded Arizona for Wade Miley giving up Ruby De La Rosa & Allen Webster. They finished a strong trip to San Deigo by signing free agent pitcher Justin Masterson. The Red Sox missed out on Jon Lester losing out to the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs paid 155 million on a six year deal to nap the lefty. Lester has been extremely durable and consistent over the past seven seasons. They also worked a trade with Arizona for catcher Miguel Montero. The finished an aggressive trip to Winter Meetings by signing Jason Hammel to a 2year deal. The biggest move of the week was Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp getting sent to San Diego for catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitcher Joe Wieland. L.A will also pay some of Kemps salary. They then traded All-Star Dee Gordon and pitcher Dan Haren to the Marlins for pitcher Andrew Heaney, Austin Barnes and Chris Hatcher. Then hours later Andrew Heaney was dealt again to Angles for second baseman Howie Kendrick. They also grabbed Philadelphia Phillies great Jimmy Rollins to play short stop and signed pitcher Brandon McCarthy to a four year deal. The final segment focused on the Veterans Committee Hall of fame vote. Made up of a 16-person committee, they did not select an inductee. Both Dick Allen (3B/1B) and Tony Oliva (OF) fell one vote short while Jim Kaat (10 votes) needed two. Vote? Golden Area Committee next meets in 2017. The newest hall of fame broadcaster is Dick Enberg of the San Diego Padres. He won the Ford Frick Award but Mick and Gary talk about the how Bill King was passed over again.

The 'Happy Thanksgiving' edition of the podcast starts with Gary recapping all the moves made by his Boston Redsox. They include the signings of both Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval to bolster the offense. Where will these guys fit into the Boston line-up? In segment two the conversation swings to free agent pitching. Gary talks about the best avaiable arms and where they rank. The guys then debate the latest trend that sees hitting trump pitching in overall availability. The Braves new President of Baseball Operations (GM) John Hart has just taken the helm and is making moves. The discussion centers on those moves and what Hart brings to the job. One move was sending the Cubs infielder Tommy LaStella. The Northsiders have steadily built up a stockpile of middle infielders. The guys explain why this isn't a problem. Finally the show touches on this years Hall of Fame ballot finalists. Gary makes his prediction on who will be elected. Mick and Gary both then make a strong case for Lee Smith, Tim Raines and Dale Murphy.

Gary and Mick get the Hot Stove Baseball Podcast started less then one week after the World Series. The show starts with a look back at the Kansas City Royals. How their improbable run to the Fall Classic started with a rally in the wildcard game against Oakland. Then the guys touch on San Francisco. They discuss the Giants Dynasty and what makes this title special, along with how the team keeps winning with a different roster of players. News broke Fridays that the Chicago Cubs fired Ricky Renteria to hire Joe Maddon as the teams Manager. The show focuses on the importance of a manager? Then it finally wraps up with a couple final thoughts by Gary.

The start Spring Training has Mick and Gary both excited about getting to camp. The two will leave next Tuesday although Gary will tackle the Grapefruit League while Mick heads to the Cactus League. Last week Gary’s long time friend and High School classmate Jim Fergosi passed away at 71 years old. Jim was a four sport star at Serra High in the San Francisco Bay Area and a teammate. Gary also credits Fergosi for helping him realize the importance of scouting and drafting multi-sport athletes. The Orioles signed Cleveland starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez to help bolster their rotation. Cleveland will receive a first round pick from Baltimore as compensation for signing the free agent fireballer. Mick and Gary discuss the pros and cons of the deal. Derek Jeter announced that this season would be his final in the Major Leagues. Gary recounts scouting Jeter as a prep star and guys discuss his place in Yankees history and place among the greatest shortstops in MLB history.

The Hot Stove Baseball Podcast starts with Gary and Mick talking about the official start of spring training. Pitchers and catchers have reported and Gary talks about the worries and concerns management faces with players before they get into shape. The Red Sox and Yankees are gearing up for another AL East battle. Mick asks Gary about the prospects of a Boston repeat. Then the guys discuss all the changes to the Bronx Bombers roster. New York has spent more then a half of billion dollars to retool. Earlier this week Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Ralph Kiner passed away at age 91. He was also a great broadcaster in New York on Mets radio. His post game interviews known as 'Kiner's Corner' are still legendary. Gary reflects on his time as an official in the Expos, Marlins and Cubs front offices. He explains why arbitration can be a negative between players and management. Ken Korach wrote a new book about former A's voice Bill King. Gary was mentioned in one of the chapters and explains the reason why. Growing up and living in the Bay Area, he was a long time fan before becoming a friend. Baseball America has awarded Gary a 'Life Time Achievement' Award and also to their list of 'Top Ten Scouts of the Century'. He is the only living member of the Top Ten list and explains why he was perceived to be so successful.

Since 1996 Oakland A’s fans have heard the play-by-play voice of Ken Korach fill the radio airwaves in the Bay Area. Korach is known for his professionalism on-air and overall broadcast organization. He is great at giving his audience an excellent description and maintaining the excitement of the game. In January the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association named him the California Sportscaster of the year 2014. This season marks Korach’s 19th on the A’s broadcast team only second to his former partner Bill King. King was the inspiration for this new book “Holy Toledo – Lessons from Bill King: Renaissance Man of the Mic” and the topic of today’s Hot Stove Baseball Podcast with Mick Gillispie.

Veteran Major League Baseball Scout Gary Hughes and Broadcaster Mick Gillispie discuss an array of off season topics. The show starts with the guys talking about Spring Training. It was announced earlier this week that Mick would again work with Len Kasper on the Cubs Cactus League broadcast. This includes 23 games and the opening of the brand new Cubs Park. The Yankees signed Masahiro Tanaka from Japan for seven years/$155 million dollars. Mick asks Gary to explain the pressure on the front office for paying that type of salary for an unproven player. The impact it has on the player and realistic expectations. Gary worked for both the Yankees and Redsox and gives his account of the rivalry. Alex Rodriguez was suspended from baseball by the commissioner last year. He appealed the 211 game penalty and it was reduced to 162 or the entire 2014 season. Gary and Mick both talk about the effect steroids have on the game of baseball and the Hall of Fame. The guys then preview a couple of guests that will join this years podcast, Rangers broadcaster Eric Nadel and A's voice Ken Korack. Nadel is the 2014 Ford Frick winner which is the broadcasters Hall of Fame award in Cooperstown. Then Korack wrote about his former A's broadcast partner Bill King. Mick asks Gary about Tracy Ringolsby's story on MLB.com "Hughes has a keen eye for multisport talents". The two discuss John Elway, Delino DeShields and John Lynch along with how they were drafted for baseball and football. Then a final note about The Former La Tech Quarterback Sam Hughes who also went from football to baseball. Sam is Gary's son and a scout for the Chicago Cubs. He was awarded 'Scout of the Year' honors but the organization.