# In baseball, what is a "hot stove" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-baseball-what-is-a-hot-stove/280337 "2004-12-17T14:31:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-baseball-what-is-a-hot-stove/280337/1 "2004-12-17T14:31:25Z")
I’ve been hearing this phrase in local sportscasts recently, but not with enough context to figure out what they’re talking about. Does anyone know what a “hot stove” refers to? Thanks, ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-baseball-what-is-a-hot-stove/280337/2 "2004-12-17T14:33:14Z")
It refers to the off-season. Back before television and other professional sports leagues, the men had nothing better to do in the winter offseason than to sit around a hot stove and discuss the moves the teams were making and should be making in preparation for the upcoming season. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-baseball-what-is-a-hot-stove/280337/3 "2004-12-17T14:36:28Z")
\*\*Neurotik \*\* has it. Here’s a link to a previous thread. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=151748&highlight=stove+league](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=151748&highlight=stove+league)