# MLB-Hot Stove League winter 2022/23 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [November 14, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910 "2022-11-14T20:53:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/261 "2023-02-18T16:59:20Z")
> **[Padres’ Machado says he plans to opt out after this season](https://fox5sandiego.com/sports/padres/ap-padres-machado-says-he-plans-to-opt-out-after-this-season/)** > > Manny Machado says he plans to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract with the San Diego Padres after this season. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/262 "2023-02-18T17:07:27Z")
And Al Lieter was even better than Cone. Paul kind of fills the Scooter niche. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/263 "2023-02-18T17:11:25Z")
O’Neill was a surprise as a broadcaster considering how intense and deranged he often seemed as a player. He’s a huckleberry, as Rizzuto would say. He’s always upbeat and never mean or negative. It’s just that he’s dreadfully boring. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/264 "2023-02-18T17:29:19Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > It’s remarkable how many former players wind up in broadcasting and offer very little insight into the game. Mike Blowers for the Mariners (Root Sports) does a nice job. Not Hall of Fame stuff, but it’s interesting and he doesn’t ruin the game. (I don’t ask for much) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/265 "2023-02-18T17:52:35Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > And Al Lieter was even better than Cone. The first time I heard Leiter I was like holy shit! The man is telling me stuff I didn’t know! Cool! It was legitimately enlightening. As to Manny Machado, I’ll believe he’s opting out when he does. If he has a down year, it might not make any sense to do so. ---
**Author:** ![ThatCanadianGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@ThatCanadianGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThatCanadianGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/266 "2023-02-19T21:15:43Z")
The only thing I really noticed and bugged me is Buck Martinez repeating seconds later what was just said by the first announcer. As for Pat Tabler, post game talks, yes, I would say he talks but doesn’t seem to be saying anything substantial. For the record, I found McCarver okay. I didn’t like Morgan because he dismissed sabermetrics, this from a guy who very likely is a HOFer because he has good sabermetrics stats. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/267 "2023-02-19T21:45:03Z")
Buck Martinez’s voice is too nasally for my taste. I just can’t get used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/268 "2023-02-20T16:56:42Z")
The Cubs’ TV color commentator, Jim Deshaies, is similar. I never noticed this before, but then one day a friend of mine told me that Jim never says anything that my friend doesn’t already know. Then I started paying attention, and my friend is right! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/269 "2023-02-20T17:20:33Z")
Baseball announcers who contribute little of interest are still way more tolerable than obnoxious homers.\* \*Ken Harrelson being the worst example on record. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/270 "2023-02-21T01:42:32Z")
It’s quite possible that the worst baseball announcer of all time was Howard Cosell. He’s up there near the top anyway… Knew nothing about the sport and thought he knew everything. A lethal combination. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/271 "2023-02-21T06:07:29Z")
Good one. In baseball broadcasts he was just incredibly terrible; he was in there solely because of his fame. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/272 "2023-02-21T06:19:38Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In baseball broadcasts he was just incredibly terrible; he was in there solely because of his fame. For certain; I think that another reason why ABC used him on sports that he wasn’t well-versed in was that his abrasive, opinionated style seemed to generate interest among fans (even if it was to complain about him). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/273 "2023-02-21T15:50:00Z")
In general, the better announcers were not star players with the exception of Al Kaline and George Kell. McCarver was like the rooster who thought the sun rose every morning to hear him crow. I think his broadcasting wore out many a mute button on remotes around the nation. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/274 "2023-02-21T20:12:51Z")
Al Michaels did not have nice things to say about Cosell. In fact, McCarver replaced Cosell on, I think, ABC at the time. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/275 "2023-02-21T21:52:57Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > In general, the better announcers were not star players with the exception of Al Kaline and George Kell. Jim Kaat’s pretty good. Bob Uecker hit 21 percent of his career home runs off Hall of Famers. 🙂 Of course, the pool of announcers generally doesn’t include a lot of superstars, anyway. Play by play men are usually professional broadcasters, not players, and I think that the reason so many color commentators are players but not stars is just that star players would be too expensive for the job. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/276 "2023-02-21T22:50:31Z")
Yeah, Kaat is pretty good. And I’m old enough to know that Dizzy Dean wasn’t a great announcer, but he sure was fun to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/277 "2023-02-22T00:09:55Z")
Orel Hershiser is a pretty good color guy for the Dodgers. I’d call him a star player. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/278 "2023-02-22T22:10:18Z")
Milwaukee Brewers doing something smart, lowering concessions prices. And I’m fine with smaller portions, portion sizes are already insane. > **[Brewers roll out "414 Menu" for concessions savings; enhance game day...](https://milwaukeerecord.com/sports/brewers-roll-out-414-menu-for-concessions-savings-enhance-game-day-experience-for-fans/)** > > New 414 Menu and Sunday Fun-Day Bundle offer excellent value for fans; Sunday autograph sessions for kids return; and much more. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/279 "2023-02-22T22:51:16Z")
Cool move, Brewers! (The “414” reference in the value menu’s name is a play on the Milwaukee area’s primary area code.) ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910/280 "2023-02-24T23:58:31Z")
Which of the new rules do you think will have the most positive affect on the game? The most negative? I am looking forward to the faster pace. I guess we will see how it plays out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hot-stove-league-winter-2022-23/974910.md?page=15)