Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci the difference between Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic. What makes it so popular and great for baseball? Tom notes the growing popularity of the event as it starts its 6th year.

Konnor Griffin has been impressive in Spring Training. Tom gives some impressive comps that has Joe excited about Griffin as a player. Legendary ump Bruce Froemming passed away and Joe happens to have been his very last ejection.

Plus, a fun promotion coming this season for the Cardinals! Joe recalls some great event nights for teams and even some that should be avoided!

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Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci open with Arte Moreno saying winning isn't in the top 5 of the needs of the Angels. Joe explains what he believes the owner meant in the statement for the fans of the LA Angels. Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski passed away and Tom asks where Maz's home run in the 1960 World Series ranks amongst all-time hits. Plus, will a coming rule change cause a safety issue for coaches?

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Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci open with the future of Nick Castellanos with the Padres. Tom looks at what's ahead for Mike Trout this season while Joe suggests a plan for the team to follow for success. It's time for the ABS system in baseball and Tom explains how teams are preparing to use it. After being at Dodgers camp, Tom talks about the team and Shohei Ohtani's start to the season. Plus, our hosts pay homage to the passing of Robert Duvall.

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Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci give their recap of the Super Bowl and how Sam Darnold blossomed into the QB he was supposed to be. What did Joe think about the commercials this year? Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal wins a record arbitration case, but should he have been treated better by Detroit? Heading into Spring Training, Tom is wondering about the plan in Boston for the Red Sox while Joe comments about the use of the ABS this season. Plus, Tom notes the passing of the great QBs John Brodie and Sonny Jurgensen.

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Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci welcome author Danny Funt, who wrote the book, Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling, which explores the growth of gambling and social acceptance in sports. Danny discusses the mixed messages being sent and methods used to create habits which now has fans gambling on their phones throughout a game. How did gambling go from 'evil' to being a partner of the professional leagues?

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Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci starts with the Seahawks/Patriots Super Bowl and the time commitment it takes for the head coaches. Tom also thinks there's no sport that relies on a single player more than teams do with a quarterback. Cody Bellinger stays with the Yankees and Jose Ramirez reworked his deal with the Guardians. Tom asks if the MacKenzie Gore deal makes sense for the Rangers. Plus, how did the US car market do last year and what's coming in the future?

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Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci recap 'Cubs Convention 2026' celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Cubs World Series. Joe touches on the some of the conversations he had and how the team coming back together was such a special event. Tom notes the connection this team had with Cubs fans after ending the long drought in Chicago.

Turning to contracts and deals being done, Tom points out the real eye-popping numbers in the Dodgers deal with Kyle Tucker. Is there a shift to high value, shorter term deals? Andruw Jones and Carlos Betran are the newest Hall of Fame members.

Plus, Indiana wins the CFB Championship and Tom asks Joe about the aura of Head Coach Curt Cignetti.

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Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci welcome Ken Lazarus to the podcast! Ken is the CEO of Infinite Sky AI and explains what his company can do for pitching and baseball. Tom notes the amount of data that's used for this process and what makes compiling a real answer so hard. Joe asks about the impact on scouting and the ability to predict future talent or even needs for a team at the trade deadline. This is an informative and entertaining look at the future of baseball!

The Book of Joe Podcast is a production of iHeart Radio.

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