Todd Stottlemyre on Mickey Mantle, Monument Park and life in a baseball family

Our guest this episode is former big league pitcher Todd Stottlemyre. Todd and his brother, Mel Jr., grew up as self-described “baseball brats’’ who had a blast roaming Monument Park pre-game when their dad, Mel, was the lead dog in the Yankees’ rotation in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Todd lived the dream over 14 seasons as a starter with the Blue Jays and four other clubs, and was a part of back-to-back World Championship teams in Toronto in 1992 and 1993. He received an education in baseball economics in 1994 when players went on strike to fend off a salary cap, commissioner Bud Selig canceled the World Series, and he joined dozens of other players at a camp for unsigned free agents in Homestead, Florida, the following spring. It was a career, a grind and an adventure, all rolled into one. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Todd Stottlemyre(00:00:30) - Growing up as a Yankees baseball brat(00:03:15) - Memories of Mickey Mantle and Mrs. Babe Ruth(00:08:47) - Mel Stottlemyre's legacy and character(00:11:46) - Family life split between Washington, Florida, and New York(00:14:49) - Draft decisions and choosing college over the Yankees(00:17:30) - Signing with the Blue Jays(00:19:19) - Earning respect as a rookie in a veteran clubhouse(00:22:33) - Breaking through and finding his groove in the majors(00:25:37) - World Series memories and the Philly mayor incident(00:27:55) - Working with Harvey Dorfman on mindset and focus(00:32:31) - The 1994 strike and canceled World Series(00:35:34) - Free agency limbo and signing with Oakland(00:37:43) - Union solidarity and lobbying in Washington(00:41:54) - Lessons from labor history and family perspective(00:46:01) - Branch Rickey and Lou Gehrig Awards reflection(00:49:19) - Closing credits