A longtime staple in the offseason, 700-WLW’s weekly Cincinnati Reds radio show “Hot Stove League,” is typically centered around the latest happenings with the big-league club.
Now, if it involves the current roster, it’s radio silence.
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The “Hot Stove League” is no longer discussing players who are on the 40-man roster during Major League Baseball’s lockout following a similar stance from MLB.com and MLB Network. Commissioner Rob Manfred said it was a legal issue after stories and pictures featuring active big-league players were no longer featured on the league’s website, but he did not specify what potential legal issue prompted the move.
“We’re not allowed to talk about current players or players currently on the 40-man roster, so (the lockout) does affect a show like the ‘Hot Stove League,’” host Jim Day said on the latest episode of the show Tuesday. “We will trudge on. I mean, the ‘Hot Stove League’ is built around talking about offseason moves, the team coming up, so will it be a challenge? Absolutely. But also an opportunity to talk about things in a positive nature that are still going on in the baseball world and we can dip into the Reds alumni.”
Tuesday’s episode of the “Hot Stove League” featured an interview with Adam Dunn and an interview with Charley Frank, the director of the Reds community fund.
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All Major League transactions were frozen when the owners locked out the players, halting free-agent signings and trades. Teams are not permitted to contact players who are on the 40-man roster. The lockout does not affect the minor leagues, which is not included in the players union.
MLB Network’s programming during the lockout is primarily replaying old games. The team’s website, Reds.com, features historical stories like “Top 10 moments of Johnny Bench’s career” and “Reds Vault: Charlton flattens Scioscia.”
The NBA and NHL did similar things with their programming on official websites and TV networks during lockouts in the past decade.
“Until a new (collective bargaining) agreement is reached, there will be limitations on the type of content we display,” said a statement on MLB.com. “As a result, you will see a lot more content that focuses on the game’s rich history. Once a new agreement is reached, the up to the minute news and analysis you have come to expect will continue as usual.”
Teams can no longer reference players on their promotional schedules. The St. Louis Cardinals have "third baseman bobblehead" featured on their website. Reds auctions to benefit the team's community fund features jerseys from coaches and items from retired players.
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The league’s main Twitter account, which has 9.6 million followers, made four tweets from the beginning of the lockout: a letter from Manfred and three tweets about players elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
The Reds have five posts from their official Facebook account since the beginning of the lockout on Dec. 2: Two were related to this date in Reds history, one congratulating the Cincinnati Bearcats for advancing to the College Football Playoff, one wishing Johnny Bench a happy birthday and one with news of who they picked in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
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The “Hot Stove League” is scheduled to air a live show each week through March 30, one day before the regular season is scheduled to begin.
“In respect to not having a deal in place,” Day said, “let’s face it, the players are unionized and there is no deal with that union, so we will not talk about current players.”
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