Hot Stove, Cool Music ...

Click on the words "Hot Stove, Cool Music" for a Boston Globe photo gallery.

Here is a great story from MLB.com on the vibe from "Hot Stove, Cool Music," an event that raised well over $200,000 for Theo Epstein's "Foundation to be Named Later."

MLB on the Sunday night concert:

'Hot Stove, Cool Music' a hit once again
01/06/2008 10:00 PM ET
By Mike Petraglia / Special to MLB.com

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck is living a dream right now. His team is 29-3 and running through the rest of the NBA in a renaissance season never seen before.
And now thanks to Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, his twin brother Paul and organizers of the eighth annual "Hot Stove, Cool Music" benefit concert Sunday night, another dream is coming true for Grousbeck.

"I've been a drummer since I was 8 and if I get a good invitation to play drums, I'm going to be there," Grousbeck said before taking the stage at Boston's Paradise Rock Club. "I just gave my [business] card to somebody from Warner Bros. I'm trying to get a record deal for my band now. It's fantastic."

Grousbeck is the drummer for his band, "French Lick" -- named after the hometown of Celtics legend Larry Bird. He says Sunday's concert is just another example of Boston's three super-successful teams coming together in the community.

"Our Opening Night, which featured [Kevin] Garnett and [Ray] Allen, we had the World Series trophies there with John Henry and Tom Werner and we had the [New England Patriots owner] Krafts sitting there with me and my wife. We're all good friends and we support each other," Grousbeck recalled before going on stage.

Organizers were expecting to raise as much as $200,000 to benefit The Foundation to Be Named Later, a branch of the Red Sox Foundation that was founded by the Epstein twins.

"It's doing really well," Theo Epstein said. "We've raised well over a million dollars now over the years. What I like about it the most is that the money goes to the non-profits that need it the most, in our opinion. There is no bureaucracy or red tape so the money goes directly from Red Sox fans to these organizations that help kids right on the front lines that need it the most."

Since the event was born in December 2000, the event has raised approximately $1.5 million for Boston charities.

"It's grown beyond our imagination when we started this in December 2000," said Jeff Horrigan, who along with ESPN's Peter Gammons came up with the concept of marrying baseball with rock 'n' roll for charity. "We thought it was a one-shot deal."

"It grows every year and it's always special after we win the World Series," the Red Sox GM added. "We seem to get an extra-big turnout and raise a lot more money for charity."

It was after the World Series title in 2004 that then-Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo made his biggest splash to date on the rock scene. Arroyo, now entering his third season in Cincinnati, took time out again Sunday night to participate along with a host of other musicians, including Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom, Kay Hanley, Seth Justman of the J. Geils Band and Paul Barrere of Little Feat. As he has in the past, TV star Mike O'Malley emceed the event, providing comedic relief in between acts.

Singer/songwriter Lori McKenna made her "Hot Stove" debut Sunday night. The Stoughton, Mass., native is a mother of five and most recently the winner of the Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards for "Unglamorous," co-produced by Tim McGraw and Byron Gallimore.

"We were at the Boston Music Awards and I was listening to the people around me talk about it and it came to me that I have a lot of friends who have played this event and it's one of the biggest benefits in this town," McKenna said. "My husband and I have five kids and we always used to kid that we'd have children until the Red Sox won the World Series and our fifth child was born in May 2004. I was kidding, but I guess we're done now.

"Really, the last couple of years and my kids coming of age and realizing what Red Sox Nation is and how it sort of makes us who we are, and it's sort of cool to have the music come into play with that," she added.

McKenna isn't alone. The Paradise Club is now the place to be in Boston on the first Sunday night in January for Red Sox and rock fans alike.

"We never imagined it would grow exponentially and become a staple of Boston nightlife," Horrigan said. "We have 10 times the number of bands contacting us that we can fit on the bill, which is a pretty high compliment to us."

Grousbeck was only too happy to live out his rock 'n' roll dream Sunday night on stage.

"This is turning into a national event and it's because of the quality of Paul and Theo and Peter and the people behind it are great guys and everyone knows it," Grousbeck said. "My band loves playing for charity. We love playing Hot Stove. This is a hot event. It's a sold-out event. It's raising money for a great cause. I couldn't miss it."

Note: I was compelled to sing... "All we are saying, is give Wyc a chance."

MLB on the seminar:

Cashman part of roundtable discussion
01/05/2008 8:15 PM ET
By Mike Petraglia / Special to MLB.com

BOSTON -- It seemed very ironic that Brian Cashman found some moments of perspective and escape from his whirlwind of an offseason on Saturday at Fenway Park.
The Yankees general manager was invited to the home of his arch-rival and the team that has won two World Series titles in the last four seasons by his Boston counterpart Theo Epstein to help the Red Sox general manager promote the "Hot Stove, Cool Music" concert on Sunday night in Boston.

"I live in Connecticut," Cashman said. "It's not a far drive. I was asked if I would be interested in coming up and spending a little time here. So it was a lay-up. I hope everyone had a good time."

Cashman was one of the featured speakers on a panel that included Epstein, Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi and baseball luminaries Bill James, ESPN's Peter Gammons and agent Scott Boras.

"Based on the Northeast, from New York through Maine, these people live and die every day with their teams," Cashman said. "The passion is there. I'm not surprised. It's great to sit down with people like Theo, J.P., Peter and Scott and Bill James, who I don't have a chance to talk with much at all, but I certainly know him through his writings over the years. So that was a treat."

Everyone in attendance wanted to know the status of the Johan Santana talks after Hank Steinbrenner told the Associated Press that he is "leaning toward" going through with a trade for the two-time A.L. Cy Young winner.

"Mostly, especially in our big markets, you get challenged on the short-term stuff so much you can make a mistake if you get caught up in the winds of the pressure of making a [trade]," Cashman told the audience.

"Like right now, the Red Sox and Yankees, at least, are in the middle of this Johan Santana stuff. What's the right thing for the now? What's the right thing for the future? These are the wrestling matches that go on in the organizations and you have very spirited conversations about what's right and what's wrong."

Cashman said he still believes in a strong and productive farm system.

"At the end of the day, if you have an opportunity to build something and be a leader in that situation, you stick to it. It's your way and you find a way to stick to it, despite the media pressures, the ownership pressures, the fans' pressures and realize, 'You know what? I believe in what I'm doing and I'll stick to it as long as you give me the opportunity and then get judged on the results at the end of the day.'"

Following the panel discussion, Cashman fielded questions on everything from dealing with the Steinbrenner brothers to Roger Clemens and the Mitchell Report.

"Everybody has their own style," Cashman said of the Steinbrenners. "And Hank has obviously taken charge on behalf of his father, along with his brother, Hal. They have different styles. Hal is more quiet and Hank is very available, but my job is to continue to line up the structure of the organization that can find the amateur talent."

On the eve of Clemens' interview on "60 Minutes," Cashman offered his perspective on what to expect from baseball going forward from the Mitchell Report.

"All of it's difficult," he said. "There's no doubt about that. It is what it is. The Mitchell Report came out and there was some shocking information that was in there, and now we're seeing it play out after the fact and what you have to do, unfortunately, is sit back and watch it unfold."

Peter Gammons said Cashman is weathering yet another storm in New York.

"Brian Cashman faced a lot because the Mitchell Report was so based on basically two sources, both out of New York. There were a lot of New York names in there," Gammons told reporters. "I think the more we have to deal with Clemens and Bonds under oath, it takes away [from baseball]."

Cashman told the hundreds of fans in attendance and media afterward that the most successful general managers stick to a game plan, in good times and bad.

"You're not going to always be right, but in the end you have to stick to your convictions and then you get judged on the results in the end, for better or for worse," he told the audience.