Former Red Sox MVP Launches Podcast, Lines Up Boston Royalty For Guests
The “Hit Dog” is back and is ready to swing away. Former Boston Red Sox first baseman Mo Vaughn launched a podcast on Thursday in conjunction with Perfect Game: “MVP: The Mo Vaughn Podcast.”
According to Awful Announcing, it will be a weekly show that pairs Vaughn with ESPN Radio’s Brendan Tobin.
So why is Vaughn finally dipping his toe in sports media waters?
“There’s not a lot of guys that get a chance to end their career the way they want to,” Vaughn explained, per Awful Announcing’s Sam Neumann. “They don’t get a chance to express what they want — a lot of things are written.
“Not everybody’s going to be Derek Jeter or Cal Ripken, Jr., or George Brett or some of these guys that were able to stay in the same uniform, and produce, and win a World Series, and go out on their own terms,” Vaughn added.
“I think the podcast is good therapy, it’s good thought,” the former slugger continued. “It’s a chance to talk about some of the things that might not have been said. You get to speak your piece one last time on what your feelings are, what the reality is.”
Neumann reports Vaughn’s guest list includes a pair of Red Sox royalty: former All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra and three-time World Series champion David Ortiz.
Vaughn made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 1991. He won the American League MVP Award in 1995, clubbing 39 home runs with a league-best 126 RBIs.
He set personal bests in 1996 with 44 home runs and 143 RBIs, but finished fifth in MVP voting.
The three-time All-Star became a free agent in 1998 and signed a record-setting six-year, $80 million contract with the Anaheim Angels.
But his time in California also marked the beginning of the end for Vaughn, whose body started breaking down. A ruptured biceps tendon cost him the entire 2001 season, after which the Angels traded Vaughn to the New York Mets.
Vaughn played two seasons in Queens but never recaptured the his MVP form. He played 12 MLB seasons, hitting .293 with 328 home runs.
The Red Sox inducted Vaughn into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2008.