Steve Phillips, the “GM” of ESPN’s baseball coverage, joins the show to talk about the his career in the game as a GM and broadcaster, as well as the tumultuous off season a look at the coming year.

Thank goodness baseball is back.

We start by talking about the off-season that was. The over-under on Alex Rodriguez’s name coming out was 90 seconds and I think we shatter that as his story has consumed the off-season this year. I ask Phillips about steroids in general. The steroids storyline is more prevalent now than in the ‘Steroid Era’ (assuming that it’s now over of course). As someone who spent his entire life in the game of baseball, what does he think of the whole steroid mess? Is he angry, offended or has cheating always been a part of the fabric of baseball, and this is the newest thing?

Phillips was GM of the Mets in the late 90’s and early Aughts. Inside Jeff Pearlman’s book on Roger Clemens is an excerpt on Mike Piazza’s supposed steroid use. According to Pearlman, the use was anything but supposed as many people talk about the widespread knowledge of Piazza’s usage. Phillips was the man who traded for him, so I ask him what he thinks of the allegations. Was it a ‘don’t ask/don’t tell’ situation or did the GMs at the time never even think to ask?

We shift gears a bit to talk about being a GM. General Manager is such a, well, general term, so I ask what the actual job of the GM is from day-to-day. Are GMs solely responsible for putting a good product on the field (at all levels) or are they involved in other parts of the team, including putting fans in the seats, merchandising and whatnot?

How many GMs have an edict to win at all costs and how many GMs are told to try and make money first, win second? Phillips brings up an interesting point about small market teams and how, with big-market teams seeing these small-market organizations succeed with young players and smart drafting and scouting, the big guys are less apt to trade away their young talent (he cites the Yankees unwillingness to part with top prospects for Yohan Santana as an example). Thus, small-market teams, who were built on a model of smart trades and pilfering big-market farm systems, aren’t able to do that anymore. In other words, the model used by small markets was so successful (in places like Oakland, Tampa, etc) that it will now come back to hinder their success in the future.

I also ask Phillips about a potential salary cap. While he says it will never happen, he thinks that GMs might enjoy the challenge.

We move on to his time at ESPN and I start with his much discussed mock GM press conferences with actual reporters posing fake questions to him. He says that he enjoyed the process of doing it and respected the idea by ESPN to try something different. He even suggested that ESPN do it again, and understands -- but does not agree -- that people may have looked at the segments as a shot to their credibility.

Speaking of credibility on TV, I bring up Matt Millen, and his hiring by NBC, to ask Phillips, who was in no way as terrible a GM as Millen, why we’re expected to trust GMs who have been fired or failed miserably at their jobs? Why do they get to be experts on TV?

Phillips does studio work and calls games. With Clark Kellogg’s performance during the NCAA Tournament getting many headlines, and most people saying he’s very good in studio but not ready for the Final Four as a color commentator, I ask Phillips which he likes better and which he feels is the easier job to do. We also compare baseball games to other sports, and wonder if the folksy nature of baseball allows for more time to react and comment, when in other sports, it’s much more difficult to get points across.

Since the season is starting, we go on the field a bit. People are picking the Mets to win it all, but doesn’t everyone realize they are choking dogs? We talk about Philips picks for the upcoming season and who he thinks will make the World Series.

We also talk about who his breakout stars will be this season. He thinks one of the best young stars may not even be in the majors right now.

And last, as the show was taped on April Fool’s Day, what AFD pranks has he been a part of?

Man it’s great to have baseball back. I’m emotional just thinking about it the World Champs taking the field.