Episode three of The Mask and the Mic reunites former NHL goaltender Guy Hebert and broadcaster Kent French as they welcome former MLB pitcher and longtime Angels broadcaster Mark Gubicza. Gubicza discusses growing up in Philadelphia playing multiple sports, including hockey and grade-school boxing, and how baseball became his focus through his father’s minor-league background and his brothers’ influence. He recalls playing shortstop and later moving positions, his approach to pitching and hitting, and how familiarity between teammates affects matchups, including how All-Star weekends can soften a player’s “edge.”
Gubicza shares All-Star memories, including striking out Hall of Famer Gary Carter and later learning it was Carter’s only All-Star strikeout, and names Don Mattingly as the toughest hitter he faced. He describes struggling at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium and praises the 1984 Tigers as the best team he saw. He tells stories about his intense on-mound competitiveness, confrontations with hitters, and nearly tackling a runner after a late home run, plus trying to return quickly from shoulder surgery for the Angels.
The conversation covers changes in athlete preparation and injury management, pitchers today with a similar competitive mindset, and Gubicza’s unexpected path into broadcasting through auditions that led to Fox Sports and a long career, emphasizing giving viewers insight beyond what they see. He highlights memorable broadcast moments, including milestones by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, Shohei Ohtani’s pitching and hitting feats, and the combined no-hitter honoring Tyler Skaggs, as well as the challenges of covering tragedies like Skaggs’ death, Nick Adenhart’s passing, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s bench collapse.
Gubicza also describes the thrill of broadcasting between the benches at an NHL game, the speed and physicality of hockey, and his admiration for hockey players and the Miracle on Ice.
Episode Highlights:
