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INFO & STATS: Outfielder Cleveland Indians / 2nd year overall with Cleveland.
TOPICS: Winning 8 of the last 10 after a slow start / Cleveland’s team effort; starting pitching / Ben producing at the bat / Cliff Lee pitching 6-0; ERA under 1 / Superstition factor with Cliff? / C. C. Sabathia making adjustments / Asdrubal Cabrera’s unassisted triple play / Cabrera not realizing what he had done and giving up the ball / Pronk getting the green light? / Interleague play against Cincinnati; the battle of Ohio / Following the Cavs in the NBA Playoffs; Ben a big Laker fan / Ben and Ryan Garko listening to the Smack-Off; thoughts on the contestants / Chad in Portland / Thoughts on a name for Rome’s horse / Going to high school with Ryan Garko; ending up on the same MLB team. |
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INFO & STATS: Houston Astros / 10 years overall in the MLB / 4-Time All-Star / 2-Time N.L. Player of the Week in the past month.
TOPICS: Explanation for “on fire” hitting performance in the past month / Feeling good mechanically at the bat / Getting into the funk or out of the slump / MVP in the back of his mind in the month of May? / Lance’s nickname “Big Puma”; how he got that name on a local radio show / The story of Jeff Kent not talking to Lance for 3 days in Pittsburgh / Personality today and when he was a rookie; guys he was “rattled” or “awed” by as a rookie / Saying goodbye to Craig Biggio; being the last of the old guard who played in the Astrodome / Fans negative reaction to former Astro Brad Lidge / Things fans say to athletes that they wouldn’t say to a person on the street / Twinkie thrown at him at Wrigley Field; eating the Twinkie! / Cubs favorite player not playing in Chicago! |
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INFO & STATS: Closer Tampa Bay Rays / 13th season overall in the MLB / 1st season with the Rays / 4-Time All-Star / Member of the 2002 World Champion Angels / 9 saves this season.
TOPICS: The Rays just that good this season? / His reason for going to the Rays; manager and talent / Battling back in last night’s game; what it shows him about the team / Last night’s game is a “confidence builder” for the team / Easy to let games go that got away from him compared to his earlier years? / Adjustments that he has to make at this stage in his career; developing new pitches / Learning a “change up” from James Shields / Getting out of a jam with the “change up” pitch; confident it will work for him / Missing pitching in 2005, 2006 and playing some games with Detroit; accepting he was done with his career / How he was able to get it done despite the doctors saying otherwise; pain is gone now / Enjoying retirement or struggling with it? / Different appreciation and perspective getting to return to the game / How much it means to the team and city to be on top of the A.L. East. |
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INFO & STATS: Second Baseman Florida Marlins / 3rd season overall in the MLB / All-Star 2006 / 12 Home Runs for the season.
TOPICS: Sitting in first place this far into May after losing key players Miguel Cabrera & Dontrelle Willis / Confidence for the team; best record start / Marlins “hot” or just “this good”? / Dan’s personal hot stream earning home runs / Experience going to the ballpark every day; baseball the “humbling” game / Going from “feeling great” to “not so great” at the bat / Dramatic change in the “single pitch” / Not wanting to face the opposing player who can put you in the “downward spiral”? / The Marlins smallest payroll in baseball; experience going up against teams with greater payrolls / Hanley Ramirez and just how good he is; more exposure for him / Ramirez a Top-10 or Top-15 guy; putting out MVP numbers / Offensive and defensive issues for the Marlins; still mounting up wins / The story spending time in the minors through the D’Backs and then being picked up by the Marlins; ever losing faith for his shot? / Guys labeled early on; how teams miss on the “obvious” players / Would his numbers be different if he been jumped on more quickly for the majors? |
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INFO & STATS: D.H. & Outfielder Oakland A’s / Spent a better half of a decade in Minor League Baseball / A.L. Player of the Week.
TOPICS: A feeling in the clubhouse that the team could get in 1st place so quickly after losing so many key players / Feelings of a rebuilding year for the A’s? / Amazing night claiming 5 unearned runs after dropping the ball in left field / The 4-strike incident / The story behind getting to the majors; 1st round draft-pick out of high school with AZ; a decade in the minors chasing the dream / Conversation in his head while in the minors; his support system; ending up in Oakland / Ever thinking Baseball was not for him? / The Jack Cust Baseball Academy. |
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INFO & STATS: Second Baseman St. Louis Cardinals / 10 years overall in the MLB / Member of the 2002 World Champion Angels.
TOPICS: St. Louis in first place despite predictions / So called experts predicting St. Louis to finish on the bottom; reading and paying attention to the critics and playing with chip on their shoulders / Tony La Russa calling Adam out during the spring and reaction / Tension between La Russa and Scott Rolen / Impact on the entire clubhouse when tensions between two players occurs / 3 vets leaving the team; concern on how the season would go / The “Gaucho” impact in MLB / Rick Ankiel’s amazing arm in the outfield / Rick going from a pitcher to an outfielder and his impact for the team / Losing his stroke? / The special year with the Angels and appreciation for it / Thoughts on playing with Albert Pujols and Vladimir Guerrero / Vlad showing up and hitting like it’s nothing / Vlad a great leader and teammate. |
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INFO & STATS: Right Fielder Los Angeles Dodgers / 3rd season overall in the MLB / .330 Season / 24 RBI Season / N.L Player of the Week.
TOPICS: Things starting to click for the Dodgers after slow season start / Hitting contagious with the team? / 4 guys playing 3 outfield spots / Frustration over his position / Hitting .330 / Difference in the clubhouse this year with Joe Torre / Torre’s knowledge of the game of baseball / 7 stolen bases last week and 9 for the season / Working on the stolen base / Reading the pitcher for the stolen base / Jeff Kent’s statement about the young players on the team / Kent’s criticism that the young guys need to be more professional / Thoughts on Andruw Jones getting it going for the team / Jones just struggling? / The N.L. West and the AZ Diamondbacks rivalry. |
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INFO & STATS: Outfielder Chicago Cubs / 6th year overall in the MLB / 1st season with Chicago.
TOPICS: Experience going from Toronto to Chicago / Wanting to know what it’s like to play in Chicago; a team that hasn’t won in nearly 100 years / Concerns playing in Chicago? / Reed’s amazing outfield play against the Nationals / Aaron Rowand leaving half his face on the wall / Rowand and him both making it to the big leagues from Cal State Fullerton / Days of not just “feeling it” or always “saying go” when needing to work out / The “mental edge” over the opposition / Kosuke Fukudome’s impact on the Cubs. |
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INFO & STATS: Third Baseman Boston Red Sox / 11th season overall in the MLB / 3rd season with Boston / 4-Time All-Star / 2005 Gold Glove Award / 2-Time World Series Champion 2003 & 2007 / 2007 World Series MVP / Author of the new book: “Deep Drive: A Long Journey to Finding the Champion”
TOPICS: Huge post-season in October; coming through in the “biggest stage” / Comparing his championship wins with the Marlins and the Red Sox / The 86 years and the 2004 win; expectations from the fans / Bigger threat in the division the Yankees or the Blue Jays? / Decision to write the book; battling cancer; family leaving Cuba / Being diagnosed with cancer in 1999; reaction from the fans / Mike’s parents and their story of leaving Cuba for Puerto Rico / Reaction and thoughts on “Man-Ram”; a little bit different? / “Manny” having a plan. |
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INFO & STATS: Starting Pitcher Arizona Diamondbacks / 2nd year as a Starting Pitcher with AZ Diamondbacks / 2007 Silver Slugger Award / .429 this season.
TOPICS: Team setting up to be better this year than last year’s NLCS team? / Diamondbacks running runs across this season / Out 4-1 this season; liking the spot he’s at in the position / Staying effective with the bat; props to Rome / Going to bat with a real plan; not just “hacking” / The pinch-hit “bomb” / Looking for a “good swing” or “knock” or looking to “jump ship”? / Ever thinking he took the wrong path in baseball? / Bob Melvin or Micah worried about throws coming in too close at him? / Brad Ausmus respect for preparing for Micah / More pop…him, Carlos Zambrano or Mark Reynolds? / Dan Haren, Brandon Webb and Micah Owings “feeding” each other / Not ever wanting to face Brandon Webb’s “canonball”. |
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INFO & STATS: Elected to the 2008 Hall of Fame in January with introduction to come July / 22-Years in the MLB / 9-Time All-Star / 310 Career Saves / Members of the World Champion Yankees Team 1978 / AutoTrader.com promotion: “Drive to a New Start”.
TOPICS: Getting the call that he had been elected to the MLB Hall of Fame; emotions / Why he had to wait so long to get elected to the Hall of Fame? / 52 saves with 7 or more outs; pitching then compared to now / The Roger Clemens situation; fame to downfall / Clemens still a “Hall of Famer”? / Baseball’s future after P.E.D.’s / AutoTrader.com promotion: “Drive to a New Start” / Program: “Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities”. |
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INFO & STATS: Executive Vice President / GM Boston Red Sox.
TOPICS: Angels’ Jered Weaver against the Boston Red Sox’s offense / David Ortiz at the bat; concern over his performance of late? / Reaction to pitch by Kyle Farnsworth at Manny’s head / Why Manny is so good / Theo’s statement: “Slave to perception…” / Reaction to Hank Steinbrenner’s act / Theo going “Ivy League” on Hank / Second championship win compared to the first championship win / “Baseball for life” in Theo’s future? |
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Ben Francisco 
