Interview with Tim Dierkes!

Tim Dierkes, the creator of one of my favorite websites to check routinely http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/, was good enough to answer a few questions for me and your viewing pleasure.

Eric: What should the Phillies do with Brett Myers? Should they look bullpen, trade, DFA, or keep him in Lehigh Valley?

Tim Dierkes: Keep him in the minors. They are fortunate that he accepted the assignment. With his velocity down I'd be hesitant to move him to the pen.

E: Who will be the next manager to be fired this season? Which managers are on the hot seat?

TD: It is not something I follow closely, to be honest. Cecil Cooper seems like the one remaining possibility to be dismissed.

E: Are we looking at a possible postseason without both the Mets and Yankees?

TD: It's definitely looking that way. Is that a bad thing?

E: You have bases loaded, bottom of the 9th, 7th game of the World Series and 2 outs, which current closer are you handing the ball to to seal the deal?

TD: I would go with Jonathan Papelbon. Need a guy with good control.

E: Which NL/AL combo has the best overall teams? Los Angeles (Dodgers, Angels), New York (Mets/Yankees), Chicago (Cubs/White Sox), or the Sunshine State (Rays/Marlins)?

TD: I have to take the Cubs/Sox on this one. I am a little biased, seeing both teams every day.

Good stuff by Tim as always.

I wanna know your answers to the questions. I'm gonna have to say K-Rod at the end of the game, the electricity he brings into a game to shut it down is simply stunning.

Do Comment Below, no need for an ID to do so.

And a HAPPY 4th of July!

The Great Debate: Interleague Play

Another debatable topic and another potential feature on the site, which would take a look at controversial topics from around the world of sports and lay out some of the pros and cons.





With Interleague play wrapping up this past weekend and another dominating performance by the American League, is it worth keeping interleague play around?

It is interesting to note that the AL went 149-102 against the NL, with only three National League teams having records over .500 (Mets, Braves, & Reds).

Pros:

- Increase attendance

- Geographical rivalries (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago among others)

- Fans get to see players they may not otherwise ever have the opportunity to see

- Past World Series Rematches

Cons:

- AL teams have an advantage in terms of having an extra everyday bat in the lineup, whereas the NL is forced to use a utility hitter as their DH against AL teams

- AL pitchers can not hit

- Royals - Pirates matchups do not intrigue anyone!

- Schedules become unbalanced when Team X in the AL Central has to play 3 of the top 5 NL Teams, whereas Team Y in the AL Central plays the bottom half of the NL

- The World Series loses a bit of its mystique

Personally, I think Interleague Play should be put away for a good while. A lot of the matchups have been exhausted and if your favorite team is not playing in a city where there are two teams, you are forced to have an "un-natural" rival. Meanwhile, every year the Cardinals get to play the Royals, while the Dodgers and Angels are always knocking each other around a bit. Let the World Series restore some of its glory and let baseball get back to its historical and traditional roots.

Do you like interleague play? Should it be eliminated? Comment Below!!

Cleaning Up the Mess...

A Day late, but not a dollar short. I do apologize for the day-delay on the Cleaning up the Mess segment for the week that was.

Enough of that, let's clean up the headline grabbers from the past week!

(And yes this is the unofficial logo of this specific feature)

NFL NEWS:

- Pittsburgh Steelers released running back Najeh Davenport

- Commish Goodell recently said that rookies are being paid to much!

- Tampa Bay RB Earnest Graham signed a 3 year extension and will indeed show up to training camp

NBA NEWS:

- Derrick Rose was the number 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft

- Raptors trade TJ Ford among others to the Pacers for Jermaine O'Neal among others

- The Nets swapped Richard Jefferson to the Bucks for Yi and Bobby Simmons

- The 2008 Olympic Roster was finalized and it includes Lebron, Kobe, and Carmelo among others

- Elton Brand and Baron Davis both became unrestricted free agents

MLB NEWS:

- Nationals closer Chad Cordero is out for the season

- Alex Rodriguez will not participate in the home run derby in his own park

- Brett Myers accepted a demotion to triple-A to work out the kinks

- The Hall of Fame will not accept the 756 HR ball from Barry Bonds

- Manny Ramirez (aka ManRam) shoved a traveling employee last week

GRAB BAG NEWS:

- Uga VI, the beloved University of Georgia mascot, has died from congestive heart failure at his home in Savannah

- The Washington Capitols signed Goalie Jose Theodore

- The Tampa Bay Lightning signed Ryan Malone to a 7-year deal

- Spain won the 2008 Euro Cup

Anything I missed?