1) What does the All-Star game mean to baseball fans?
Steve Phillips: The All-Star experience is a time for baseball fans to see their favourite players play with and against each other in an exhibition game. It is not necessarily about who is most deserving to play but more about who the fans like and respect. It is a bit of a popularity contest.
Orestes Destrade: It means a lot, because the MLB All-Star Game is the premium among major sports' All-Star events in America. It is played in the middle of the season and players don't let up because it is meaningful due to home-field advantage in the World Series.
2) If you were picking the National League and the American League teams, who would be in your starting line-ups?
SP: Here are my starting line-ups:
National League C - Bengie Molina, San Francisco Giants 1B - Lance Berkman, Houston Astros 2B - Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies 3B - Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves SS - Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins OF - Matt Holliday, Colorado Rockies OF - Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers OF - Ryan Ludwick, St Louis Cardinals DH - Albert Pujols, St Louis Cardinals SP - Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
American League C - Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins 1B - Justin Mourneau, Minnesota Twins 2B - Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers 3B - Derek Jeter, New York Yankees SS - Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees OF - Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox OF - Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers OF - Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox DH - Milton Bradley, Texas Rangers SP - Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
OD: I widely agree with most of the selections, with the exception of a few. In the National League I thought the Houston Astros' Carlos Lee deserved to be there in place of Chicago Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Lee is hitting close to .300 with 20 home runs and 70 RBI. Fukudome clearly benefited from votes by Cubs fans, not to mention the support he receives from worldwide voters (being a native of Japan).
In the American League, Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is having a great season, but Texas' Ian Kinsler is having an MVP calibre year. You also can't help but look at Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. He made the All-Star team despite a sub-par statistical first half. Ironically, he was voted in by the players. That tells me the perception is he is invaluable to his team as a leader in their clubhouse.
3) It is the final season of the old Yankee Stadium. Why do you think it has become so synonymous with baseball and what are your favourite memories of the stadium?
SP: Yankee Stadium is synonymous with baseball because the Yankees have won 26 World Championships. Plus it is known as the "House that Ruth Built". Babe Ruth is still the most famous baseball player of all time. There have been so many amazing games played at Yankee Stadium. My favourite memories of it are when my New York Mets team played there in the 2000 World Series. We lost both games we played there in the Series but I remember looking around and seeing how much the Series was impacting New York City and its baseball fans.
OD: Yankee Stadium had an immediate impact on me. I remember sitting in the stands for Games Three, Four and Five of the 1978 World Series when I was a teenager. I first stepped foot on the field there in 1981 when they courted me as a player. I wasn't going to sign, but they flew me and my family to New York (from Miami). I was 19 years old and remember signing a contract in George Steinbrenner's office to start my professional career.
I was also a big Yankees fan growing up in Cuba. The Yankees personified America and freedom. I defected in 1968 through Mexico when I was six years old.
4) The American League has been unbeaten for the last 10 All-Star Games. Why do you think this is?
SP: The American League has won the past 10 All-Star games because they have the better depth of talent in their league. This is cyclical as the National League had dominated similarly in the past.
OD: It's cyclical. The AL has been stronger in the last few years, but the NL dominated over a period of time in the past.
5) All-Star Games are very common in the American sporting calendar, but around the rest of the world these types of games don't seem to happen. Why do you think this is and is it something that other sports should look to emulate?
SP: People in the USA have an affinity for stars: they like to see them, listen to them and be near them. Plus we like to recognise greatness in ourselves and others. We just can't help ourselves.
OD: Having travelled abroad and as a player in Japan, I've noticed the All-Star competitions over there are not as alluring and I was surprised by that. I don't know why, exactly, because the sport is huge there. I believe they are more focused on success in the regular season. In the US, especially with baseball, there is a lot of history and lore. Baseball lends itself to exhibition types of events, dating all the way back to the 1930s with Babe Ruth and the All-Star tour of Japan.
6) By winning the All-Star Game, the winning team receives home-field advantage for their league in the World Series. Do you think this is a fair system or, as happens with other American sports, should home advantage be given to the team with the best season record?
SP: I don't like the fact that the All-Star game counts towards home-field advantage in the World Series. I believe that an exhibition game should not count towards something that could determine the outcome of the season. I would much rather see the old alternating system of home-field advantage for the World Series or have the team with the best win percentage in the World Series get home-field advantage.
OD: It should be given to the team with the best record. The current system was created due to the tied game a few years ago in which both teams used up all their pitching and the commissioner had to make a tough decision to change the game. He came up with this idea to make it more interesting. The problem I have is the best players should be on the field at all times if the game has that kind of importance, and that is not how the All-Star Game is managed.
7) With the celebrity/legend All-Star softball game talking place before the main game, are you aware of any high-profile celebrities that could have made it in the Major Leagues?
SP: Celebrities that could have been baseball players: I believe Kurt Russell played minor league baseball.
OD: Baseball is such a tough game, one of the toughest sports to master. I'd say the best celebrity I've seen play is actor Mark Harmon. I've played with him in a couple of celebrity events.
8) Who are your picks to make it to the World Series?
SP: At this point, I think the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are the teams most likely to play in the World Series. They both have great depth and balance on their rosters. It would make for a great World Series as both franchises have such history and tradition. The Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years in 2004 and it has now been 100 years since the Cubs have won.
OD: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (AL) and the Chicago Cubs (NL)
9) Which team has impressed you most this season?
SP: The Tampa Bay Rays have impressed me the most this year. They have never even won as many games as they have lost in a season but they currently have the best record in baseball. They have a roster of young players just coming into their own: good young starting pitching, an experienced bullpen, and athletic position players who are hungry to win.
OD: The Chicago Cubs. They have been above average in all aspects of the game - hitting, reaching base, driving in runs, defense, pitching (both starters and in relief) and they have a deep bench.
10) Which player has impressed you most this season?
SP: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers has impressed me the most this season - he has had an MVP calibre first half. His hitting is remarkable. What he is doing is unheard of: he sat out four years dealing with personal demons and then returns to being a superstar.
OD: Josh Hamilton, what he's been able to accomplish this season given all he's been through off the field. He reminds me of the mystical character Robert Redford played in "The Natural" [Roy Hobbs].
11) Which team has been the biggest surprise this year?
SP: The St Louis Cardinals have been the biggest surprise of the season. They looked as though they didn't have any pitching at all and that Albert Pujols and Troy Glaus would be their only offensive weapons. But manager Tony LaRussa has worked his magic, putting his players in situations where they could succeed. Pitching coach Dave Duncan has reinforced that he is the best in the game, taking several failed pitchers with good stuff and fixing them. He is the best at reclamation projects.
OD: The Tampa Bay Rays. They have fortified their defense, now being one of the best in the majors, and they strengthened their bullpen and pitching in general. They added some veterans in the bullpen to go along with a strong five-main starting rotation.
12) Which team has been the biggest disappointment?
SP: The biggest disappointment is the Seattle Mariners. They were picked by many to win the AL West, especially after their big off-season acquisition of pitcher Eric Bedard from the Orioles. But everything that could go wrong has gone wrong and the manager and general manager have lost their jobs. Back to the drawing board in Seattle.
OD: The Cleveland Indians. They had a team which came within one game of the World Series last year and came into the season with only one major concern - finding a fifth starter. The irony is, their fifth starter (Cliff Lee) is an All-Star and the rest of their starting pitchers collapsed.
13) Which young player do you think will be the next big thing in baseball?
SP: The next big player in MLB is Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. He can hit for average and power and is outstanding with the glove. He also has the presence and personality to be a leader for the organisation for a long time.
OD: Evan Longoria, or "Evan Almighty" as some call him. He was a huge prospect and he's lived up to his top draft-pick status. He's played great offensively and defensively. He's no longer most known for what some initially related him to - having a name similar to actress Eva Longoria.
14) With other baseball leagues around the world becoming much stronger, is it right that the American finals should be called the World Series?
SP: Despite the fact that the rest of the world has improved, MLB will never change the name World Series. There is still a belief that our baseball is the best and that the rest of the world is second. The World Baseball Classic that Japan won proved that other countries play the game as well as we do. Baseball is old in its ways, too, and tradition and history are important so the World Series moniker will not likely change.
OD: Yes, because the best baseball is played in the US. The only other league which compares is Japan and they are still behind. The best of the best play in Major League Baseball.
15) Cricket has recently started playing shorter 20-over games (with matches only taking three hours as apposed to a whole day); do you think that globally baseball could benefit from playing a shorter five- or six-inning game?
SP: Nine innings is one of those things that is sacred about baseball at the higher levels. High school and youth programmes play six- and seven-inning games, but at the collegiate level and professional levels it will never change because of the fondness for statistics in the game. Records have been based upon nine-inning games and therefore the game must be played under the same format so that the records continue to mean something.
OD: No. Umpires are playing a more active role in trying to speed the game up. That's one of the most unique things about baseball. There is no time limit.
The 79th MLB All-Star Game is live and exclusive on NASN (Sky Channel 417 or Virgin Media Channel 533) on Tuesday night, July 15, at 12:30am. NASN's comprehensive coverage of the MLB season includes over 260 live regular season matches, the playoffs and the World Series. Visit www.nasn.com for details
