ESPN hosted a media conference call today with Baseball Tonight commentators Karl Ravech, Curt Schilling, John Kruk and Barry Larkin to discuss the start of the 2012 Major League Baseball season.

The transcript is below:

Q. I wanted to see if your analysts can weigh in on the potential World Series matchup again of the Cardinals and the Rangers.  In Oklahoma those are our two favorite teams.  What are the chances of either of those teams making it back? 

BARRY LARKIN:  I think the Cardinals, I’m going to really watch what happens with the Cardinals this year, simply because of the loss of Albert Pujols.  I think there’s enough pitching if a Chris Carpenter does eventually get healthy and shows he’s able to do the things he’s capable of doing, but I think any time you lose a guy like that in the middle of the lineup regardless of who you go out and get just changes the complexity of the team, and I think the fact they have the new manager, as well, I think it’s going to be tough for them to get back.  So I don’t know about the Cardinals as far as I am concerned.

CURT SCHILLING:  I think Albert Pujols is going to have a direct impact on both of those clubs, both leaving St. Louis and being now the chief rival of the Rangers.  They didn’t just lose Albert but they lost Tony La Russa and they lost some of the things that made them special.  Like Carpenter’s injury is obviously a big deal, and he could pitch 150 innings, 200 innings or five, I don’t know.  That’s such a scary place to start the season.

You know, Texas, I don’t see a reason why they can’t go back.  I love what they did.  I love what they’ve done.  Yu Darvish is going to be an interesting story for I think the entire year because I don’t think anybody since Nomo has come over as an Asian player, on the mound anyway, and done what the expectations were.

I think there are a lot of other teams in the mix.  I think you’re going to see a lot of ‑‑ the extra wild card is going to obviously change some things, I think for the better, but I think there are a lot of teams and competition for the final two seats at the table this year.

JOHN KRUK:  Yeah, as soon as you start counting the Cardinals out because Carpenter might not pitch, they won the World Series last year without Adam Wainwright, and he was probably as good a pitcher as any they had, including Carpenter.  I think David Freese, if he can build on what he did in the postseason ‑‑ are they ever going to make up for the loss of Albert?  Absolutely not, it’s impossible.  But I think that the step they took with Freese, and to me Jason Motte is a big key, also.  What he did in the postseason to finally, I think, prove to the Cardinals’ organization and new manager Mike Matheny that we have a closer now.

Last year they lost so many games in the season because they couldn’t figure out who could close a game.  I think that they’re in a good spot right now with that closer spot with Motte because of the confidence he had with a great postseason that he had.

Can they go back?  I mean, history says no.  You know, but who knows.  And I agree with both these guys about the Rangers.  There’s no reason why they can’t go back.  They are that strong a team.  And if Joe Nathan can close and Feliz can start, then they’re better off than they were last year.

CURT SCHILLING:  I don’t know how these guys feel about this, there’s two X factors to watch.  I was a huge Mike Matheny fan when he was playing.  I’m going to be very curious to see how he handles this job, and I think quietly under the radar, and I’m not sure how it happened under the radar, but Greg Maddux is in and around the Texas Ranger pitching staff, and I would tell you that that to me right there means good things, not just the starters but that entire staff.  This guy talks about pitching at another level, and I think he’s going to help them, those young guys, get better.

KARL RAVECH:  I would say that conservatively the Cardinals may be the fifth best team in the National League, and the Rangers could be anywhere between the third and sixth best team in the American League, given the fact that the Cardinals came out of nowhere last year, I think predictions as far as their preseason goes, relative to injuries and trades, are almost impossible.  But I would doubt either of those teams get to the World Series this year based on the discussion today.

JOHN KRUK:  And let’s not forget Dave Duncan is not there, either.  That’s big.

Q. I wanted to ask Kurt and Barry and John about the two big things that happened in the American League, Prince Fielder going to the Tigers and Albert Pujols going to the Angels, how you think those guys will fit in with their new teams, and does that make them World Series A‑list contenders?

BARRY LARKIN:  I’ll talk about Prince because I had a chance to work out with Prince.  Prince is on a mission, and he looks good, and Spring Training ‑‑ going into Spring Training, he felt like he was kind of up in the air, and then he gets the opportunity to sign with Detroit, feels good about it, really came out of nowhere to be quite honest, at least as far as I know, and I knew.  We didn’t speak about Detroit, and so when he signed there, it was interesting.

But anyway, I think Prince is going to be impactful wherever he goes, and obviously in Detroit, but you saw what happened in Spring Training with Miguel Cabrera, and I know that’s a ‑‑ not a situation that happens often where the third baseman catches the ball off the chin, but just watching his technique at attacking the ground ball, it’s going to be really interesting to see how he does.

Now, certainly being in the prime of his career, I’m sure he’s not going to go out there and play scared or play tentatively, but it’s really going to be interesting to see how him playing third base is going to affect him offensively, and I’m not saying that in a negative way, I’m not saying that his numbers may get better or worse, but any time you go on that side of the infield and you’re playing that position and you get hit in the face with a ball, it affects you, and I don’t care who it is.  It affected me at shortstop when I got hit in the jib with a ground ball.

And not only did it affect me when I was out there playing defense, it affected me when I was ‑‑ getting ready to go out there and play on defense, but when I was out there hitting.  I know Miguel Cabrera.  I know he is a strong‑willed individual, but it’s going to be really interesting to see how that plays out.

It’s also going to be interesting to see if he struggles, what moves they make to try to get him out of that struggle, which could eventually impact Prince at first base.

That’s what I’m looking at.  But I think Prince is going to obviously make an impact because the man is on a mission, and I think now it’s a situation where he wants to prove to everybody that he is well worth the money, which could be interesting to see, as well, because I know all the guys that are on this phone call know that any time you go out there and try to prove something based on what’s happening off the field, it kind of opens you up for failure.

So it’ll be just interesting.  Those are the dynamics that I’m looking at when thinking about Prince and Detroit.

CURT SCHILLING:  I think they were both A‑list contenders before these deals.  I think the Victor Martinez trade I don’t want to say nullifies bringing in Prince, but they were a potentially different team with Prince in that lineup and Victor and Miguel, as well, but I think they were both A‑list contenders.  I fully expect Albert Pujols to be in the top five in the MVP voting at the end of the year, and what that means with that pitching staff in Anaheim, I think Texas has a clear‑cut challenge for that divisional title.

But again, you go back to the fact that there’s another wild card team, I would be stunned if either of these teams isn’t in the postseason.

JOHN KRUK:  I agree with those guys.  The thing that concerns me with Miguel Cabrera, like Barry said, he takes one off the face, can he come back from that.  But if and when he does, we think he’s going to be fine.  How many at‑bats is he going to lose if they have to take him out for defense in the seventh inning if they have a lead?  That to me is a concern.  Can he lose a couple ‑‑ 100 at‑bats this year because of being taken out for defense?  You know, so his numbers could be down.

I think Prince could be the MVP of the American League.  I just think he’s that good a player.  I think he’s one of those guys to me that seems like he has something ‑‑ not that he has to live up to a contract because his numbers dictate it.  He got that money prior to this year.  I just think that he’s one of those guys that is going to stand up and say, you know what, I don’t care what they’re paying me, 30, 40 homers, 120, 130 RBIs with this team is what I’m going to do just because that’s what I’m capable of.

The Angels, the only thing that concerns me with the Angels, yes, their starting staff is phenomenal, and now with Albert and if Kendry Morales comes back, if he can play anywhere near what he did a couple years ago, their offense is going to be significantly better with those two additions.

The back end of their bullpen sometimes scares me.  They had a lot of issues last year, a lot of blown saves, and Curt can ‑‑ you’re a pitcher, and all of a sudden you start blowing saves at the end of games, it can wear on you.

CURT SCHILLING:  Yeah, two things you don’t want to do at the club is lose games defensively and lose games late, and both of those teams, I think Detroit is going to be challenged defensively.  I don’t know if it’s going to be enough to affect them in the standings, and I think that losing games late could be a bugaboo for the Angels.  A lot of it is how you get out of the gate.

Q. I wanted to ask all you guys what you thought of the Ryan Braun episode in the offseason, and if you think it will impact him at all, his performance this season. 

KARL RAVECH:  I thought that the Braun press conference was handled beautifully in the things that he said.  I thought that he went way overboard in some of the things that he said with regards to sort of singling out the courier.  I think the impact on Ryan is going to be how he is looked at by other Major League Baseball players, several of whom I think feel as if he got away with something.

I don’t think it’s going to impact him individually with his ability to hit the baseball, which he’s always been able to do, and field the baseball.  So I would say that I have very mixed feelings.  It’s not a positive or a negative, but I think that the impact is going to be felt in the way that others perceive him and treat him, but I don’t think ‑‑ I think he’s going to be able to compartmentalize it enough and continue to succeed.

The biggest issue around Ryan Braun to me is the fact that Prince Fielder is not there to protect him in the lineup.  That may be the biggest adverse affect on his ability to put up the numbers he’s put up.  But again, I thought what he said was eloquently said, I just think he said things he shouldn’t have said.

BARRY LARKIN:  I’d like to add to that.  I think you’re absolutely right.  You know, one thing about Ryan, and Ryan is an enigma because Ryan cares about what other people feel and think, not that it affects him in a negative way, but he is a relationship guy.  Ryan Braun is one of those guys that you want to go talk to him because he’s such a positive, positive guy, and being in Spring Training and speaking to some guys about the whole situation, Karl, once again, you are absolutely right; some guys believe that he got away with something.  They don’t know what it was, but he got away with something.  So they are going to look at him in a different light, and some of those relationships probably will be strained.

I don’t think that’s going to affect him.  And once again, Karl, to echo what you said, I think the fact that Prince Fielder is not there protecting him is going to be the biggest thing he’s going to have to deal with.

CURT SCHILLING:  I would agree.  I think the Prince Fielder aspect is probably the biggest performance thing.  This is going to affect Ryan Braun however Ryan Braun allows it to affect him.

Going off tangent, as a former player rep and someone who was in labor negotiations, this was our worst nightmare.  This was our dream scenario and worst nightmare scenario when we talked about drug testing was we were sworn to and committed to the privacy piece of this, and I have yet to see that actually work.  It seems to me like anything and everything from an information perspective is available to the highest bidder, and part of the reason I think the players, in addition to wanting to clean up the game, agreed to do this was there was a lot of trust being imparted on the ownership and the people handling the testing, and I think it’s failed miserably.

I don’t think we’re far off from at some point down the road finding out who the 103 players are that were on the list, as well, because this stuff should not have been public, ever, and we continually are spinning our wheels and news cycles around this stuff day after day, and it’s sad.
JOHN KRUK:  Yeah, I mean, I agree with Curt.  These things are supposed to be kept in confidentiality, but yet it seems like as soon as something happens, one side or the other is trying to make themselves look better by releasing information or a source releasing information.  You know, if it’s supposed to be kept confidential, then someone should be fired for letting all this information out.  You know, the 102 names, like Curt said, no one is ever supposed to know, but yet somehow, some way, some of these names started leaking out, and more will be coming, and we all know that eventually the whole list is going to be out.

How does someone keep a job if these leaks keep jobs?  You can get into a whole scenario of how this stuff happened, but the bottom line is with Ryan Braun, what he did, who knows.  He says he didn’t do it, but the testing said he did do it.  He’s exonerated.  You can cry over it.  If you’re a Cardinals fan or another team besides Milwaukee in the central, you’re upset about it.

But the bottom line is it’s over.  He’s going to be able to play.  He’s going to be allowed to play a full season, so we have to live with it and accept it, and hopefully Aramis Ramirez can help him in the lineup and get Milwaukee back to the postseason.

Q. Curt, John and Barry, as you guys know, the Pirates for years have been selling the future, but you also know that own one of the most infamous records in sports, 19 losing seasons.  Do you think the team they put on the field this year can end that streak, or are they a few years away? 

BARRY LARKIN:  I think losing is a mindset, and I think that is the toughest thing to change.  And certainly we can see the attitude last year, and we saw the great start that they got off to last year, and I think that’s what it takes.  But you have to continue that.

Eventually it’s no longer ‑‑ it’s about the X’s and O’s and getting it done on the field, and some of the things that were happening earlier in the season weren’t being executed later in the season.  It’s attention to detail, and that’s certainly what they were able to do last year and early in the season.

Now, I think that A.J. Burnett has a commitment to this club, to bring someone who has had some success.  I think Bedard can certainly help out, as well.

But it’s a mindset, and you have to change that mindset, and the only way to do that is to have success.  You can’t have success in the half season.  No one has won the championship winning just the half season.  So they’re going to have to continue to build on what they were able to do last year and just keep executing, and that’s the biggest thing.  I think that was the thing that I saw last year, the difference between what happened early in the season and late in the season.

Clint Hurdle really paid a lot of attention to detail.  They started in Spring Training and continued that.  I asked the question personally, “Why in the world would you go to Pittsburgh?”  He said, “because I like what we have here,” and he really, truly meant that.  To see them execute, like I said, at the beginning of the season last year was nice to see, but they have to continue to get it done.

It’s just a mindset.  I remember the years in Cincinnati when we won, it was simply because we all wanted to win, but it was the fact that we were able to continue to stay focused in order to execute late in the season.  That’s the only way you win.  If they can do that, they’ve got a chance, and if they can’t, it’ll be 20 years.

CURT SCHILLING:  I mean, this hurts.  As a born‑and‑raised Pirate fan, it’s been painful to watch.  I don’t see any way that they’re going to be able to contend this year.

I know they’ve got some nice pieces.  I know Clint, and I know the other guys that know him know that Clint is a motivational speaker guy.  He’s about positive frame of mind and about keeping things positive, but these guys can tell you as everyday players, you can’t stay positive when you’re continually getting your brains beat in.  It’s impossible to do.

And the challenge is if you want to look at it realistically, their opening day starter is a guy that the Red Sox were trying to throw into their No. 5 spot last year for three or four September starts, and their No. 2 guy is a guy that somebody was willing to pay millions and millions and millions of dollars for him to go play for somebody else.

If those guys can take that personally and go out and play with chips on their shoulder, then you know what, you’ve got a little different ballgame.  But there are so many challenges for them to do what they do.  They have to ‑‑ in some ways they need to follow the Tampa’s and the Oakland’s and create a Minor League system that’s throwing out player after player year after year from the draft and build that way, because they’re not showing capability or desire to go out and spend big money on free agents, which is fine.

But that also means they’re not going to be able to retain very talented, very young players past that six‑year mark.  So their window is small, but right now I don’t think it’s even open for them to get in yet.

KARL RAVECH:  I think they’re going in the right direction.  And this is no knock on Jim Tracy and John Russell, the guys who preceded Cliff.  But when you have young players, especially it seems like in this day and age, young players are coddled now.  I think Clint came into his first press conference and said we’re going to win and we’re going to win now, and he put the onus on these young kids, it’s time for you to step up and start playing.  And like Barry and Curt said, yes, for the first half of the season they were unbelievable, but reality does set in after a while, that you are what you are and over 162 games it’s going to play out just exactly what type of team you are.

With that being said, I don’t know if they can finish .500 this year, but their chances got better when Albert and Prince left the division.  So if they’re ever going to do it, this is the year to do it, because pretty much every team got weaker.

You know, if there’s an opportunity, if you’re a Pirates fan, you’d better hope it’s this year.

CURT SCHILLING:  But we talk about the Pirates and we always talk about young players.  Who’s the young player on this team?  Tabata, Pedro Alvarez?  It’s not like they’re spring chickens.  Nate McLouth is back there, I’m not sure of the other outfielders.  McCutcheon is not a rookie; Neil Walker had a great season; Garrett Jones, Clint Barmes?  I mean, Rod Barajas is the starting catcher and then you’ve got veteran, veteran, veteran on the starting staff, and with Joel Hanrahan throwing 100 at the back of the bullpen.  So it’s like, why, because the talent has always been there, I’ve thought.  I think it’s just a mindset.

And somehow, you guys said it, Clint Hurdle, he certainly is a motivational guy, but you know what, if you can’t motivate yourself past 81 games, there’s a problem.  They really need to look at what’s going on there because you have to start making excuses at some point, and I know they’re trying to bring people in and trying to make some things happen, but that young excuse only happens when you’re really young, and I don’t know if they’re really, really young anymore.

Q. You all played in the National League West at some point, and I was curious about your thoughts on the effect of the Dodgers’ sale on the rest of the division, and with the Giants in particular, with the big rivalry between the teams.  Any thoughts on whether that might turn into a high‑priced show like Yankees‑Red Sox? 

CURT SCHILLING:  Well, I think that the Dodgers are making a statement.  I mean, if you listen to anything that Magic said, I think they’re going to put the rest of the league on notice, and it won’t be next year.  It’s going to be now.

I think it’s great for baseball, great for that division.  They’re going to change the bar, raise the bar over the next 12 to 24 months, and when you’re doing that from a place of strength, which I think they are, they’ve got a reigning Cy Young guy and MVP candidate to build around and now they’ve obviously got capital to go out and make moves and be aggressive, and I think with that ownership group, I think when he talked about this next offseason with the Cole Hamel’s and the Matt Cain’s going out on the market, I think you’re going to see the Yankees and the Red Sox and maybe the Phillies, but you’re going to hear the Dodgers in that conversation I think much more going forward than you did in the last couple years.

BARRY LARKIN:  I think it’s a tough read for me.  I think the fan experience will be better.  I think Magic and his group will certainly try to make it fun, and I’m sure Magic will try to put his own twist into the experience in Dodger Stadium.  I’m looking forward to that.

But as far as on the field is concerned, fiscal responsibility is fiscal responsibility, and they’re going to have to spend their dollars wisely and be able to look at where their dollars are spent at this particular time.  Certainly spending that type of money, you’re not going out there just to show face, you’re going out there to win.  As Curt said, I think you will see them being players, but once again, you talk about a mindset, when is the last time that they legitimately put a team on the field and thought, okay, we’re going to win this thing?

It’ll be interesting.  Certainly Cy Young, MVP guy, you certainly have the core there, and it would just ‑‑ it will be interesting to watch.  That’s one of my story lines that I am going to be watching, not so much this year but certainly in the next few years, to see what kind of play they have as far as going after ‑‑ putting forth that team that’s going to be the team with that marquee player or those marquee players together on the field.

JOHN KRUK:  Well, I’m happy for Magic.  We got a chance to get to know him doing basketball with ESPN, so I am happy for him that he’s getting this opportunity.  And yeah, you know, if they’re going to go out and spend money and not have to overpay but pay significant money to get free agents to come in there and help them win and that’s what he’s all about, then it’s great for baseball.  It’s great for everyone else.

When the Dodgers are a good team, it’s great for us, too, television wise, ratings wise.  So we’re going to get a little selfish here, and my TV head is coming on and we’re going to talk about ratings.  The Dodgers on TV rate if they’re good.  If they’re not, who cares?

But I think Magic, if you know him as a player, if you knew him in the business world, he wants to come out on top, and he’s going to do everything he can to get out on top.  Now it’s just about will players want to go there and play.

Q. Karl, you, Curt and Buster just interviewed Magic on Baseball Tonight.  Do you want to jump in on this? 

KARL RAVECH:  I think that the optimism is well founded because Magic has been as successful as he’s been on the court and off the court.  You think you have to guard that optimism with probably the only other guy that was more successful on the court, and you could argue equally successful off the court, is also the owner of a sports franchise, and Michael Jordan’s basketball team stinks.  He’s going to try to change the culture there, he’s all about winning, but building a baseball team is probably more difficult than a basketball team.

To me what Magic made it sound like to us is that the Giant rivalry is significant, but his rivalry is going to be with the Yankees and the Red Sox, and he’s not going to try to win only nationally, he’s going to try to win internationally.  That was my take from what Magic had to say today.

Q. A couple of quick things:  One, as most of you have played against Jamie Moyer, can I get some thoughts from the panel on Moyer?  It looks like he has a good chance to make the Rockies as a fifth starter.  What is your reaction to Moyer’s comeback?  And then the second question, just how you think the Rockies will do this season.  Obviously they’ve gotten a lot older with their everyday lineup. 

CURT SCHILLING:  Yeah, I could not be more impressed.  You know, right now my life at 45, the challenge for me is getting out of bed in the morning, and the challenge for him is whether he can get into the seventh or eighth inning of a Major League Baseball game.  I am so proud to call him a friend and see what he’s doing.  That can be nothing but a positive for that staff, to have his wisdom.  And Jamie is a coach; make no mistake about it.  He’s all about being a part of a staff, having that staff become his group of kids and guys and making the pitchers around him better.

It’s an incredibly great story, and I think it’s going to be a huge plus for that staff as a whole.

BARRY LARKIN:  I agree with you, Curt.  I think it’s going to be an absolutely fantastic thing for Jamie.  When Jamie spent time with us last year at Baseball Tonight, we were asking him the question about is he going to come back next year, and he said no, I’m not coming back.  We all kind of played around with him like, really?  He was like, no, really, I’m going to go pitch.  So his conviction is incredible.

Curt, you said something, he’s a coach.  There is something to be said about pitching in the Big Leagues and not breaking 85, and I don’t know if ‑‑ that’s no disrespect to Jamie, but I don’t know if Jamie is throwing 85 miles an hour or not, but he’s getting guys off.  I saw something about someone wrote something and said slow, slower and slowest, and I think just that alone, the fact that he’s able to go out there and compete and win with that kind of stuff, or lack of stuff, I think that absolutely helps guys around you.  So I think it’s an absolutely positive thing on and off the field.

JOHN KRUK:  If I’m a young pitcher and I throw 85 and I’ve got to watch Jamie Moyer go out there with 82 and win, you have to feel good about what you’re featuring out there.  If you can figure out, wait a minute, how does he do that, and I think if you ask Cole Hamels how his career changed with having Jamie as a teammate, if Cole doesn’t say he helped tremendously, then Cole didn’t pay much attention to a lot of things.

You know, it would be to me like watching a hitter go out there with a hand that’s broken and not be able to take a full swing but yet he hits .320 every year with 20 bombs.  You’re going to say wait a second how are you doing that.  Well, I’m doing it with my brain.  If you’re throwing 95 with a brain, like our esteemed colleague Curt Schilling could, there’s a reason why people are successful, and I think these young pitchers have to follow what Jamie is doing and just say, with my stuff if I pitch like him with my stuff, how can I not win at least 15 games?

KARL RAVECH:  I think calling Curt esteemed is one thing, but I think that our guys are being really nice to the Rockies.  I don’t think there’s a team that should worry more about its starting pitching maybe in baseball than the Rockies should.  They can score runs, but I really don’t think if you look around the majors, and if you just want to focus on your division, it pales in comparison to what Arizona and Los Angeles and San Francisco throw out there.  I think that there’s a huge worry about the Rockies’ starting staff compared to any team in their division and most teams in baseball.

Q. What does the rest of the panel think of the Rockies’ chances this year?  Not just pitching but the everyday lineup.  Even with Blake gone they’re going to be an average age of over 30.  They’ll be basically the Yankees of the National League in terms of an everyday lineup age. 

JOHN KRUK:  And they’re playing in probably the toughest division now.  The National League West is tough.  You look at the Diamondbacks, and Karl, you’re absolutely right.  You look at the starting staffs on all those different teams, and you lock at the Rockies’ starting staff, and when you face the Colorado Rockies, it’s not necessarily about their starting staff.  Certainly they have to not allow you to score eight runs and they can score nine, and like you said, their offensive team or defensive team is getting older.  But it’s not always just about your team, it’s about who you’re competing with, and they’re competing in a very tough, tough division.

CURT SCHILLING:  I don’t think they have a chance to make the postseason this year, not with that rotation, no.

JOHN KRUK:  I agree.  We were talking about Jamie and what his impact can be.  If you’re a young pitcher and you can’t learn from him, then that’s your problem.  No, they’re not going to ‑‑ it would shock me if they compete in this division, it really would.

Q. Just to talk about the Dodgers again, obviously it’s a feel‑good story here in the LA area, but from a practical standpoint I’m kind of wondering if there’s maybe almost too much emphasis on Magic.  How much impact do you think he’ll actually have?  Obviously he’s a minority owner, he’s going to be kind of the face of this ownership group, but he’s said he’s not the baseball man in this operation.  What kind of thoughts do you have about that? 

KARL RAVECH:  I think when Magic answered the question to us on Baseball Tonight, he said his office is going to be at Dodger Stadium, and he ultimately is selling the Dodgers to any free agent.  He’s selling the Dodgers to the country.  He’s selling the Dodgers overseas.  There are very few pitch men who can attract probably players, who can sell something like Magic can.  But they also brought in, and they have Stan Kasten, who for every year that the Braves won the division title, he was an integral part of that with John Schuerholz.  They have a real baseball guy there, and you take the package as a whole with Magic, with the money that Walter brings and with Kasten’s baseball acumen, the player development that the Dodgers hopefully will work on in Latin American countries where they’ve kind of lacked a little bit, with Ned Colletti who’s done a really good job given what he’s had to deal with the last couple years, and hopefully Don Mattingly continues to learn on the job and takes from the men that he had as managers when he was a player and when he was on the Yankee bench as a coach.

The formula is there for success, and Magic, if he brings the assets that we know he can bring, you wouldn’t look for Magic to be the baseball guy.  They have baseball people, but I’d sign up for any organization that has Magic on my team.  Magic wasn’t really looked on to score all the points for the Lakers; he was supposed to set up the other guys, but boy, when somebody got hurt, he played center and helped win a championship and scored a lot of points.

He’s a winner, and that’s what the takeaway should be from Magic as it relates to this baseball team.

JOHN KRUK:  If you’re a free agent and Magic Johnson calls you and says, hey, I’d love for you to come out to LA and talk to us, how do you not even go?  You would go.  There’s a lot of teams ‑‑ we X’d this team off the list, we are going to X this team off the list, we’re going to X this team.  Magic calls you, you erase the X and go see it.  He’s Magic.  That’s what he can bring to this organization.

We said it before, Curt said it and Barry said it; with Kasten and with Kershaw the foundation is there, the nucleus is there for a great team.  It’s now how do you piece together the other parts to make it a complete team, because right now they’re to me far from being a complete team.

Can Magic do that?  Who knows.  Can Stan Kasten help with that?  I don’t know how much ‑‑ first of all, it’s hard to spend enough money this year to make them competitive this year.  They’re going to be good, but are they going to be competitive?  Now, this winter is going to be the telltale sign.  How are they going to go about all the free agents that are available and who do they bring in?

CURT SCHILLING:  Do not undersell the winning aspect of this.  Athletes, I don’t care what sport you play, winning athletes all talk the same language, and as someone who runs my own business of 400 people, I can tell you this:  It’s never about what I know or what I do, it’s about who I surround myself with.  Magic is a guy ‑‑ he’s the face of this and the voice of this right now for all the reasons you want him to be.  They’re trying to ‑‑ they’ve gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in a lot of people’s eyes, and that’s going to be free agents, as well.  There’s some brilliant baseball people around and involved in this that have won before.  I mean, this guy is about winning.

He can go into the clubhouse and stand in front of a group of guys in July when they’re going 0 and 8 and they’re playing like crap and he can say, listen, unacceptable, and this is how things are going to change, not a lot of owners have ever had that ability.  Magic played in a really good situation when he was at the Lakers for an owner he cared about, for an owner he loved.  I’ve done both, and I know John has done, as well, and Barry.  I’ve played for guys that I really respected as owners and guys that I didn’t care about, and there’s a difference.  You don’t play differently, but the feeling is different.  It’s a much more personal thing.  He’s going to bring a lot of things to the table that nobody else can bring, and I think they’re all value add.

Q. I wanted to discuss who you guys think will be the Yankees’ fifth starter before Pettitte officially joins the Yankees, and what do you think the rotation will look like after he returns? 

KARL RAVECH:  I think Phil Hughes is going to be the fifth starter, and after that when Pettitte comes back, by then honest to God I think something will have created itself, whether it be injury or poor performance from Hughes or Pineda, and you hope it’s not Sabathia, but Nova.  Something is going to happen.  I don’t think that there’s been a season in which ‑‑ certainly in recent memory where a team has used five starters and gone through the entire season.  It doesn’t happen.

So the idea that Joe Girardi is going to be forced into making a major decision when Andy is ready, something will create itself that will allow that decision to be easy.  I know Curt always looks at the starting rotations when a season begins and says whichever of the rotations gets the most starts from those give guys will either be in the playoffs or be really close to it.  I think you need six or seven legitimate starters if you really want to entertain a postseason bid.

So when Pettitte comes back, there will be a situation that has already presented itself where he’ll slide right in and somebody will slide right out.

JOHN KRUK:  I agree with Karl.  I think what allows teams to have a deep rotation as far as the back end goes with the fifth guy is the fact that they have a strong seventh, eighth and ninth inning, and I think what David Robertson did last year has a lot to do with the fact that now they can move Phil Hughes and give him that fifth spot.  Seventh inning to me in baseball now has become as crucial as your fifth starter it seems like.  I always thought starting pitching was most important, but teams keep moving around every year, and last year’s World Series was the ultimate proving ground for me that starting pitching is irrelevant.

The reason why the Yankees are allowed to try different guys in the fifth inning is because the bullpens are set.  You look at what the situation is with the Rays.  They have six starters.  Wade Davis is going to go to the bullpen because he’s the one that can most help them down there.  If they didn’t have David Robertson down there at the Yankees, Phil Hughes might be forced to be that guy to pitch that seventh inning and now the fifth starter spot has already been figured out.  But I think because their bullpen is deep in the back end, I think now that you can have this competition for the fifth spot if their rotation ‑‑ I agree with Karl.  Any team that goes into a season and they say we have five starters and five only and this is the way we’re going to do it, you have a big chance of being disappointed by the All‑Star break.

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ESPN’s Multiplatform Coverage of MLB’s Opening Week

Baseball Tonight in Miami & Anaheim, Mike & Mike from MLB Fan Cave

ESPN’s multiplatform coverage of Major League Baseball’s Opening Week will begin with a full slate of MLB-focused programming on Wednesday, April 4, leading into ESPN’s exclusive national telecast of Opening Night – defending Champion Cardinals at new-look Marlins – at 7 p.m. ET. In total, ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise five games in three days Opening Week. Programming on April 4th will include:

Baseball Tonight

Baseball Tonight will be live in Miami at 6 p.m. leading into MLB Opening Night. The set will be located just outside the new Marlins Park to capture fan atmosphere surrounding the grand opening of the new stadium. Host Karl Ravech will be joined by analysts John Kruk and recently elected Hall of Famer Barry Larkin. The Baseball Tonight crew will then travel to Anaheim for Albert Pujols’ debut with the Los Angeles Angels as they host the Kansas City Royals on Friday, April 6, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2.

Mike and Mike in the Morning at the MLB Fan Cave

Mike & Mike will emanate from the MLB Fan Cave in New York on Wednesday, April 4, and Thursday, April 5, from 6-10 a.m. Guests will be announced in the coming days. Mike & Mike is available nationally on ESPN Radio and via simulcast on ESPN2.

Additional Programming Highlights

ESPN programming will feature daylong MLB season-opening discussion, debate and content on April 4, including live SportsCenter updates from Marlins Park; First Take (10 a.m./ESPN2); Numbers Never Lie (4 p.m./ESPN2); and SportsNation (5 p.m./ESPN2). ESPN will also televise a special edition of Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable on location at Marlins Park (4:30 p.m./ESPN2). In addition, ESPN will be airing Game 162 – an MLB-produced special on the final day of 2011’s regular season – on Monday, April 2, at 8 p.m. and again on April 4, at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.

New Sunday Night Baseball Team to Call Four Games in Five Days

ESPN’s new Sunday Night Baseball team – Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser, Terry Francona and Buster Olney – will call four games in five days to open the season, beginning with Cardinals/Marlins on Opening Night.

ESPN’s season-opening coverage continues:

Thursday, April 5

ü  Mike & Mike at the MLB Fan Cave (6-10 a.m.);

ü  First Take to feature debate and discussion on a variety of topics relating to MLB Opening Week (10 a.m. – noon);

ü  Two editions of Baseball Tonight– 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. – to provide news, highlights and analysis on top season-opening storylines;

ü  Red Sox at Tigers at 1 p.m.; Marlins at Reds at 4 p.m. (ESPN2).

Friday, April 6

ü  The Herd with Colin Cowherd onsite at Angels Stadium from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Herd is available on ESPN Radio and via simulcast on ESPNEWS;

ü  Baseball Tonight onsite at Angels Stadium (6 p.m.);

ü  Giants at Diamondbacks at 7 p.m.; Royals at Angels at 10 p.m. (ESPN2).

ESPN Audio

ESPN’s Opening Week radio games will feature defending the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals at the new home of the Miami Marlins on April 4 (6 p.m.); San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks on April 6 (6:30 p.m.); Kansas City Royals at the Los Angeles Angels on April 7 (3 p.m.) and the Chicago White Sox at the Texas Rangers on April 8 (7:00 p.m.).  Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton will describe the action for all four games as ESPN Audio kicks off its season-long national MLB coverage that will once again include the Playoffs and World Series.

ESPN.com

ü  World Series predictions from ESPN MLB experts;

ü  Launch of new-look Baseball Tonight page;

ü  WatchESPN/GameCast of all five MLB Opening Week games on ESPN;

ü  Curt Schilling’s predictions for 2012 MVP and Cy Young winners;

ü  Breaking news, essays, video/photo galleries from Opening Week.

Facebook & Twitter

ü  Twitter activity throughout MLB Opening Week from @ESPN_BBTN and @ESPN_MLB accounts;

ü  Baseball Tonight’s Facebook page will be updated with Opening Day photo/video galleries and fan questions.

ESPN Mobile

Starting Monday, April 2, fans can sign up for Close Game Alerts to be alerted when an MLB game is close in the 7th inning or later.

ESPN Deportes: Beisbol Esta Noche

Beisbol Esta Noche will be on site for a special pregame show from Marlins Park at 6:30 p.m. Commentators will include Carolina Guillen and Candy Maldonado.

ESPN International

ESPN International will present MLB Opening Week games across Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean), Africa, Middle East and the Pacific Rim (Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands).

ESPN Opening Week Schedule and Commentators

 

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Commentators	Networks
Wed., April 4	7 p.m.	St. Louis Cardinals at Miami Marlins *	Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser, Terry Francona, Buster Olney	ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN Mobile TV, WatchESPN
Thurs., April 5	1 p.m.	Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers	Shulman, Hershiser, Francona, Olney	ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Mobile TV, WatchESPN
	4 p.m.	Miami Marlins at Cincinnati Reds	Sean McDonough, Aaron Boone, Rick Sutcliffe, Tim Kurkjian	ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Mobile TV, WatchESPN
Fri., April 6	7 p.m.	San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks *	Dave O’Brien, Nomar Garciaparra, Mark Mulder, Pedro Gomez	ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Mobile TV, WatchESPN
	10 p.m.	Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels *	Shulman, Hershiser, Francona, Olney	ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Mobile TV, WatchESPN

*ESPN Radio will present national broadcasts of these games with Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton calling the action.

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ESPN hosted a media conference call today with the new Sunday Night Baseball team – Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser and Terry Francona – to discuss a variety of topics pertaining to the start of the 2012 Major League Baseball season.

 

The Sunday Night team will call four games in five days to open the 2012 season, beginning with MLB Opening Night – defending Champion Cardinals at new-look Marlins – on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m. ET.

The conference call replay is available on ESPN Media Zone. The transcript is below:

JED DRAKE:  We have a two‑time world champion, a sportscaster of the year and Cy Young and MVP.  Not a bad place to start.

I’m just the guy that’s fortunate enough to help steer this new ship here that we’ve got with this team of Dan and Orel and Terry.  And suffice it to say this is a job that almost anybody in baseball would love to have.

The three of these guys have bonded instantly, and the camaraderie they have displayed is evident not only on the air but they’re just flat out fun to be with…

We’re on a week‑long run through Florida.  Three games in four days culminating tomorrow, now that we’re all here in Fort Myers with the Red Sox hosting the Yankees.  And as Ben said, we’re in preparation now for a four‑games‑in‑five‑days run to start the season.

I’ll steal a stat from Dan Shulman who mentioned it yesterday, but we’ll see the opening day at three ballparks during that week which is pretty cool.  And if you’re interested from my perspective how things have gone thus far, we’ve done two games and it is everything that I had hoped it would be.

And I’m quite confident that this announce team will not only be every bit as intelligent, as thoughtful, as insightful as we’ve had in the past, but they’re flat out going to be more fun.

And when you have three guys, who genuinely like each other, and there’s a mutual respect and knowledge of where they’ve come from, and you put them together and they are given the task of televising baseball, really fun things happen.

And I expect that our viewers will feel the same way.  We already know from social media that the reactions have been almost uniformly positive.  I’m not surprised.  I expected that.  And needless to say, I’m thrilled as we begin our 23rd year now of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.

Q. Terry, I was wondering, what do you think Bobby Valentine’s challenge is going to be first year managing the Red Sox?

TERRY FRANCONA:  Oh, my goodness.  I’ve been asked that question several different ways, given advice to Bobby and things like that.  And I really don’t.

Bobby has his way of doing things.  And that’s part of what’s so good about our game, is you have different personalities and different ways of doing things, and everybody’s goal is ultimately the same thing and that’s to win a world championship.  His is no different than mine or Orel’s when he was pitching for the Dodgers, that’s the way it is.

He’s managed longer than I have.  So he doesn’t need my advice, nor would I offer it, because I don’t think that’s appropriate.

Q. Not so much advice, but your point of view of what you’ve dealt with during those eight years with the Red Sox?  I was saying if you would offer your advice, not so much your advice, but your point of view after eight years with the Red Sox as far as what he’s facing, that’s what I was wondering. 

TERRY FRANCONA:  Well, again, it’s up to the individual person.  I mean, eight years in Boston for me felt like, I think we should maybe put it in dog years, because it’s a lot.  It takes a toll on anybody.

It took a toll on me.  But, again, sometimes it’s time for a change.  And in this instance it was.  And now they have a new voice and Bobby has a chance to take over fresh and do it his way and that’s what’s good about it because he will do it his way.

Q. Question for Orel.  Couple of Dodger‑related questions.  First, are you able to talk about your ownership group with Steve Garvey and the process you went through trying to buy the Dodgers, and according to media reports why it’s not among the finalists at this point?

OREL HERSHISER:  Well, I can talk a little bit about that.  I think that we were knocked out at our $1.2 billion range.  And then we weren’t really able to go any higher.  We had raised capital for 800 million to about 1.2, and we felt like it was important to put it in at the highest point at that time.  But we didn’t go any further.

I’ve continued to have some talks with people that are still in the game.  And I look forward to seeing new ownership there.  I think Mr. McCourt is going to be able to leave with his head held high.

And he’s done some good things there.  But the organization has struggled on the field a little bit, and I really don’t want to talk about the process or any of the internal conversations that have happened yet, because it’s still going on.

Q. Hypothetically, if you’re able to stay in as a bidder through April and beyond, how would that affect your ESPN broadcasting role?

OREL HERSHISER:  Well, my goal was to possibly be an owner of the Dodgers.  My goal was not to be an employee of the Dodgers.  I have a great job.  I love my job.  I’d like to do this the rest of my life.

But if someone ever gave me an opportunity to actually be part owner of a ball club and have a large impact, that would be the community I would want to have that impact.  That’s why I chased that dream.

And that dream really is probably not possible as far as the ownership, but I’m getting feelers as far as employment, but I’m really telling people I love my job with ESPN.  I love the camaraderie.

I absolutely love being with Terry Francona and Dan.  And this is a fantastic team.  And like Jed said, we’re having a ball together already.  And so it would be a very, very hard group to leave, and I have no plans to do that.

Q. Last question, I wanted to ask:  You know how the Dodgers react to the roller coaster ride last year; they finished strong.  How do you think the Dodgers as a team will ride out this season’s roller coaster with the ownership situation and maybe midseason they feel more like they’re in shape to go out and get better players?

OREL HERSHISER:  Well, I think the Dodgers could end up surprising some people, because I thought Don Mattingly did a very job through the chaos of last year.  And I think they did a good job keeping their focus.

They won 82 games, which a lot of people would say, you know, it’s amazing you got them over .500.  And new ownership is probably going to want to make an impact to whoever it is.  So I wouldn’t look at the Dodgers, if they’re in the hunt, you know, halfway through the year, I wouldn’t look at them as somebody that’s not going to acquire players.

I would look at them as a shopper probably when we get to that point because I think new ownership is going to want to show the fans that we’re in this to win and we’re in to turn this around, and it would be good for all of baseball if the Los Angeles Dodgers started creeping back to the top.

Q. Terry, I’m sure you’ve had a chance to think about calling a game in the booth when the Red Sox are playing.  Obviously you know a lot about the team.  Maybe too much about the team.  How hard or easy or awkward or difficult would that be for you?  And will you get into what happened in September? 

TERRY FRANCONA:  Well, I think calling the game’s the easy part just because of my history with the organization so long.  I haven’t had to do a ton of homework, because like you said, I know a lot about them.

As far as being awkward, doing the game is not awkward at all.  I mean, I’ve never been to this ballpark.  I’m actually looking forward to see the ballpark and ‑‑ you can’t spend eight years in one place and not get really close with a lot of people.

I didn’t particularly like the way my tenure ended.  That doesn’t mean it’s not going to be really fun to see a lot of people tomorrow.  At the same time, I got a job to do and I don’t want it to be a side show.  So I’ll certainly be cognizant of the fact that there’s a game to play.  That’s the reason we’re there.  And try to keep it that way as much as possible.

Q. Do you think you might get into the September, what happened in September during the broadcast? 

TERRY FRANCONA:  You’d have to ask ‑‑ Dan can tease it up if he wants to.  Again, I’ve talked about it a thousand times.  It probably will come up during the telecast.

And, I mean, we talked about, again the Braves had a similar thing and we did a Braves game yesterday.  So we talked about it a little bit.  It’s not something that’s off limits.

But if it seems pertinent to the telecast, we just want to do a good job and have fun and try to enlighten people while at the same time hopefully they’re enjoying it.

Q. For Orel and for Terry, if you could give your thoughts on whether you think Marlins have a good chance to overtake Philly or Atlanta, and what would concern you?

OREL HERSHISER:  I love the acquisitions of the Marlins.  Spent a lot of money and brought in a lot of talent.  And I think the first issue will be melding these guys together and creating some chemistry.  So they’re all pulling on one end of the rope.

I think the Phillies are definitely vulnerable with the injuries with Utley’s knee and with Howard’s Achilles and now the infection.  It would be really important for the Marlins to get off to a fast start, I think, because then Philadelphia has a pretty easy schedule early on the first month or two, but they’ll have a very weak roster as far as when they have a chance to be at full strength.

And they’re always going to be in it as pitchers they have, but the Marlins can pitch right with them, and they’ve got a lot of exciting players and Hanley Ramirez looks poised to have a huge year, even an MVP type year.

And I think it’s going to be a very tight race.  And I think the Phillies might end up more like the Giants where they just outpitch and don’t score much.  Their bullpen will be a key.  And I think the Marlins have a chance to have a very good all‑around team.

TERRY FRANCONA:  From my side of it, I think the NL East has become intriguing, and Orel and I talked so much about it the last couple of days, along with Dan, that we probably share a lot of the same sentiments.  It was really neat this winter to see the Marlins become really relevant during the winter meetings.

And that doesn’t ensure you’re going to win the division, but they made a lot of interesting acquisitions, and they became a player.

And like Orel said, Philadelphia is a little bit beat up.  Now they have tremendous pitching.  That’s not going away anytime soon.  Atlanta basically has the same team that had one of the best records in baseball until August 25th, and the Nationals are really trying to be relevant in that division also.

So it’s going to be interesting.  I tell you what; it’s going to be a lot more competitive than it’s been in the past with those four teams I just said.

Q. Any concerns you guys have about Florida, be it, whether beyond just Johnson’s health, this would be an obvious one, is there any concern about you have about Bonifacio hitting well two years in a row and Hanley coming back with a .244 year, or moving over to shortstop, their bullpen, any concern either of you would have? 

OREL HERSHISER:  I think when you see guys coming off down years that have tremendous talent, I don’t worry about it.  Because I think that really kind of perks at their ego and they really go into the off season going I am going to get better.  They’re not trying to maintain greatness.

They’re slightly embarrassed, and they say I’m going to make some changes and really come in and make a statement.  I think you see that with players sometimes, especially great players like Hanley.

I think he’s going to be on a mission.  It’s very hard to have success and to continue it because you have to find that thing that drives you and puts you over the top.  And very few have that.  And I think Hanley had a tough year, and he’s going to be on a mission.  That’s going to be ‑‑ I just can’t wait to watch him play.

Q. Any thoughts, Terry, I know being in the opposite league last year, but any thoughts?

TERRY FRANCONA:  I guess my thought is if you go into spring training and you need or expect several players to have big years to win, you’re probably not ready to win.  I’m not saying that’s the Marlins.  I’m talking in general.  If you go into a year, if you think our guys just have the year they’re supposed to have, we have a chance to win.

Now, you’ll probably follow them every day.  You might know that a little bit more than we do right now.  But, again, they made an impact in the winter meetings.  And they’re going to be tough to play.

They have some things they have to answer.  Can Josh Johnson stay healthy?  If he does, he’s a force.  But there’s some things that haven’t happened for a while.  And it will be fun to see how it plays out.

Q. Kind of funny, Washington following Miami on this situation.  But anyway, I’m interested in the entire panel’s view of how the Washington Nationals have improved themselves and are they a legitimate contender in the East?

DAN SHULMAN:  I think they can be a contender.  I think especially with the extra wildcard.  I mean, if Strasburg is healthy and effective and the additions of Jackson and Gonzalez to the rotation, this is a team on the rise.  And I think everybody’s felt for couple of years now this is a sleeping giant and they’re eventually going to become a major force.

I don’t know if they’re ready to do it this year, but I think they’re certainly heading in the right direction, and certainly capable of a plus .500 finish.  And if things go well maybe contending for a playoff spot.

OREL HERSHISER:  They jumped 11 wins last year.  They came from like 69 to 80 wins, and now you’ve got Steven Strasburg that is really kind of starting to mature.  I saw they announced him as the opening day starter.

That tells me great things about his health and his makeup and what they expect to put on his shoulders.  I expect him to have that breakout year and stay healthy.

And I love the energy of the team.  I think Jayson Werth is going to come back.  I think he’s really going to make an impact.  And I think this is really going to be a very interesting division.  I mean, we’ve been following the American League East for so long and really watching those teams, and Tampa Bay has made a dent on the Boston’s and New York’s

And all of a sudden Washington has a chance to make a dent on the Braves and Phillies.  And it’s going to be fun to watch

TERRY FRANCONA:  I echo Dan and Orel’s comments, and would add as they get closer to contending; you’ll have to find out what kind of organizational depth they have.

Because if you go into a season, the 25 players they’ve put together, started to look pretty interesting.  But when you contend you’re going to need another 10 or 15 throughout the year and that’s where the organizational depth is going to start to come into play.

Q. Terry, I was wondering where do you see the Red Sox finishing this season?

TERRY FRANCONA:  You don’t know.  Every time the Red Sox go to Fort Myers, whether I’m the manager or they have somebody new, they always have a chance to win.

Again, you start predicting now, the Red Sox, the Yankees, Tampa, and even Toronto to some extent, you know you can make all the predictions you want.  But it’s all going to come down in my opinion to which pitching staff stays the healthiest, because the staff that stays the healthiest is going to be the most productive.

And we won’t know that until we get way in the season.  Red Sox have a good team.  You know, last year we were on pace to win over 100 games and fell apart in September.  That doesn’t mean they can’t ‑‑ they’re not going to just go away this year and turn into a bad team.

Q. Terry, whenever you do a Red Sox game, whatever you say is going to be overanalyzed and blown out of proportion because you were the manager of the team.  So you’re paid to speak your mind.  How do you feel about this?  Whatever you say is going to be blown out of proportion? 

TERRY FRANCONA:  It’s been out of proportion for eight years.  It doesn’t really matter.  I always say what I think is honest.  And again, I can’t control how people blow it out of proportion.  You understand my point.  I’ll do the best job I can and let people handle it however they want.

Q. And you’re going to be, I assume, talking to Bobby Valentine before a game that you work.  And what will that be like interviewing Bobby Valentine in your old office?

TERRY FRANCONA:  It’s not interview him as much as getting information for the game so we can do a good job and give the fans that are watching the game the correct information.  But the first time I walk back in that office I’m sure it’s going to be a little strange.  It’s an office I occupied for eight years.

Q. And, Jed, do you have any comment what you expect out of Terry when he’s working Red Sox games?

JED DRAKE:  He said it already.  I expect him to be candid.  I expect him to give insight that will be exceptional and special because of his knowledge of these players and their strengths and weaknesses, and I expect that he’s going to go right down the middle of this.

We were asked or these guys were asked before whether with the collapse in 2011 is going to come up tomorrow and the answer is yeah, of course it is, come on.  And Terry is a big guy.  He’s got big shoulders.  And as you said he’s only talked about this like a thousand times.

So it’s not like this is earth shattering news stuff.  So no sweat, no problem.  We’re all going to take this straight ahead.  And while I understand ‑‑ and I appreciate the unique situation ‑‑

I helped manufacture it, if I dare may say.

But once we’re a week into this, it’s going to be like old news.  But I get it we’ll be doing opening day and Verlander is going to be pitching against the Red Sox, and it’s going to be something like tomorrow night, and it will be a challenge for Terry but one that he’s imminently capable of handling as he’s shown throughout his baseball career.  Now he’s just shifting gears and now it’s a broadcasting career.  All is good, all is in order, all will be fine.

Q. How did you pull off that trade, Terry for Bobby V? 

JED DRAKE:  We had nothing to do with Bobby leaving, certainly.  But when the Sunday night slot became available, I instantly had thought of Terry.  Thought of Terry in terms of our baseball team even before Bobby had left.

But once Bobby did leave, then we sort of put on the full court press.  And it was a series of conversations.  I enlisted John Gruden’s support to reach out to Terry, which he did.

We had last night with Gruden last night in Tampa and it was an equally fun night.  You can only imagine the two of them sitting together as all of us were sitting enthralled with the two of them together.

But in the end, I think what won Terry over is that, as John told him, it’s a good group; we care deeply about what we do.  We work hard, but we have fun at it.  And as Terry said to me he likes to work.  And if that’s the case, we’ve got a place for you.  And it all worked out.

Q. Terry, there were actually suggestions last year that the Red Sox Yankee rivalry was dying.  I don’t imagine you agreed with that.  Do you think it could ever be the way it was in ’03, ’04 when the Red Sox hadn’t won in 85, 86 years and the Yankees were that evil empire?

TERRY FRANCONA:  I don’t know.  But what I do know is that you can’t manufacture a rivalry.  The fact that you play 18 or 19 times a year now with the unbalanced schedule, you’re not going to have 18 or 19 nail biters.  That’s just not the way baseball is.  But, again, being a part of those games for me, the talent on both sides of the field was so good, that was enough for me.

Like I said, I don’t think you have to manufacture it.  Good baseball games, they’ll come and, again, there will be some clunkers sometimes, but there are so many good baseball players on both sides, you’re going to see a lot of good baseball.

Q. But do you think it was the way it was back then, seemed to be more volatility and people not liking one another; it seems a little pained, do you think it’s lost ‑‑

TERRY FRANCONA:  I don’t know that there needs to be volatility to have a good series.  Again, there are some awfully good players on both sides.  And then I think the players enjoy it.  I think the fans enjoy it.  I think the media enjoys it.

Again, you can’t manufacture ‑‑ Tampa’s kind of gotten in the way the last couple of years.  And I don’t think they feel like going anywhere soon.  So, again, that’s what makes these things so special, is that you don’t manufacture it.

Q. Sounds like you wouldn’t agree with people who think that the Bobby Valentine presence will add to it because there seems to be instances where he’s almost trying to get things stirred up a little bit?

TERRY FRANCONA:  If that happens in the media that’s one thing.  But that doesn’t change how the game’s played on the field.  Again, everybody’s personality is different.

I tried to ‑‑ again, you saw me for eight years.  I wanted to let the players have the say so on the field.  But everybody’s different.  That’s part of what’s so good about the game.

Q. Anybody who wants to tackle this, there’s been so much buzz about Albert Pujols returning to the Angels, tell me a little bit about what you think the Angels will be like this season and obviously what he brings to the club. 

 

DAN SHULMAN:  Well, actually we were just asked to submit our picks to espn.com and I have the Angels winning the World Series.  And Albert’s a great hitter, and he had a couple of off months last year and some injuries, but at the end of the season the numbers were pretty good.  And had he been healthy the whole year the numbers would have been great.

I think he’s going to have a great year.  And I think Vernon Wells will have a better year if Kendry Morales is healthy, and Mike Trout, one of the best prospects in baseball, they’ve got unbelievable depth right now.

The thing that nobody talks about is the rotation is as good as anybody’s in baseball.  Their top four guys are all terrific.  So I think Albert will have a big year and I think the Angels are as good as any team in baseball right now.

OREL HERSHISER:  I agree with you.  I don’t know if I’m picking for the World Series that I’m about to fill out that form this afternoon before our meeting.

But I’ve got them winning the west, either that or being the wildcard for sure, right there with Texas.  And I think Albert’s impact is going to be huge, because when your best player ‑‑ and Terry and I have talked about this and Terry said it on the air, about Justin Verlander yesterday, the Tiger game, when your best pitcher does it right, they work hard and they get there early and they do the fundamentals and they work on all the details of the game and they concentrate every at bat and every ground ball, it just impacts the whole team, the whole organization, because everybody’s proud.

And that’s what Albert is going to do for the Angels and right up Mike Scioscia’s alley because Mike is that kind of guy, a reputation of being a great manager.  That’s because he’s so consistent.  That’s what Albert is.

Q. Don Mattingly said the other day that LA is still the Dodgers town.  What kind of thing, with Albert Pujols coming to the Angels, what do you think the impact is going to be between the Dodgers and Angels in the greater Los Angeles area?

DAN SHULMAN:  I think Arte Moreno has done a great job since he took over the Angels.  And I think the Dodgers have an uphill climb.  I’m not sure if it’s a completely Angels city but they’ve made an impact and they’ve changed the market.  So I think the Dodgers, the new ownership of the Dodgers when they come on, they know they’re buying kind of a depressed product that needs to have the glory days kind of come back.  And that’s going to be a challenge.  But it’s a challenge I think that the new ownership will be up to, whoever it ends up being.

Q. My question is:  In the last six months we’ve witnessed the Tebow‑mania in the NFL and Jeremy Lin in the NBA.  Do you think there’s a baseball player that can become such a surprising hit this season? 

TERRY FRANCONA:  I think it’s going to be Shulman‑mania.

DAN SHULMAN:  That’s a good question, the thing about Jeremy Lin, he came out of nowhere and there’s nobody in the world who could have anticipated that he would be the guy.

But what I like about baseball sometimes is the rookie who ends up having the most impact is not a guy who even starts the season in the Major Leagues, it’s just a guy who comes up in May or June when there’s a need for his team.

And I’m not sure if this fits the bill, but I think the one guy we’re all looking at is Bryce Harper for Washington, and I think we all believe he’ll be in the majors sometime this year whether it’s May or June and there’s going to be a lot of attention on that when he gets up.

So it’s not often a 19‑year‑old plays in the Major Leagues, and it’s not often a young man has the physical tools that he does.  So I think he’s the guy that I’m looking for and wondering what he’ll be like when he gets to the Big Leagues.

OREL HERSHISER:  I think Steven Strasburg, his teammate, even though Steven’s already been up, we really haven’t got a complete taste of him yet.  And we did a little bit.  Everybody had Strasburg‑mania, and the fastball.

Another big story could be Justin Verlander.  Justin just had an amazing year, lowered his ERA down to .240, where it’s around .35.  Wins 24 games, goes 24‑5, Cy Young and MVP.

It will be interesting if he gets off to a hot start and he repeats and be that dominant again and is he going to be kind of the pitcher of the 2010 era and on.  So will he take 2010 all the way up to 2020 and be the guy?  He has the chance and the ability to do that.

Q. Orel and Terry, could you talk about your fingers about Prince Fielder going to the Tigers and what do you think he might bring to the table for the Tigers this year?

TERRY FRANCONA:  As everybody knows, Victor Martinez hurts his knee during his winter conditioning drills.  And a week later, approximately eight days later, they sign one of the preeminent run producers in either league.

Jim Leyland’s words:  Victor was the ideal person not only to complement Miguel Cabrera but protect him in the batting order.  When they lost it was a huge loss, and then they get a guy that may even be a better run producer.  And so it’s exciting for Detroit.  Their lineup is potentially lethal.

And if Austin Jackson finds a way to cut down on those strikeouts and he gets on base, they’re going to be bludgeoning some people.

Again, when you get down to October, there are a handful of teams and you gotta ‑‑ there’s some things that have to go your way.  But they’ve got a genuine ace and they’ve got a really good lineup.  So they’re going to be someone that everybody has to contend with.

OREL HERSHISER:  I think Prince Fielder brings an edge to that team also that they need.  I think Victor Martinez was the competitor on that team that really went out there and ground out at‑bats in key situations against big pitchers, in big situations.  Gave in and got the base hit when it really wasn’t a guy.

That you could really go deep off or drive the ball.

When I look at Prince Fielder, he’s the same type of guy he goes up there and he gives them that edge, that emotional edge that everybody in the ballpark and on the team knows that they are there to win.  They’re not just there to show up.  They’re there to win, and Prince carries himself that way, and I think it’s going to be huge.

Cabrera is an unbelievable talent.  But Cabrera, when he makes an out, is not really angry.  He is kind of the teddy bear guy that everybody respects around the league and respects his talent.  But Prince is going to give that team an edge just like Justin Verlander’s 100‑mile‑an‑hour fastball.

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