Interview with Hall of Fame Yankee Yogi Berra

The picture is me with Yogi Berra at a Yankees Old Timers Day many years ago.

Yogi Berra played catcher for the New York Yankees for 17 years and one season with the New York Mets. Yogi is one of four players to win AL MVP three times. He also won World Series' as a manager in both leagues. Yogi Berra played for 10 World Series teams. Yogi is known for his quotes like "It ain't over till it's over." Here is my interview with this baseball great:

BW: Did you not like hitting strikes since you are known for being a bad ball hitter?

YB: Maybe I just saw the ball good. I always felt if I could see it, I could hit it.

BW: How did you become a catcher?

YB: I played some as a kid, we played every position back then. The Yankees thought my future was as a catcher.

BW: Who was your favorite teammate and why?

YB: I had lots of them.

BW: Who was the toughest pitcher to hit against? Who was the easiest?

YB: Herb Score of the Indians, before he got injured, was real tough. I don't know about the other.

BW: What was your greatest thrill in baseball?

YB: I had lots of them. Catching the perfect game in the World Series. Winning 10 championships. Making the Hall of Fame - it's hard to say.

BW: What made your Yankee teams so great?

YB: We won a lot. We had great team spirit and pretty good players.

BW: Is there a current player that is very similar to you? If so, who?

YB: That I don't know. I always liked Pudge Rodriguez because he's short like me. I like short catchers.

BW: Who was your idol growing up?

YB: Ducky Medwick of the Cardinals. He was my newspaper customer when I was a kid, and a great hitter.

BW: Did you really scuff the ball when Whitey Ford pitched? Why?
YB: No.

MLB Predictions 2010

I held off on making these predictions until I got a sense of what teams would be like and here are my predictions:

AL East

1. New York Yankees

2. Tampa Bay Rays

3. Boston Red Sox

4. Baltimore Orioles

5. Toronto Blue Jays

I think that the Yankees will slimly defeat the Rays if they stay healthy. On the bottom half of the division, I think that the Orioles will make a September run and beat Toronto. Boston is just not good enough this year and will fall in the middle of the standings.

AL Central

1. Minnesota Twins

2. Detroit Tigers

3. Chicago White Sox

4. Cleveland Indians

5. Kansas City Royals

I think that Detroit will be a top team for the wild card but not good enough to win the central. The Indians will slip back but Kansas City will finish dead last. I think Minnesota's division lead will slip as the year goes on.

AL West

1. Oakland A's

2. Texas Rangers

3. Anaheim Angels

4. Seattle Mariners

I think that the Angels are done being AL West leaders and Texas and Oakland will duke it out all of September. I think that Cliff Lee will not last in Seattle past July. This division is the worst division in the AL but Texas is a good team for years to come.

AL Wildcard

1. Tampa Bay Rays

2. Detroit Tigers

3. Anaheim Angels

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies

2. Florida Marlins

3. Atlanta Braves

4. New York Mets

5. Washington Nationals

I think that Florida will be a good team this year but the Phillies are the NL's team to beat. The Nats and Mets will fight for forth place and the Braves will make a good run in July but fall to .5o0.

NL Central also-known-as The NL's Worst

1. St. Louis Cardinals

2. Milwaukee Brewers

3. Cincinnati Reds

4. Houston Astros

5. Chicago Cubs

6. Pittsburgh Pirates

I think that the Cards will win the division by 7+ games, but the Reds and Brewers will fight for the second spot until the last day of the season. If Houston, hits well they could steal the fourth spot, and the Cubs need a pitcher to contend but without they are the second to last worst in the central.

NL West

1. San Francisco Giants

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Colorado Rockies

4. Arizona Diamondbacks

5. San Diego Padres

I think that Lincecum and Co. will lead the Giants to their first division title since 2003. I think that the Dodgers aren't good enough and the Padres will slip to last and trade Adrian Gonzalez. The Giants will be able to go far in the playoffs due to an NL off year.

NL Wildcard

1. Milwaukee Brewers

2. Florida Marlins

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Playoffs

Phillies vs Brewers

Here is a rematch of the 2008 Divisional Playoffs where the Phils won 3-1. I think that the end result will be the same as Prince Fielder faces Ryan Howard in a Big Hitters Duel.

Cardinals vs Giants

When Chris Carpenter faces Tim Lincecum in game 1 of this series, fans will get to see two of the NL's best in action. I think the Cardinals will win the series 3-2 in a pitchers series.

Twins vs Rays

I think the Twins will play hard to play the Yankees again in the playoffs, and they will succeed. The Twins will beat the Rays in 5 games as they will meet the Bombers.

Yankees vs A's

Here is another playoff rematch, this time from 2001. I think the Yankees will sweep this series because Oakland slipped into the playoffs.

NLCS

Cardinals vs Phillies

Can you say rematch? The Phillies will win the series as they win in 6 as Chase Utley heats up with 2 two-home run games.

ALCS

Yankees vs Twins

Yankees in 5. Yankee fans are already buying their Back-to-Back championships shirts.

World Series

Phillies 2, Yankees 4

The Phillies simply aren't the same team without Cliff Lee and will win the games when Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay pitch. But now I am going to making car arrangements to go see the 2010 championship parade.

MVP's

Albert Pujols and Evan Longoria

Cy Young

Roy Halladay and Andy Pettitte

Comment below on your predictions!

Interview with Samantha Prahalis

Samantha Prahalis a guard for Ohio State. Last season she was named to All-Big Ten first team. She is from Commack, Long Island and is ready to take over women's basketball next season. Here is our interview:

BW: What are your goals for your basketball career?

SP: To win a National Championship, be an All-American and play pro.

BW: What would you be if you weren't going to play pro basketball?

SP: A makeup artist or a hairstylist.

BW: Who is your idol and why?

SP: My nanny because she had great strength and was a great person.

BW: What NBA or WNBA player are you most like?

SP: I am a mixture of Steve Nash, Jason Williams, Rajon Rondo, Baron Davis and Chris Paul.

BW: What do you bring to a team?

SP: I bring high effort, energy, intensity and fun to a team.

BW: What is the Michigan-OSU rivalry like in women's basketball?

SP: The Michigan rivalry isn't too big for women's basketball like football but whenever you play Michigan, you make sure we get the win.

BW: What was your favorite part of living in Commack [Long Island]

SP: Just being on a such a fun team. Just those girls, we were all friends. And having all my family and friends coming to the games. High school basketball was so much fun.

Win Silly Bandz/Animal Bracelets!

Win Silly Bandz/Animal Bracelets at The King of Sports Blog. Here are the contest details:

Sometime between Monday May 10 and Monday May 17, I will be posting a new interview. The first person to comment this on the comment section on the interview wins one pack of Silly Bandz. Here is what you must comment:

• Your Name (first, last)
• Email address

Check back daily or even hourly to check for the newest interview. If you don't win the contest feel free to follow the ad at the bottom of this to buy CHEAP Silly Bandz.

Interview with Robert Quinn

He is ranked third on Mel Kiper's 2011 big board. He is just 19 and a superstar Tar Heel defensive end. Robert Quinn is his name and this star even battled brain cancer. Here is an interview with my second Tar Heel superstar of the past two months:

BW: Who Is your idol and why?

RQ: I dont have one now, but I used to be a huge Deion Sanders fan.

BW: Did battling brain surgery help you on the football field? Why or why not?

RQ: Yes, because it’s making me go hard every play.

BW: What NFL player are you most like?


RQ: I have no idea.

BW: What NFL quarterback do you dream of sacking?

RQ: All of them.

BW: Would you say the UNC-Duke football rivalry is close to the basketball?

RQ: Not at all.

Interview with Greg McElroy

This quarterback is one of my favorites in college football. He took his Alabama Crimson Tide to the BCS National Championship and won. Alabama has a good chance in repeating next season with the help of Greg McElroy, their senior quarterback. Here is my interview with this pre-season Heisman nominee:

BW: How important is it for you to have a great receiver?

GM: Having a big-time wide receiver is extremely important. Not only for myself, but for the offense as a whole. Julio [Jones] has been as reliable as anyone in the country for the past few years and on every play he occupies at least two defenders. That goes a long way in allowing for the offense to be successful and allowing other wide receivers to have success.

BW: In your career you have played with two Heisman candidates including last year's winner [Mark Ingram], are you the next to win it?

GM: would love to think that my name would be mentioned for an individual award such as the Heisman Trophy, however, I would be completely content playing my role in the offense and having the best season as a team possible. Individual awards are great, but most people would trade them in for wins.

BW: What is your favorite part about Alabama football?

GM: My favorite part would have to be the tradition and the atmosphere on game day. Alabama stops for three hours every Saturday afternoon to tune into the Tide. That is extremely special and I know every player on the team is grateful for such terrific fan support.

BW: What goals would you like to accomplish this season?

GM: I would like to make steady improvements throughout the season next year. I am not a huge believer in long-term goals, but I feel that it is very important to focus on the process that it takes to obtain success. Coach Saban has instilled that mindset in us, and I like to practice it day in and day out.

BW: What quarterback would you compare yourself to?

GM: I would compare myself to Peyton Manning. I know that is extremely high praise, but I think we are very similar in the way we prepare for opponents and try to beat opponents intellectually.

BW: What was it like playing head to head with Tim Tebow?

GM: It was great. I've known Tim for a number of years and he has had so much success. It was great to be able to compete on a level playing field against someone who has meant so much to the college game. He is a fantastic competitor and I wish him luck for the remainder of his career.

BW: Did Florida make the right decision in taking Tebow over you? [The Gators had a choice in taking Tebow or McElroy when they were in high school]

GM: Well, I must say that knowing my playing style versus Tim's, I think Florida definitely made the right decision. He was perfect for their offense and had tremendous success in his four years playing for the Gators.

Interview with Da'Quan Bowers

Da'Quan Bowers is defensive end on the Clemson Tigers. Bowers was a top prospect out of high school in 2008. Da'Quan is now a highly ranked 2011 NFL Draft prospect and in some sportswriters say that he is a front-runner to be the top pick of the NFL Draft. Here is my interview with Reggie White's clone:

BW: How did you learn to play football and when did you start playing?

DB: Well I started playing football around the age of 7 and I learned from an
older cousin who played at Clemson.

BW: What is your favorite NFL team?

DB: I am a Dallas Cowboy fan converting to a Eagle fan because of my cousin
Ricky [Sapp] being drafted.

BW: Why does an NFL team want you on their team? What will you bring to the

table?

DB: I bring leadership, and a work ethic, and they will be getting a hungry player.

BW: What are your goals for college football and after that?
DB: My college goal is to be a champion, and to go pro.

BW: What NFL coach do you want to play for?
DB: I would love to play for Bill Belichick [New England Patriots coach].

BW: What individual honor is most important to you?
DB: The most honarable honor I have gotten was the Under Armor MVP in first year.