For those of you who might have missed it, I appeared tonight on Blog Talk Radio with the guys from Sox and Pinstripes and David Pinto from Baseball Musings. It was a fun time for all, and I really enjoy chatting with the guys. You can access the archived audio by clicking on the Blog Talk Radio link above or by downloading the attached file.

At a press conference at noon Monday at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati Reds president and chief executive officer Bob Castellini and executive vice president and general manager Wayne Krivsky will announce Pete Mackanin as interim field manager for the remainder of the 2007 season.

Mackanin, 55, will replace Jerry Narron, whose Reds teams went 31-51 (.378) this season and 157-179 (.467) overall. The club will have no comment until tomorrow's press conference.

Mackanin (pronounced mah-CAN-in) will be introduced Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. in the field level interview room as the 59th manager in Reds history, the 49th since 1900.

He previously was in the organization from 1990-92, when he managed Class AAA Nashville in the American Association, and he rejoined the Reds in February 2006 as the Major League club's advance scout.

It will be Mackanin's second stint as an interim manager in the Major Leagues. In 2005 he managed the final 26 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who went 55-81 under Lloyd McClendon.

Information courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds media relations department

Seattle Mariners Manager Mike Hargrove announced today that he has decided to resign, effective at the end of today’s game vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. Hargrove was named manager of the club on Oct. 20, 2004. He is fifth among active managers with 1,187 career wins, including 191 with Seattle, heading into today’s game.

“Over the past several weeks, I have come to the realization that to be fair to myself and the team, I can not continue to do this job if my passion has begun to fade. I want to stress how much I respect, and love, the players in the clubhouse, and the coaches and staff that we have in place here, and I can not stress enough what a tremendous place this is to work because of the people who work above me. I am very proud of the work we’ve done to turn this club around in three years, and I have high expectations for the team this season.”

Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Bill Bavasi announced today the Mariners have named John McLaren as field manager, effective tomorrow. McLaren has agreed to a contract for the remainder of the 2007 season. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not announced. McLaren is the 12th full-time manager in franchise history.

 “Mike took over the team at a difficult point in time, taking over after the 2004 season. He has been a ‘team player’, and successfully developed a group of young, inexperienced players from our farm system and incorporated several veterans into a winning team. As a result, we are in much better shape today than we were when Mike came to town,” Bavasi said. “I would like to thank Mike for his efforts. We’re disappointed that he has decided to step down, but we respect his decision. We wish him, Sharon and his family all the best.

“I believe that Mac provides us with an opportunity to have as seamless a transition as possible,” Bavasi continued. “He knows the club and has been intimately involved in every decision we’ve made this season. We had a chance to see him run the club for a few days earlier this season, and I have every confidence that he will help us achieve the goals we’ve set.”

Information courtesy of the Seattle Mariners media relations department

The Detroit Tigers today announced the club has acquired righthanded pitcher Jose Capellan from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Single A Lakeland lefthanded pitcher Chris Cody.

Capellan appeared in seven games with the Brewers in 2007, compiling a 0-2 record and 4.50 ERA (12.0IP/6ER) after being recalled from Triple A Nashville on June 1.  In 17 outings (three starts) with Nashville, he finished 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA (28.0IP/12ER).

“Capellan has a good arm and major league experience and we feel he will help us in our bullpen,” Tigers President, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager David Dombrowski said.

Special thanks to the Tigers media relations department for the info.