Actress talks playoffs, new gig, dating players, more

You can see plenty of Alyssa Milano during MLB's postseason. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

By Jimmy Traina, SI.com

Alyssa Milano is covering the MLB playoffs for TBS' new baseball broadband channel, TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com. She recently talked to SI.com about her new gig, blogging about the Dodgers, dating baseball players and much more.

SI.com: One of the first interviews you did for the TBS Hot Corner was with Trevor Hoffman, in which you discussed his legacy. Good timing.

Milano: Yeah, I hope that interview didn't jinx him.

SI.com: So what's on tap for your new series on the Hot Corner?

Milano: I think we're just winging it. I'll be in Fenway Wednesday, and we'll be doing some live video and then we're gonna tape some other segments while I'm there.

SI.com: Will you cover every series?

Milano: I hope so, and I'm gonna selfishly try to go places I haven't been. I've never been to Wrigley so I'd love to cover that series.

SI.com: You have to go to Wrigley.

Milano: I know, I know. I know it's the Vatican of baseball fields.

SI.com: Which series are you most looking forward to?

Milano: I think that the Red Sox-Angels series is gonna be exciting. The Rockies are playing amazing baseball, so watching them play is gonna be fun. The Angels just play such a National League game that they're always fun to watch, especially in place like Fenway, where the park is smaller.

SI.com: And which team would you like to see win it all?

Milano: I'm rooting for Lou Piniella and the Cubs. I think if your team is out of it, like my Dodgers, and you're a baseball fan, you kinda have to root for the Cubbies.

SI.com: What did you think of the Mets collapse?

Milano: Wow. I have some friends who work for the organization and I sent them some condolences. I wasn't completely surprised because I spoke to one of the Mets media guys right after the All-Star break and I asked him what he thought the teams' chances were and he said "To be honest, I don't think we're playing with much passion." And that was very prophetic because that was a couple of months ago. He said he felt the team was taking the lead for granted and boy was he right. But it was sad. You never wanna see a team go down that hard. And you never wanna see a pitcher like Tom Glavine go down that hard.

SI.com: He's getting pretty roasted here in New York.

Milano: Well, you guys are not very compassionate.

SI.com: Well, seven runs in 1/3 of an inning will not get you much compassion.

Milano: I know. I wonder which is harder for a fan to see someone get shelled like that or a close game. The close games are pretty heartbreaking, too.

SI.com: The close games are harder to take. By the second inning of the Mets game, their fans were already on to 2008.

Milano. True.

SI.com: How did your first year of blogging go?

Milano: It was really great. I definitely went into it with some trepidation only because I didn't know how I'd be accepted by baseball fans, because clearly I had a lot to say, but the process is really great for me. I look at it like a creative outlet and a way for me to get my thoughts down. The response has been so warm throughout the season and I'm really proud that it's turned into a baseball community.

SI.com: You've been critical of the Dodgers. Has anyone from the team or front office confronted you?

Milano: Well, no one ever said anything to me, but my blog used to be linked to the Dodgers home page and after I wrote my open letter to Grady Little it wasn't linked there anymore. But I look at myself as the voice of the fan and I'm always gonna be honest, whether it's right or wrong, and fans tend to not like their managers.

SI.com: Will you blog again next season?

Milano: Yeah, I think so. I'm really having a good time with it.

SI.com: You're a big hit on the 'net and in the blogosphere. How aware of that are you?

Milano: The Internet is such a weird thing because I don't think you could ever fully understand the magnitude of what you're putting out there because people absorb it in their own time in their own private world. I don't think there's a way to fully comprehend it. But I'm appreciative for what it's given me.

SI.com: One of the reasons you're a big hit is because of your past. Are you sick of questions about dating baseball players?

Milano: It's part of my past so I'm OK with it, but just to relate it to something that people can understand, it would be as if people were constantly bringing up your exes. It's never a comfortable thing. You never want to relive past relationships. But I get it. I've also been very vocal in feeling that there's an incredible double standard going on in that we think Derek Jeter is cool because he's dated lots of actresses.

SI.com: Funny you should say that. Our lead item on Tuesday's Hot Clicks was a story about Jeter dating Gabrielle Union.

Milano: See. And we think that's cool. I just think my history has become a crutch. It's the easy joke to go to. But I'm so used to because people have been on that train for the last three years.

SI.com: I saw some pictures of you with Russell Martin from the All-Star week. That sparked some rumors.

Milano: Yeah, and that was the first time I met him. But the other way to look at it is that I'm blessed that that's the worst thing that people can say about me. I think that the fact that there's interest in me is a good thing but there's not really a lot that they can dig up. I've been pretty honest and open about my life because I have nothing to hide.

SI.com: Who has been the most fun baseball player you've met?

Milano: I hung out one night with Richie Sexson and he was hilarious. He's a very funny guy.

SI.com: Who is the one player you haven't met yet but would like to?

Milano: He's not a player, but I'd like to meet Lou Piniella. I saw a Real Sports segment on him before the season and as he was talking about going into spring training and how excited he was for the season, and he actually welled up. I was so taken by that.

SI.com: Do you follow other sports besides baseball?

Milano: I love hockey. I follow pretty much all the sports.

SI.com: Would you ever blog about another sport?

Milano: I don't think I would do it as well. I think to blog well about something or to be able to write well about something, it has to be part of your daily life and because I have season tickets it's very easy for me to get completely consumed.d.