A National League East rivalry is temporarily relocating thousands of miles away this weekend as the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets will play in the London Series. They won't be the only ones traveling across the pond as MLB Central is hitting the road for on-site shows on Thursday and Friday. MLB Network's morning show, now in its 10th season, continues to kick off the baseball day. Co-hosts Lauren Shehadi, Robert Flores and Mark DeRosa have been together for nearly 800 episodes, blending together news, analysis, and an impressive number of in-studio visits from current players. The trio took a few minutes out from packing to speak with Sports Illustrated about the trip.
"We went last year not knowing what to expect, not knowing how it would be received," DeRosa said. "I had an absolute blast getting away from the normal day-to-day of how we do the show. It was boots-on-the-ground. I had never been to London before. I think it helps with the chemistry of the show. Not only were we active doing MLB Tonights and MLB Central, we were going to dinners together. We went sightseeing one day, saw Big Ben. I felt like it was an awesome three days for the three of us."
Like DeRosa, Flores was surprised at the enthusiasm from the locals, reflected in the over 110,000 fans who attended the two games played between the Cubs and Cardinals.
