Let’s go over the games you’ll see nationwide this weekend, the last before the All-Star Break. Also, I’ll put in a couple of All-Star Game press releases for you in this post.
As always, we start with Fox Sports and the network is only covering two games this weekend.
FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
Leads Into All-Star Week with Yanks/Angels & Cards/Cubs
Karros: Are The Yankees Fundamentally Sound?
MLB ON FOX WEEK 14: FIRST HALF WRAPS UP – Before the excitement of the 80th MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14 (8:00 PM ET), The FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK presents its final weekend of the first half with two exciting battles on Saturday, July 11 (4:00 PM). It’s a matchup of bi-coastal rivals as Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees travel to Southern California to visit Vladimir Guerrero and the Angels. Also, long-time NL Central rivals meet as Derrek Lee and the Cubs host leading All-Star vote getter Albert Pujols and the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. This week, the pregame show originates live from Angel Stadium in Anaheim with host Chris Rose. Once game action begins, Rose joins the game crew of Dick Stockton and Eric Karros as a field reporter. For instant updates during the week and games from the entire MLB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX.
New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels, Dick Stockton & Eric Karros, going to 71% of USA
Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs, Joe Buck, Tim McCarver & Ken Rosenthal, going to 28% of USA
Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Austin, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, St. Louis, Tulsa
KARROS: FUNDAMENTALS PLAY KEY ROLE IN YANKEES/ANGELS SERIES – One team that has consistently challenged the New York Yankees in recent years has been the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The two squads again battle it out this Saturday with MLB on FOX game analyst Eric Karros in the booth alongside Dick Stockton. Karros has a theory on why the Angels always seem to have the Yankees number: “If you’re not a team that is completely fundamentally sound, you will have trouble with the Angels and I wouldn’t say that fundamentals have always been the strength of Yankee teams in the last few years,” said Karros. “Fundamentals are one place where there is some vulnerability for the Yankees.”
ROSENTHAL: PHILLIES NEED TO CAPITALIZE ON CHANCE TO SEIZE NL EAST – After sweeping the Mets 3-0 over the weekend and heading into a six-game home stand against the Reds and Pirates, MLB on FOX’s Ken Rosenthal sees a great opportunity for the defending champs heading into the All-Star break. “The Phillies are getting really interesting now. At 43-38, they’re 4.5 games up on the Mets, 4 up on Atlanta and 2 on the Marlins. Jimmy Rollins is getting hot, and as he goes, the Phillies go. They really have a chance here to put some distance at least between themselves and the Mets. I still wouldn’t rule out the Marlins or Braves in this position but once the Phillies get Raul Ibanez back and if they can add a starting pitcher and/or reliever like Pedro Martinez or Roy Halladay, they’re going to be quite formidable.”
ESPN has a busy weekend covering a lot of the All-Star Weekend festivities plus Sunday Night Baseball at Wrigley Field.
All-Star Futures Game
(Sunday, July 12) at 2 p.m. ET
(ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Gary Thorne, Rick Sutcliffe, Peter Gammons and Erin AndrewsHome Run Derby
(Monday, July 13) at 8 p.m. ET
(ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Chris Berman, Joe Morgan, Steve Phillips and Erin AndrewsLegends and Celebrity Softball Game
(Monday, July 13) after the Derby
(ESPN2, ESPN2 HD; also available live on ESPN360.com Sunday, July 12 at 5 p.m. ET)
Commentators: Gary Thorne, Rick Sutcliffe and Erin AndrewsMLB All-Star Game
(Tuesday, July 14) at 7:35 p.m. ET
(ESPN Radio; 8 p.m. ET on ESPN Deportes Radio)
ESPN Radio commentators: Dan Shulman, Dave Campbell, Marc Kestecher (on-site host) and reporters Peter Pascarelli and John Rooney
ESPN Deportes Radio commentators: Eduardo Ortega, Juan Marichal, Renato Bermudez and reporter Jose Francisco Rivera
TBS has the Dodgers taking on Milwaukee Sunday afternoon.
L.A. Dodgers Battle the Milwaukee Brewers at 2 p.m. ET on “Sunday MLB on TBS”“Sunday MLB on TBS” will feature a National League match-up on Sunday, July 12th at 2 p.m. ET with NL All-Star reserve Orlando Hudson and the Los Angeles Dodgers visiting NL All-Star starter Ryan Braun and the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to take
the mound against Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers. Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst) will call the action from the broadcast booth.Sunday MLB on TBS includes match-ups on TBS every Sunday afternoon throughout the regular season. In October TBS will once again provide exclusive coverage of the Division Series and the National League Championship Series (NLCS).
TBS has broadcast MLB coverage for more than 30 years serving as the exclusive home of the MLB Division Series (DS) and one League Championship Series (LCS) since 2007 and home of Atlanta Braves coverage from 1977 to 2007.
SUNDAY MLB ON TBS SCHEDULE:
Sun., July 12
2 p.m. Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers
Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst)
SUNDAY MLB ON TBS UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Sun., July 19
2 p.m. Detroit Tigers @ New York Yankees
Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Ron Darling (analyst)
Sun., July 26
1:30 p.m. St. Louis Cardinals @ Philadelphia Phillies
Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Ron Darling (analyst)
You know this already, but I’ll post it anyway. Brandon Inge and Shane Victorino are your last players voted into the All-Star Game.
VICTORINO, INGE WIN RECORD-BREAKING
ALL-STAR GAME FINAL VOTE RACES
Fans of Tigers, Phillies help first-time All-Stars earn St. Louis spots
NEW YORK, July 9, 2009 – Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino and Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge were chosen by fans as the winners of the 2009 All-Star Game Final Vote in record-shattering voting exclusively on MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and the individual Club sites.
Baseball fans supported the 10 candidates named by All-Star managers Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel in unprecedented fashion by casting a record 68.6 million votes since the program commenced on Sunday, July 5 at 2:00 p.m. (EDT). This year’s record number of votes represents an increase of 43.5 percent from the previous mark of 47.8 million set in 2008. Since its inception in 2002, the All-Star Game Final Vote has now recorded nearly 200 million votes.
The National League winner, Victorino, received the highest total number of votes ever, surpassing Evan Longoria’s nine million in 2008, and led all vote-getters with 15.6 million en route to becoming the second Phillies player to win the balloting (Bobby Abreu, 2004). He was followed by Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants, Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cristian Guzman of the Washington Nationals.
On the American League ballot, Inge became the first Detroit player to win the All-Star Game Final Vote by holding off Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers to claim the final spot on the All-Star roster with a final tally of 11.8 million votes, the most ever for an American League player. Inge and Kinsler were followed by Chone Figgins of t
he Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Carlos Pena of the Tampa Bay Rays; and Adam Lind of the Toronto Blue Jays.Previous winners of the All-Star Game Final Vote are: Evan Longoria (AL, 2008); Corey Hart (NL, 2008), Hideki Okajima (AL, 2007); Chris Young (NL, 2007); A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott Podsednik (AL, 2005); Roy Oswalt (NL, 2005); Hideki Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004); Jason Varitek (AL, 2003); Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw Jones (NL, 2002).
And you may not know Sheryl Crow and Sara Evans are among the artists singing for MLB at the All-Star Game. I love Sheryl Crow.
SHERYL CROW, DAVID COOK, GINUWINE, SARA EVANS AND NIKKO SMITH TO PERFORM AT 2009 ALL-STAR WEEK IN ST. LOUIS
Missouri Native Crow to Perform U.S. National Anthem at All-Star Game on FOX Following Free All-Star Charity Concert Earlier in Week
Missouri Native Sara Evans to Perform “God Bless America” During 7th Inning StretchDavid Cook and Nikko Smith to Perform Prior to State Farm® Home Run Derby;
Ginuwine to Perform Prior to XM All-Star Futures Game
Major League Baseball today announced the All-Star lineup of musicians that will perform during the MLB All-Star Game, the Home Run Derby and other events during All-Star Week in St. Louis next week.
Nine-time Grammy award-winner and Missouri native Sheryl Crow, who will be fresh off headlining the free MLB All-Star Charity Concert under the Gateway Arch, will perform the U.S. National Anthem as part of the special pre-game ceremony prior to the 2009 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14 at Busch Stadium, which will be broadcast on FOX beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. United States President Barack Obama along with former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter will appear in an unprecedented video address as part of the special pre-game ceremony honoring the 30 “All-Stars Among Us,” men and women who are being recognized by Major League Baseball and PEOPLE magazine for their selfless acts of giving and service to their communities. Following the video, President Obama will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Later in the game, country music sensation Sara Evans — also a Missouri native — will perform “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch. The 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, with pre-game ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised in more than 200 countries and territories by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage.
On Monday, July 13, rock singer/songwriter and 2008 America Idol season winner David Cook will perform two songs with his band prior to the start of the Home Run Derby at Busch Stadium. Prior to Cook’s performance, Nikko Smith — singer/songwriter and 2005 American Idol finalist, and son of St. Louis Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith — will perform the U.S. National Anthem. Smith performed the U.S. National Anthem prior to Game 4 of the 2006 World Series at Busch Stadium. The Home Run Derby will be televised live on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET.
On Sunday, July 11, multi-Platinum selling R&B Artist Ginuwine will perform the U.S. National Anthem prior to the 11th annual All-Star Futures Game. The game will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET and can be viewed live on ESPN2, ESPN2 HD and MLB.TV. XM will provide satellite radio play-by-play coverage of the All-Star Futures Game on XM 175 in addition to its other comprehensive live coverage from St. Louis.
The All-Star musical performances will come on the heels of the MLB All-Star Charity Concer
t featuring Sheryl Crow with special guest Elvis Costello under the iconic Gateway Arch on Saturday, July 12. The concert, which will be free to fans, is the culmination of a day-long celebration of baseball history and will feature a $1 million donation by Major League Baseball to Stand Up To Cancer. The concert will be streamed live on MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, and fans watching the live stream will be encouraged to donate to Stand Up To Cancer.Free-spirited, fearless and fierce, Sheryl Crow has garnered nine Grammys, performed duets with musical luminaries such as Sting and Mick Jagger, released seven studio albums which sold more than 35 million records worldwide, and launched her very own clothing line Bootheel Trading Co. is a cancer survivor and passionate humanitarian and has performed for President Obama. From humble beginnings as a jingle and back-up singer, Crow has reached the pinnacle of professional solo success. Crow explores both personal and global issues on her most recent LP, Detours (produced by Bill Bottrell, who last worked with Crow on her 1993 debut, the seven-times platinum Tuesday Night Music Club).
Sara Evans is recognized as one of the most successful artists of her generation with accolades including the Academy of Country Music‘s Female Vocalist of the Year and the Country Music Association’s Video of the Year for “Born to Fly.” Evans has been celebrated as one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” and was the first-ever country artist to join the celebrity cast of Dancing With The Stars. In 2007 she released Greatest Hits, celebrating a decade long career and over five million career sales featuring hits including “Born to Fly,” “I Could Not Ask For More,” “Suds In The Bucket,” “A Real Fine Place to Start,” and “As If.” A member of the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet for three consecutive years, in 2008 she was honored with the prestigious ARC Crystal Cross Award for her charitable contributions. Listen for Sara’s first single from her sixth studio project, “Feels Just Like A Love Song” released this month. www.saraevans.com
Award winning singer Ginuwine just earned a #1 CD, A Man’s Thoughts on the Billboard Chart released by St. Louis’ own Notifi Records. The new disc features the Top 10 Single, “Last Chance.” No stranger to stardom, Ginuwine first emerged on the music scene in 1996 with the multi-platinum disc The Bachelor and the daring debut single, “Pony.” His second disc, 100% Ginuwine. Featuring the hits “So Anxious,” “What’s So Different,” “Same Ol’ G” (which was also showcased on the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack in 1998) and “None of Ur Friends Business scored double platinum. 100% Ginuwine was awarded Best R&B/Soul Album at the 2000 Soul Train Awards. He’s a multiple American Music Award Nominee.
Nikko Smith, eldest son of Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and St. Louis native, skyrocketed to fame in 2005 when he cracked the TopTen on the hit reality show American Idol. It was here where he dazzled the judges and his fans with his signature modern-day renditions of classics by Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. The following summer he toured with his fellow finalists including Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice on what ultimately became
one of the highest grossing tours of the year. His debut album REVOLUTION dropped in 2008 and features the destined to be hit singles “Revolution” and “3 AM”.
And that does it for Baseball This Weekend.
