I have some baseball-centric press releases here. Let’s get to them.
First, MLB is really happy about the World Series ratings.
2009 WORLD SERIES ATTRACTING BIG AUDIENCES
Game Two of the 2009 World Series on FOX registered 18.9 million viewers, a 48% increase over last year’s Game Two viewership, and was the most watched Game Two since 2004.
Philadelphia viewership continues to increase versus last year’s Phillies championship run. Forty-two percent (42%) of all households in Philadelphia last night were tuned into Game Two of the World Series, a remarkable 38% gain over last year’s Game Two.
Game Two of the World Series was the most watched Game Two in New York since the Subway Series in 2000.
Fans in the New England area watched in big numbers to see former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez duel against the Yankees. Boston ratings increased 15% and Providence ratings increased 24% over Game One.
MLB says it will air an anti-cancer spot tonight during Game 3 of the World Series. Anything to raise awareness on cancer, I’m definitely in favor.
GROUNDBREAKING LIVE “STANDING UP TO CANCER: PRICELESS” MASTERCARD SPOT TO AIR DURING GAME THREE OF THE WORLD SERIES
MLB, MasterCard Worldwide and Stand Up To Cancer Join Forces
for Historic Live In-Stadium and Televised Event
Actors Terrence Howard and Minka Kelly to Encourage Fans to “Stand Up” To Cancer From Inside Citizens Bank Park in Spot Produced by Filmmaker & SU2C Co-Founder Laura Ziskin
Major League Baseball, MasterCard Worldwide and Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) have joined together for an historic live event to occur during Game Three of the 2009 World Series on Saturday, October 31, incorporating the live crowd inside Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia into a “Priceless” public awareness spot produced by Stand Up To Cancer Founding Member Laura Ziskin. The spot will air between the start of the second and end of the third innings and will be broadcast live on FOX as well as inside the stadium. Near the conclusion of the 30-second spot – which celebrates the powerful emotions baseball creates – the action will turn live to the ballpark, where actors Terrence Howard and Minka Kelly will encourage the rest of the crowd and the viewing audience to “stand up” to cancer.
Major League Baseball earlier this week announced that Game Three will highlight Stand Up To Cancer as part of its overall dedication of the 2009 World Series to community service, with each of the first four games devoted to a specific charitable initiative. In support of this effort, MasterCard expanded its charitable relationship with SU2C, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that raises funds for innovative research conducted primarily by teams of scientists, aimed at accelerating the development of new cancer treatments in order to save lives now. In addition to integrating the Stand Up To Cancer message into the “Priceless” spot and donating the time for it to air during the broadcast of Game Three on FOX, MasterCard will contribute $1 million to SU2C the first time a home run hits one of the two “Hit It Here” signs in the outfield during the game. MasterCard is also donating $1,000 for every home run hit throughout the entire 2009 Postseason. Through Game Two of the World Series, 50 home runs have been hit, resulting in a $50,000 donation thus far.
“Major League Baseball has been a proud supporter of Stand Up To Cancer from its very beginning, driving home its key message with our fans: that each and every person can play a role in helping the scientists who are working so hard to end this disease,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “We’re thankful to MasterCard for joining us in ‘going beyond’ to support this worthy cause, and encourage everyone to stand up with us and help eradicate cancer.”
“T
he 2009 MLB postseason has proven to be an extraordinary stage for MasterCard to stand up and support a cause that connects our employees, customers, cardholders and baseball fans across America”, said Larry Flanagan, Chief Marketing Officer for MasterCard Worldwide. “We’re honored to share the power of “Priceless” with the passionate and innovative approach that SU2C brings to fighting this disease. And, we’re expecting the Yankees and Phillies sluggers to compete for being the first one to land a home run on MasterCard’s “Hit It Here” sign for the $1 million donation to SU2C.”Created by award-winning motion picture and television producer Laura Ziskin, the spot will mark the first-ever installment of the famed MasterCard “Priceless” platform to be dedicated to a non-profit. Ziskin’s film credits include the Spider-Man trilogy, As Good As It Gets and Pretty Woman, and she produced the 74th and 79th Academy Awards. A member of the Stand Up To Cancer leadership team, Ziskin also executive produced its 2008 televised fundraising special. One of every three American women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes and in 2004, Ziskin learned that she, herself, had breast cancer.
“Collaboration is central to Stand Up To Cancer,” Ziskin noted, “…whether its within the teams of scientists whose work we fund, in the extraordinary partnerships we have among the people and companies that make up the entertainment community, or in our remarkable relationships with MLB and other generous donors. We’re utilizing all these resources to build a movement of people excited about helping researchers who are on the cusp of major breakthroughs, but need additional funding.”
“The World Series is a major cultural touchstone,” Ziskin continued. “To be able to heighten awareness about the importance of supporting cutting-edge cancer research during it through one of the world’s largest, most recognizable, and award-winning advertising campaigns is, in a word, priceless. We are enormously grateful to both MLB and MasterCard.”
In less than one year from its May 2008 launch, Stand Up To Cancer raised more than $100 million — including a lead $10 million donation from Major League Baseball – due in part to an historic hour-long program simultaneously broadcast on three major television networks on September 5, 2008. On its one-year anniversary in May 2009, SU2C announced $73.6 million in three-year grants to its first five Dream Team collaborations, comprised of more than 200 researchers from over 20 leading institutions.
Stand Up To Cancer’s next round of funding, “high risk/potentially high reward” Innovative Research Grants for individual investigators (often not funded by conventional sources) will be announced soon. Philadelphia-based American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is Stand Up To Cancer’s partner, and is responsible for administering the grants, including distributing the funds to the institutions selected, developing methods of reporting and – in conjunction with the SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and David H. Koch Institute at MIT — providing scientific oversight.
And MLB Network will air Arizona Fall League games starting in November. Nice to see Fang’s Bites MLB TV Award-winner Victor Rojas calling games.
MLB NETWORK, MLB.COM TO AIR ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE GAMES LIVE ON NOVEMBER 7 & 21
Victor Rojas, Tony Clark & Daron Sutton to Call Games Featuring Major League Baseball’s Elite Prospects
Secaucus, N.J., October 30, 2009 – MLB Network today announced it will air two Arizona Fall League games in November, including the fourth annual Rising Stars Game and the Championship game. MLB Network’s Tony Clark and Arizona Diamondbacks announcer Daron Sutton will be in the broadcast booth for the Rising Stars Game on Saturday, November 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET live from Surprise Stadium. Clark, who played for the league’s Tempe Rafters in 1994, and MLB Network host Victor Rojas will call the 18th annual AFL Championship game on Saturday, November 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET live from Scottsdale Stadium. MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, will co-produce and provide free live and on-demand video streams of the two games.
The Rising Stars Game is a showcase pitting elite prospects from each Major League Baseball organization in an East Division vs. West Division format. The East Division squad will feature prospects from the Angels, Athletics, Blue Jays, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Giants, Marlins, Nationals, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Rays, Red Sox, Rockies and Twins. The West Division will field players from the Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers, Indians, Mariners, Mets, Padres, Rangers, Reds, Royals, Tigers, White Sox, and Yankees. The Arizona Fall League annually pits its two division winne
rs in a championship game. The Phoenix Desert Dogs have won championship rings each of the past years.Several Major League Baseball standouts appeared in the first three Rising Stars Games, including Gordon Beckham (White Sox), Ryan Braun (Brewers), Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox), Yunel Escobar (Braves), Tommy Hanson (Braves), Phil Hughes (Yankees), Kevin Kouzmanoff (Padres), Jed Lowrie (Red Sox), Daniel Murphy (Mets), Hunter Pence (Astros) and Matt Weiters (Orioles).
The Arizona Fall League, known throughout professional baseball as a “finishing school” for Major League Baseball’s elite prospects, is a six-team league owned and operated by Major League Baseball that plays six days per week in five Cactus League stadiums (Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise) in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The AFL began its 18th season on October 13, 2009.
Ok, I’ll do a few more releases for this weekend and provide links later.
