Yankees/Cubs highlights FOX MLB Saturday

From Fox Sports -

Yankees/Cubs Anchors MLB on FOX’s Interleague Showdown Saturday at 4PM ET

Waltrip Elected to NASCAR Hall of Fame Class 2012

Rosenthal on Realignment: “It Would Be Fairer”

FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GOW GOES INTERLEAGUE – It’s interleague play this weekend as FOX Sports presents two exciting matchups on Saturday, June 18 (4:00 PM ET). For the first time since 2003, the Yankees visit Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs. The big news in New York is the calf injury that has sidelined Captain Derek Jeter; putting his pursuit of 3,000 hits on hold. However, the hot bat of Curtis Granderson has carried the Yankees offense recently while the Cubs’ Ryan Dempster has his work cut out for him as he faces Granderson and a lineup that boasts Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. The AL West-leading Rangers visit the Peach State to take on the Braves. Entering Spring Training there were questions about how much time Michael Young had left in Texas. Now halfway through June, those questions seem silly as the Rangers DH has led the Rangers offensively. Young and the Rangers aim to topple groundball pitching machine Derek Lowe. The MLB on FOX pregame originates live from the Wrigley Field in Chicago, with host Chris Rose. Once game action begins, Rose joins Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal as a field reporter.

For instant updates throughout the week and during games from the entire MLB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX. Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.myspace.com/foxsports.

New York Yankees at Chicago Cubs (74% of nation)
Joe Buck, Tim McCarver & Ken Rosenthal
Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Hartford, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach
Probable Pitchers: TBA vs. Ryan Dempster, RHP (5-5, 5.48 ERA)

Texas Rangers at Atlanta Braves (23% of nation)
Kenny Albert & Eric Karros
Turner Field – Atlanta, GA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Charlotte, Dallas, Greensboro, Greenville, Houston, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Raleigh, San Antonio, Tulsa
Probable Pitchers: Matt Harrision, LHP (5-6, 3.31 ERA) vs. Derek Lowe, RHP (3-5, 4.02 ERA)

ROSENTHAL & MOROSI WEIGH-IN ON PROPOSED REALIGNMENT -- As rumors began swirling around this week that Major League Baseball is working on a realignment of its teams, FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi offered their thoughts and stories on the subject. The reports suggest that instead of 16 National League teams and 14 American League teams, MLB would have an equal number of teams in each league: 15 NL and 15 AL.

KEN ROSENTHAL: Competition would be fairer.

“I'm in favor of two 15-team leagues for the simple reason that it would make the competition fairer. The same number of teams would compete in each division for the division title. The same number of teams would compete in each league for the wild card. The distribution of inter-league opponents also would be more equitable. This season in the NL Central, the Brewers must play the Yankees and Red Sox, the two super-powers of the AL East. The Cardinals will play neither of those clubs, while the Reds will play only the Yankees. How is that right?”

For a complete story from Rosenthal click here: http://tinyurl.com/3k8tdxl

JON PAUL MOROSI: Astros to AL West is the only move that makes sense.

“If MLB is interested in creating the most equitable route to the postseason for all 30 franchises, then the Astros must join the AL West under the new collective bargaining agreement. Let’s not make this too complicated: The origin of the current imbalance is that the NL Central has six teams and the AL West has four. So, MLB should move one team from the NL Central into the AL West. That team is Houston. Any other scenario involves multiple clubs switching divisions, and there’s no reason to do that.”

For a complete story from Morosi click here: http://tinyurl.com/5wc8pcx

FANS TO CHOOSE ALL TIME GREATEST MLB ALL-STAR GAME MOMENT - Fans now have the chance to vote for their favorite moment in the history of the All-Star Game in a new bracket tournament called Midsummer Classics. A total of 16 (eight American League and eight National League) All-Star moments are available to choose from with each captured in a short video available by logging onto MLB.com/moments. The bracket matchups pit such stellar moments as the first ever All-Star Game home run, hit by Babe Ruth vs. Cal Ripken Jr.’s homerun in his final All-Star Game. Each week during coverage of FOX’s SATURDAY GAME OF THE WEEK, winners of the previous round are announced and fans can vote for the next round’s matchup. One AL and one NL moment face-off in the final week leading into the Midsummer Classic with the top moment revealed during the 82nd MLB All-Star Game, broadcast exclusively on FOX on Tuesday, July 12 (8:00 PM ET).

The voting periods will be as follows:


Round One (16 Midsummer Classics): Saturday, June 11 – Saturday, June 18 (Noon ET)


Round Two (8 Midsummer Classics): Saturday, June 18 – Saturday, June 25 (Noon ET)


Round Three (4 Midsummer Classics): Saturday, June 25 – Saturday, July 2 (Noon ET)


Round Four (2 Midsummer Classics): Saturday, July 2 – Saturday, July 9 (Noon ET)

DW NAMED TO 2012 NASCAR HOF CLASS – NASCAR on FOX and SPEED analyst Darrell Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR champion, can now add another title to his name: NASCAR Hall of Famer. Yesterday, it was revealed by NASCAR at Charlotte’s Convention Center that Waltrip has been elected to the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame’s third class. The HOF nomination tops DW’s already long list of honors including the Most Popular Driver Award, the Bill France Award of Excellence, and elections into both the National and International Motorsports HOF. The racing legend retired in 2000 with 84 career wins (tied for third all-time), three Winston Cup victories (1981-82, 1985), and, perhaps most memorable, a win at the 1989 Daytona 500, his sole career victory at the Great American Race. “This is the greatest honor a driver can receive,” said Waltrip of his NASCAR Hall of Fame nomination from yesterday’s ceremony. “It means you must have been pretty good at what you do. I am humbled and excited that my name, Darrell Waltrip, now sits among the sports best and brightest.”

‘SOCCER NIGHT IN AMERICA’ VISITS KANSAS CITY’S NEW PARK FRIDAY – FOX Soccer’s “Soccer Night In America” makes its first visit to the brand new, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Friday, June 17 (8:00 PM ET) as Sporting Kansas City welcomes a hot San Jose Earthquakes squad. Sporting KC (an Eastern Conference-low 10 points) opened its new stadium with a 0-0 tie against the Chicago Fire on June 9, and then redeemed itself with a convincing 4-1 win at FC Dallas on June 12. San Jose brings a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2) into LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, a streak extended by Saturday’s 4-2 victory against D.C. United. The four goals – three coming from forward Steven Lenhart -- vaulted the Earthquakes’ scorching attack into the MLS lead for most goals per game at 1.54. FOX Soccer’s J.P. Dellacamera calls play-by-play, with former MLS standout Kyle Martino handling analysis and Brian Dunseth contributing sideline reports. Former U.S. National Team and MLS players Eric Wynalda and Christopher Sullivan team up for the pregame, halftime and postgame coverage. For the latest MLS news, information and FOX Soccer’s 2011 telecast schedule, visit: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/mls.

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Hits BUDds CREEK, MARYLAND - FUEL TV airs the fourth stop of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championships, the Motor Tees Budds Creek National, live from Budds Creek, MD on Saturday, June 18 (1:00 PM ET). 2009 Overall Winner Chad Reed has taken the lead in overall points and is riding strong, but 2011 Supercross Winner Ryan Villopoto has closed the gap with a win last week and is threatening to take over the series points lead.

Cubs/Cardinals on TBS Sunday

From TBS Sports -

Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals Renew Rivalry on “Sunday MLB on TBS”

“Sunday MLB on TBS” continues on June 5 when Carlos Pena and the Chicago Cubs visit division rivals Albert Pujols and St. Louis Cardinals at 2 p.m. (ET). Carlos Zambrano is scheduled to start for the Cubs against the Cardinals’ probable starter Chris Carpenter. Play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton will be joined by analyst John Smoltz in the broadcast booth.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” includes match-ups on TBS every Sunday afternoon throughout the regular season. The network also will exclusively televise the MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday, July 3. Additionally, beginning in October TBS will once again provide exclusive coverage of the four Division Series and the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

TBS has served as the exclusive home of Major League Baseball’s Division Series (DS) and one League Championship Series (LCS) since 2007, has broadcasted MLB games for more than 30 years and was home of the Atlanta Braves from 1977-2007.

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS SCHEDULE:
Sun., June 5
2 p.m. (ET) Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and John Smoltz (analyst)

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Sun., June 12
1 p.m. (ET) Cleveland Indians @ New York Yankees
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst) and David Wells (analyst)

Sun., June 19
1:30 p.m. (ET) Milwaukee Brewers @ Boston Red Sox
Announcers: Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst) and John Smoltz (analyst)

Sneak peek: Red Sox/Cubs Throwbacks

From the Boston Globe, we get a sneak peek at Saturday's 1918 throwback uniforms that the Red Sox and Cubs will wear.  Red Sox manager Terry Francona's comment to the Globe's Peter Abraham on the uni's - "Not Good."

Picture courtesy of the Boston Globe.


Click here for more from the Globe ont he uniforms.

Red Sox/Cubs on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball

From ESPN -

Red Sox to Host Cubs in Sunday Night Baseball Showdown


The Boston Red Sox will host the Chicago Cubs on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball on May 22, culminating a three-game series that marks the Cubs’ first trip to Fenway Park since the 1918 World Series. The action will begin at 8 p.m. with Dan Shulman providing commentary with analysts Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine and reporters Buster Olney and Wendi Nix.  Coverage will begin at 7 p.m. with Baseball Tonight – hosted by Karl Ravech with analyst Barry Larkin and Sunday Night’s Valentine and Hershiser – from Yawkey Way just outside Fenway Park. ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell, part of the AL/NL Showdown presented by State Farm, is also available on ESPN Radio (with Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton), ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV.

Sunday Night Baseball Viewership Up 15 Percent


ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, presented by Taco Bell, is averaging 2,886,000 viewers through seven telecasts, an increase of 15 percent compared to 2,508,000 viewers for the same number of Sunday Night telecasts last season, according to Nielsen.  The corresponding 2,122,000 household impressions are up 12 percent compared to 1,901,000 last year and the 2.1 rating is an 11 percent improvement over a 1.9 rating to date in 2010.  Sunday Night Baseball has also experienced significant increases across all core male demos, up 32 percent among men 18-34, 24 percent among men 18-49 and 17 percent among men 25-54.  
Overall, ESPN’s 22 MLB telecasts this season are up seven percent among viewers (1,603,000 vs. 1,502,000), five percent in household impressions (1,233,000 vs. 1,178,000) and are even with last year’s 1.2 rating. Key male demos are all seeing double-digit increases, including a 23 percent improvement among men 18-34.  

Additionally, MLB content on the ESPN Mobile Web is up 29 percent in average minutes spent, 24 percent in visits, 22 percent in daily unique visitors and 14 percent in page views since the start of the season, compared to the same period in 2010.  ESPN.com’s MLB section has seen an increase of 14 percent in average minutes spent, 11 percent in visits, nine percent in daily unique visitors and eight percent in page views.