ESPN’s Home Run Derby Telecast to Include Baseball Tonight Commentators
ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly to Contribute; Tributes to Yankee Stadium Continue
ESPN and ESPN2’s extensive Major League Baseball All-Star coverage from Yankee Stadium – in the final season of the monumental ballpark – will be highlighted by ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN360.com and ESPN International’s live presentation of the 2008 State Farm Home Run Derby Monday, July 14, at 8 p.m. ET. Scheduled participants include current American League home run leader Grady Sizemore (Cleveland) and National League leader Chase Utley (Philadelphia), along with Houston’s Lance Berkman, Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, Texas’ Josh Hamilton and Florida’s Dan Uggla. This is ESPN’s 11th consecutive year of live Derby coverage and 16th straight year overall. The Derby is traditionally one of ESPN’s highest-rated summer programs.
Chris Berman will host the Derby (also available in high definition on ESPN HD), joined on the field by Hall of Famer Joe Morgan and analyst Steve Phillips. Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech will also provide commentary with analysts Peter Gammons and John Kruk and ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly. Erin Andrews will report and provide interviews on the field. ESPN will utilize 20 cameras to capture the excitement of the Derby, including the use of “Ultra Mo,” a replay device recapping action at 1,000 frames per second. A special edition of Baseball Tonight will be televised at 7 p.m.
ESPN Radio’s Dan Shulman and Dave Campbell will describe the Home Run Derby, with on-field reports from Peter Pascarelli. For the second consecutive year, ESPN360.com will provide a live simulcast of the event.
Ernesto Jerez will call the Derby for ESPN Deportes with analyst Candy Maldonado and on-field reporters Guillermo Celis and Carolina Guillén. ESPN Deportes’ Beisbol Esta Noche, hosted by Luis Alfredo Alvarez with analyst Carlos Baerga, will preview the event at 7:30 p.m.
Additional ESPN and ESPN2 All-Star Programming
Immediately following the Home Run Derby on Monday, July 14, ESPN and ESPN HD will present the 2008 Taco Bell Legends and Celebrity Softball Game. Celebrities scheduled to participate include Chris Rock, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Spike Lee, Andy Roddick, George Lopez and James Denton; legends include Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Wade Boggs, George Brett, Goose Gossage, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield and more, along with Yankees legends Tino Martinez and Paul O’Neill. Kenny Mayne (miked during the game) will participate as a player/manager, with Gary Thorne (play-by-play), analyst Rick Sutcliffe and reporter Erin Andrews. Also, fans will have an opportunity to see the game live via ESPN360.com on Sunday, July 13, at 4 p.m.
The networks’ All-Star coverage will begin with the 2008 XM All-Star Futures Game Sunday, July 13, at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Gary Thorne will call the game with analysts Steve Phillips and Peter Gammons and reporter Erin Andrews. ESPN Deportes will also televise the Futures Game live, with Ernesto Jerez (play-by-play), analyst Candy Maldonado and reporter Carolina Guillén.
79th MLB All-Star Game on ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio
ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio will broadcast the 79th All-Star Game Tuesday, July 15, at 8 p.m. ESPN Radio’s Dan Shulman will call the game with analyst Dave Campbell, with Peter Pascarelli and John Rooney – the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals – providing reports and interviews from each league’s respective dugout. Joe D’Ambrosio will host pre- and post-game shows. Shulman and Campbell have worked the All-Star Game and Derby for eight consecutive seasons.
ESPN Deportes Radio will feature a Hall of Fame broadcast booth with Jaime Jarrin (long-time Spanish-language radio voice of the L.A. Dodgers and Hall of Fame broadcaster) and Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal. Eduardo Ortega, the Spanish-language voice of the San Diego Padres, will serve as on-field reporter.
Tributes to Yankee Stadium
ESPN will continue to televise daily “Remembering the House That Ruth Built” vignettes leading up to the 2008 MLB All-Star Game.
Click here for more information on the initiative.
Click here for a video preview of the vignettes.
Additionally, ESPN will televise a series of SportsCenter Specials (segments airing within 6 p.m. shows) including:
* Monday, July 14 – Yankee Stadium “Memories” focusing on 10 events which took place at Yankee Stadium including the impact of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig’s speech, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” and more.
* Tuesday, July 15 – Yankee Stadium “Behind the Scenes Tour” given by Tony Morante, director of Yankee Stadium tours.
* Wednesday, July 16 – Yankee Stadium “Constant and Changing,” an essay written by reporter Tom Rinaldi. The essay addresses the aesthetic changes to Yankee Stadium through the years with the balance of continuous tradition.
Also, ESPN will televise Yankee Stadium’s Cathedral: Presented by Chevy, a one-hour special produced by MLB Productions honoring the historic landmark, Wednesday, July 16, at 9 p.m. (following a re-air of the 2008 State Farm Home Run Derby at 7 p.m.).
SportsCenter All-Star Coverage
The 6 p.m. SportsCenter on Monday and Tuesday will present live batting practice reports and previews from the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, respectively, while the late-night SportsCenters will provide live post-Derby and post-game analysis and interviews. Chris Berman will anchor the post All-Star game SportsCenter, with Karl Ravech anchoring all other SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight coverage from Yankee Stadium. Analysts will include Peter Gammons, John Kruk, Steve Phillips and Eric Young, along with reporters Tim Kurkjian and Bob Holtzman.
ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS will provide live coverage of Monday’s All-Star Game press conference (11 a.m.) and Home Run Derby press conference (1:15 p.m.), along with the post-Derby press conference. On Tuesday, ESPNEWS will cover the pre- and post-game press conferences.
ESPN Radio All-Star Coverage
In addition to the Derby and All-Star Game, ESPN Radio will provide All-Star coverage within daily programming (Monday and Tuesday) including:
* 6-10 a.m. – Mike & Mike in the Morning: Mike Greenberg and Golic will broadcast from historic Grand Central Terminal (Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse N.Y.C., on the Upper Concourse, inside the Vanderbilt Street entrance).
* 1-3 p.m. – The Tirico & Van Pelt Show: Scott Van Pelt and Michael Kay, Yankees TV play-by-play commentator subbing for Mike Tirico, will broadcast from Mickey Mantle’s Restaurant (Kay from Yankee Stadium Tuesday).
* 3-4 p.m. – The Scott Van Pelt Show: Van Pelt will host from Mickey Mantle’s.
* 4-6:30 p.m. – SportsNation All-Star Special: Orestes Destrade, a former Major Leaguer who played with the Yankees in 1987, will broadcast from the ESPN Zone in New York with co-host John Seibel from the Bristol, Conn., studio.
ESPN International
ESPN International will offer live coverage of the All-Star Game and Futures Game on its networks serving Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and New Zealand. Coverage of the Home Run Derby will also be made available in these regions, plus Australia. NASN, the only European network dedicated to North American sports, will broadcast the All-Star Game to 43 countries throughout Europe.
ESPN.com, ESPNDeportes.com, ESPN The Magazine and ESPNthemag.com will also provide All-Star coverage.
ESPN to Televise Red Sox/Angels and Brewers/Cardinals
ESPN’s second half of the MLB season will begin with the Boston Red Sox visiting the first-place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday Night Baseball (July 20) at 6 p.m. Jon Miller calls Sunday night games with analyst Joe Morgan and reporter Peter Gammons. Monday Night Baseball (July 21) will feature the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Milwaukee Brewers at 7 p.m. Dan Shulman will call the game (which will co-exist with local coverage in the St. Louis market) with analysts Orel Hershiser and Steve Phillips.
