MLB Home Plate and Mad Dog Radio channels to broadcast live from 30 MLB Spring Training sites in Arizona and Florida from March 5 – 26 SIRIUS XM’s Cal Ripken Jr., Jim Bowden, Rob Dibble, Jim Duquette, Kevin Kennedy and Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo will interview players, managers and team execs

SIRIUS XM Radio will embark on its 2010 Spring Training Tour on Friday, March 5, taking listeners to 30 Major League Baseball Spring Training sites in three weeks. MLB Home Plate, SIRIUS XM’s 24-hour baseball talk channel, and Mad Dog Radio, SIRIUS XM’s all-sports talk channel, will broadcast live from ballparks in Arizona and Florida, offering baseball fans an in-depth look at every Major League club and one-on-one interviews with managers, players and team executives.

On MLB Home Plate (XM channel 175, SIRIUS channel 210 with the “Best of XM”), Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., former Reds and Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, former Rangers and Red Sox manager Kevin Kennedy, and host Casey Stern will cover Arizona’s Cactus League, hosting Inside Pitch (1:00-4:00 pm ET/10:00am-1:00pm PT) from 10 ballparks in and around the Phoenix area from March 5-14. In Florida to cover the Grapefruit League, from March 15-24, will be MLB Home Plate hosts Jim Duquette, the former GM of the Orioles and Mets, former All-Star pitcher Rob Dibble, and host Jody McDonald, who will host Power Alley (10:00am-1:00pm ET/7:00-10:00am PT) from 10 Spring Training sites.

On Mad Dog Radio (SIRIUS channel 123, XM channel 144), Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo will host his daily all-sports talk show, Mad Dog Unleashed, from five Florida Spring Training locations from March 8-12. From March 22-26, Russo will host the show from five different Arizona sites. Mad Dog Unleashed airs every weekday (2:00-7:00 pm ET).

2010 SIRIUS XM Radio Spring Training Tour Schedule: (All times ET)

Friday, Mar. 5
– Dodgers @ White Sox – The Ballpark at Camelback Ranch, Glendale, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Cal Ripken Jr.

Saturday, Mar. 6
– Royals @ Rangers – Surprise Stadium, Surprise, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Kevin Kennedy

Sunday, Mar. 7
– Padres @ Mariners – Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Kevin Kennedy

Monday, Mar. 8
– Indians @ Diamondbacks – Tucson Electric Park, Tucson, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Kevin Kennedy
– Cardinals @ Red Sox – City of Palms Park, Fort Myers, FL 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Tuesday, Mar. 9
– Rockies @ Dodgers – The Ballpark at Camelback Ranch, Glendale, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Kevin Kennedy
– Pirates @ Yankees – Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Wednesday, Mar. 10
– Giants @ Cubs – HoHoKam Park, Mesa, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Jim Bowden
– Mets @ Braves – Champion Stadium, Kissimmee, FL 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Thursday, Mar. 11
– Athletics @ Brewers – Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Jim Bowden
– Orioles @ Twins – Lee County Sports Complex – Hammond Stadium, Ft. Myers, FL 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Friday, Mar. 12
– Reds @ Dodgers – The Ballpark at Camelback Ranch, Glendale, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Jim Bowden
– Phillies @ Rays – Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte, FL 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Saturday, Mar. 13
– Rangers @ Indians – Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Jim Bowden

Sunday, Mar. 14
– Cubs @ Angels – Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe, AZ 1-4pm ET: Inside Pitch with Casey Stern & Jim Bowden

Monday, Mar. 15
– Orioles @ Red Sox – City of Palms Park, Fort Myers, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jody McDonald & Jim Duquette

Tuesday, Mar. 16
– Tigers @ Phillies – Bright House Field, Clearwater, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jody McDonald & Jim Duquette

Wednesday, Mar. 17
– Twins @ Rays – Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jody McDonald & Jim Duquette

Thursday, Mar. 18
– Pirates @ Twins – Lee County Sports Complex – Hammond Stadium, Ft. Myers, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jody McDonald & Jim Duquette

Friday, Mar. 19
– Blue Jays @ Astros – Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jody McDonald & Jim Duquette

Saturday, Mar. 20
– Mets @ Cardinals – Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jim Duquette

Sunday, Mar. 21
– Tigers @ Yankees – Tampa, FL 1-4pm ET: Power Alley with Jim Duquette

Monday, Mar. 22
– Mets @ Nationals – Space Coast Stadium, Viera, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jim Duquette & Rob Dibble
– Angels @ Dodgers – The Ballpark at Camelback Ranch, Glendale, AZ 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Tuesday, Mar. 23
– Orioles @ Marlins – Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jim Duquette & Rob Dibble
– Padres @ Rockies – Hi Corbett Field, Tucson, AZ 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Wednesday, Mar. 24
– Phillies @ Braves – Champion Stadium, Kissimmee, FL 10am-1pm ET: Power Alley with Jim Duquette & Cal Ripken Jr.
– Giants @ Reds – Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, AZ 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Thursday, Mar. 25
– Mariners @ Indians – Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, AZ 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

Friday, Mar. 26
– Athletics @ Cubs – HoHoKam Park, Mesa, AZ 2-7 pm ET: Mad Dog Unleashed with Chris Russo

MLB Home Plate is available to listeners nationwide on XM channel 175 and SIRIUS channel 210 with the “Best of XM.” Visit www.xmradio.com/mlb for programming info.

Mad Dog Radio airs nationwide on SIRIUS channel 123 and XM channel 144. Visit www.sirius.com/maddogradio for programming info.

Baseball fans with visual impairments will benefit from the implementation of functional improvements to MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and all 30 individual Club sites as a result of a joint collaboration between MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the American Council of the Blind, Bay State Council of the Blind and California Council of the Blind. All three organizations applaud this fan initiative taken by MLBAM.

“MLBAM has undertaken groundbreaking work to make its web sites accessible and has assumed a strong leadership position among sports, media and entertainment properties in doing so,” said Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind. “We certainly urge similar sites to make this level of commitment in following MLBAM’s lead.”

As part of its initiative, MLB.com launched an accessible media center for its MLB.com Gameday Audio(TM) subscribers, offering features such as volume control, ability to choose the home or away feed and access to archived games. Additionally, MLB.com has ensured that fans with visual impairments can continue to participate in the annual online voting programs associated with the All-Star Game and will be providing an accessibility page on its site detailing information on accessibility, usability tips and customer service resources. As it continues to deliver technological innovations for following baseball games, MLB.com will make additional accessibility enhancements available to fans with visual impairments.

Brian Charlson, a Boston baseball fan and Director of Computer Training Services at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts, described how MLB.com’s accessibility efforts have improved his enjoyment of the game: “As a member of the blind community, the kind of changes MLB.com was willing to make on its web sites keeps me coming back for more. It shows how much can be done when people with disabilities find willing partners. For example, with the changes in Gameday Audio, I find myself enjoying switching back and forth between the home and away broadcasters the same way my sighted friends do. And knowing my votes were counted in this year’s All-Star balloting made listening to the game much more meaningful. I’m excited about what MLB.com has done and about its commitment to further improvements.”

MLB.com utilized guidelines issued by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The web content accessibility guidelines are of particular benefit to blind baseball fans who use a screen reader, through which information on a page is read aloud, or magnification technology on their computers and who rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse.

Source: MLB.com

Live baseball available on several platforms including Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod touch

MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, announced that the eighth season of MLB.TV, one of the largest subscription video offerings on the Internet, is now available at http://www.mlb.tv/ with portability for the upcoming 2010 season.

In addition to the PC-based accessibility more than two million subscribers have enjoyed over the past seven seasons, fans for the first time will be able to take a complete season of 2,430 games on MLB.TV wherever they go through a variety of interactive media platforms, including the newly unveiled Apple iPad and the MLB.com At Bat 2010 app for iPhone and iPod touch mobile devices. Additional platform offerings for live streaming are expected to be announced and available to subscribers for Opening Day.

The 2010 MLB.TV media player will deliver a fleet of enhancements in a convenient, cutting-edge Adobe Flash format, offering an unparalleled live viewing experience for every out-of-market regular season game.

In addition to portability, some of the features available in 2010 MLB.TV include:

HD Quality Picture – MLB.com’s proprietary speed detection allows high-speed users to receive live high definition video at the industry standard of 720p on any size monitor.

Home and Away Feeds - Watch or listen to either the home or away teams’ broadcasts.

Live Game DVR Functionality – Pause and rewind or fast-forward live games.

Clickable Linescores – Go directly to any half-inning to watch only that portion of the game.

Multi-Game Viewing Options - Watch up to four games simultaneously.

Picture-in-Picture – Choose one game and track another or watch in-game highlights simultaneously in a secondary window.

Live Game Highlights - Real-time highlights and player stats automatically load into the media player. With one click, the clip instantly launches in a picture-in-picture window.

Player Tracker - Customize alerts to feature entire fantasy rosters or just a list of favorite players. Subscribers will be notified any time a listed player is on deck. Click the real-time alert to watch live at-bat look-ins.

Spring Training – Watch more than 150 live games from Florida and Arizona as teams prepare for the 2010 season.

Source: MLB.com

MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, announced the results of online voting in its eighth annual This Year in Baseball Awards during a live hour-long video webcast from its New York City studios. The voting saw a record 12 million votes cast as the top players and moments from the 2009 season were chosen from 14 different categories, as well as a new honor, none of which were restricted to individual League affiliation.

“These year-end awards are a privilege to present and have grown in importance, both in terms of fan participation and in how they are received by the winners,” said Dinn Mann, Executive Vice President, Content, and Editor-in-Chief, MLB.com. “We are grateful for every vote, and more, for the platform to celebrate greatness in baseball and to continue to identify ways to expand this significant, deserved recognition.”

A complete list of 2009 winners is below:
Hitter of the Year: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (.365, 28 HR, 96 RBIs)
Starting Pitcher of the Year: Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals (16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 Ks)
Closer of the Year: Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees (44 SV, 1.76 ERA)
Setup Man of the Year: Jeremy Affeldt, San Francisco Giants (74 G, 1.73 ERA)
Rookie of the Year: J.A. Happ, Philadelphia Phillies (12-4, 2.93 ERA)
Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies (92-70, NL Wild Card)
Executive of the Year: Ruben Amaro Jr., Philadelphia Phillies (93-69, NL East champs)
Defensive Player of the Year: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox (.994 FPCT)
Unsung Star of the Year: Jayson Werth, Philadelphia Phillies (36 HR, 99 RBIs, 20 SB)
Performance of the Year: Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox (Perfect game, 7/23)
Play of the Year: Dewayne Wise, Chicago White Sox (Catch preserved perfect game, 7/23)
Moment of the Year: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (Passed Gehrig for NYY hits, 9/11)
Postseason Moment of the Year: Johnny Damon, New York Yankees (WS Game 4)
Oddity of the Year: Phillies fanatic (Dad’s catch thrown back by daughter, 9/15)

A special, first-ever X-Factor of the Year was awarded to former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre through a media-only vote by MLB.com editors, reporters and multimedia personnel. In 2010, this category will be added to the overall voting process. The 2010 This Year in Baseball Awards will include additional exciting enhancements to be unveiled at a later date.

Awards will be presented individually to this year’s winners in on-field pre-game ceremonies during the 2010 regular season.

Source: MLB.com

with Pre- & Postgame Analysis by Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen

For the ninth consecutive year, Fox Sports en Espanol is offering live Spanish-language coverage of the MLB postseason. Tune-in to Fox Sports en Espanol for the 2009 World Series, where the defending World Champions Philadelphia Phillies, take on the American League champions, New York Yankees starting on Wednesday, October 28th at 7:30pm ET.

Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen joins Fox Sports en Espanol as a pregame and postgame analyst, providing exclusive Spanish language analysis and content, for the network’s coverage of the 2009 Fall Classic.

Guillen’s engaging personality, honesty and candor have made him a popular media figure both in Chicago and nationally. His previous MLB television experience was as an analyst for the Hispanic television broadcast of the 1992 MLB All-Star Game in San Diego.

A complete schedule of Fox Sports en Espanol’s MLB telecasts is available at www.foxsportsla.com.

Following his 16-year playing career that stretched from 1985 through 2000, Guillen served as a coach for the Montreal Expos (2001-2002) and third-base coach for the Florida Marlins in 2003, where he won his first World Series ring. He was named the 37th manager in Chicago White Sox history on November 3, 2003; and in 2005, guided the team to their first American League Pennant since 1959, and their first World Series title in 88 years with a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros. He is the first Latin-born manager in the history of the game to have won a World Series. Guillen is also the only manager in White Sox history to guide the team to more than one division/league title and was named the 2005 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Guillen managed the 2006 AL All-Star team to a 3-2 victory and has an overall career managerial record of 512-461.

World Series Programming
10/28 Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Gm 1 7:30pm ET
10/29 Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Gm 2 7:30pm ET
10/31 New York Yankees @ Philadelphia Phillies Gm 3 7:30pm ET
11/1 New York Yankees @ Philadelphia Phillies Gm 4 8:00pm ET
11/2 New York Yankees @ Philadelphia Phillies Gm 5* 7:30pm ET
11/4 Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Gm 6* 7:30pm ET
11/5 Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees Gm 7* 7:30pm ET

*Games 5-7 are only if necessary games.

Source: Fox Sports en Espanol

Awardee to be honored at January 27 luncheon

Ten Major League Baseball players have just learned they’re in the running for the 2009 Hutch Award®. A national committee has released a list of 10 players, one of whom will go on to receive the prestigious Hutch Award and visit Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in January. The finalists for the 45th annual Hutch Award are:

– Jonny Gomes, Cincinnati Reds
– Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves
– Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
– Mark Lowe, Seattle Mariners
– Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox
– Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles
– Kevin Millwood, Texas Rangers
– Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
– Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
– Mark Teahen, Kansas City Royals

This year’s Hutch Award recipient will be selected in November through a vote of all surviving former awardees. A total of 44 players have been honored since 1965, when Mickey Mantle accepted the inaugural award. Hall-of-Famers Sandy Koufax, Carl Yastrzemski, Al Kaline, Willie McCovey and Lou Brock all have received the Hutch Award, and in more recent years Jamie Moyer, Trevor Hoffman, Craig Biggio, Mark Loretta, Mike Sweeney and Jon Lester have joined their ranks.

The Hutch Award is given annually to the major league player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of renowned baseball player and manager Fred Hutchinson (“Hutch”). Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center — which was named in Hutch’s honor by his brother Dr. Bill Hutchinson, a surgeon, after Fred succumbed to cancer at age 45 — is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer and related diseases.

The award is presented each January in Seattle, Hutch’s hometown and the site of the renowned cancer center that bears his name. The Hutch Award will be presented at a fundraising luncheon honoring the awardee on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 at Safeco Field in Seattle.

For more information about the Hutch Award, including a full list of past recipients, or to learn more about the January luncheon, visit www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward.

Source: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Fans of Tigers, Phillies help first-time All-Stars earn St. Louis spots

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 Sprint 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 Sprint 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 Sprint 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 the 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 Sprint 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).

Source: MLB.com

Play-by-play of the 80th All-Star Game will air July 14 on XM channel 175 MLB Home Plate, Mad Dog Radio and SIRIUS XM Stars Too channels will broadcast live from St. Louis

SIRIUS XM Radio announced that it will offer baseball fans comprehensive coverage of 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Week, including the 80th All-Star Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 14 on XM channel 175.

XM will air the All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14 (8:00 pm ET), plus live coverage of the Home Run Derby (July 13 at 8:00 pm ET) and the exclusive radio broadcast of the XM All-Star Futures Game (July 12 at 2:00 pm ET), featuring the top minor league prospects from the U.S. and abroad. All three events will air live nationwide on XM channel 175.

Prior to the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, MLB Home Plate, SIRIUS XM’s 24-hour baseball talk channel, will broadcast live (6:00 – 8:00 pm ET) from the field at Busch Stadium. SIRIUS XM’s Seth Everett and Jim Duquette will host the pre-game coverage both days, which will include one-on-one interviews with the All Stars, managers and coaches as well as live updates on everything happening on the diamond. The MLB Home Plate channel is available to both XM and SIRIUS subscribers on XM channel 175 and SIRIUS channel 210 with the “Best of XM” programming package.

Additionally, three channels from across the SIRIUS XM platform will broadcast live from MLB All-Star FanFest at the America’s Center in downtown St. Louis on the days leading up to the All-Star Game.

From MLB Home Plate (XM channel 175 and SIRIUS channel 210 (“Best of XM”)):

Saturday, July 11 (11:00 am – 1:00 pm ET) – Hall of Famer Cal Ripken

Jr. and his brother and fellow major league veteran Billy Ripken will host their weekly show, Ripken Baseball, live from the SIRIUS XM broadcast booth at All-Star FanFest.

Saturday, July 11 (1:00 – 4:00 pm ET) – Former MLB general manager Jim
Duquette will host Talking Baseball live from the SIRIUS XM broadcast booth at All-Star FanFest.

Saturday, July 11 (4:00 – 7:00 pm ET) – Former major league pitcher
and longtime broadcaster Jim Kaat and SIRIUS XM’s Scott Graham will host a special edition of Baseball This Morning Xtra live from All-Star FanFest.

Sunday, July 12 (10:00 am – 2:00 pm ET), prior to the XM All-Star Futures Game,
SIRIUS XM’s Seth Everett and Jim Duquette will host a special edition of their MLB Home Plate show, Power Alley, live from All-Star Fanfest.

From Mad Dog Radio, SIRIUS XM’s all-sports talk channel (SIRIUS channel 123 and XM channel 144):

Monday, July 13 (2:00 – 7:00 pm ET) Gary Williams, Mad Dog Radio’s morning show host,
will host a special All-Star preview show live at FanFest. Williams will be joined live on set by Jim Kaat and Jim Duquette.

From SIRIUS XM Stars Too, SIRIUS XM’s talk radio channel for guys (SIRIUS channel 108 and XM channel 139):

Monday, July 13 (11:00 am – 2:00 pm ET) and Tuesday, July 14 (noon -3:00 pm ET), SIRIUS XM personalities Steve Covino and Rich Davis will host their daily talk show live from FanFest. Maxim Radio with Covino and Rich airs weekdays on SIRIUS XM Stars Too.

XM listeners can hear every game from all 30 Major League teams live on XM channels 175 to 189. A schedule of upcoming MLB games on XM can be found at www.xmradio.com/mlb.

In addition to live play-by-play coverage, SIRIUS XM offers baseball fans 24-hour coverage of the game on MLB Home Plate, the only radio channel dedicated to covering Major League Baseball seven days a week, 365 days a year. Available to both XM and SIRIUS subscribers (XM channel 175, SIRIUS channel 210 with the “Best of XM” programming package), MLB Home Plate offers the most comprehensive radio coverage of the Major Leagues with a daily lineup of talk shows hosted by baseball experts and insiders like Cal Ripken Jr., Bill Ripken, Rob Dibble, Jim Duquette, Kevin Kennedy, Buck Martinez and others.

Agreement to include ProVenueMobile(TM) ticketing and Primary Ticket Auctions

Tickets.com, a leading global provider of integrated ticketing solutions, announced that it has signed a multi-year contract extension with Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox. With the regular season underway, the seven-time World Series Champions head into 2009 with enhanced ticketing functionality for their fans and their organization. The renewal encompasses Tickets.com products including ProVenueMobile(TM), Tickets@Phone(R), Primary Ticket Auctions, and Automated Kiosks.

“We’re proud of our company’s long association with the Red Sox,” said Larry Witherspoon, chief executive officer, Tickets.com. “I’m pleased that we have the opportunity to serve the club with website mobilization and other upgrades this year. Our goal is to help the franchise score wins in brand differentiation, fanbase expansion, and customer service so that they can concentrate all their efforts on playing a successful season.”

The Red Sox will go live with ProVenueMobile this season, making them the third MLB franchise on the Tickets.com client roster to implement the product after the Oakland A’s and Milwaukee Brewers. ProVenueMobile enables full-circle, branded ticket transactions to be made 24/7 from any mobile phone model directly through the client’s mobilized website. To further maximize the potential of ProVenueMobile, the Boston Red Sox will simultaneously adopt the proprietary Tickets@Phone technology from Tickets.com into its suite of ticketing solutions. Tickets@Phone functionality allows customers to digitally receive unique bar-coded tickets on their mobile phone for a 100% mobile, secure, paperless–and green–ticket buying experience.

Other consumer friendly additions to the Boston Red Sox ticketing service agreement include enhanced functionality through Tickets.com technology via Automated Kiosks and Primary Ticket Auctions for select games. Both features increase the avenues through which patrons can acquire tickets. Automated Kiosks provide a convenient, easy way to get tickets without waiting in long box office lines; Auctions can serve as a fair means to acquire premium seats to key sold-out games. Other MLB teams employing Primary Auctions include the A’s, the Cubs, the Giants and the Tigers.

“Extending our relationship with Tickets.com gives me total confidence that we will be providing state-of-the-art functionality for our fans,” said Mike Dee, chief operating officer, Boston Red Sox. “With technology like ProVenueMobile, game attendees will have more options and ease of use than ever before.”

Source: Tickets.com

2009 season premieres with the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves on Opening Night

MLB Home Plate channel’s Scott Graham and Buck Martinez to host pre-game special live on Opening Night from Citizens Bank Park

SIRIUS XM Radio announced that XM Radio will air every game of the 2009 MLB season live nationwide starting with Opening Night, April 5, when the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies will host the Atlanta Braves at 8:00 pm ET at Citizens Bank Park. Listeners from coast to coast will hear the Phillies radio broadcast for the game, featuring legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas, Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen, on XM channel 175.

MLB Home Plate, SIRIUS XM’s 24-hour baseball talk channel, will broadcast live on Opening Night from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia prior to the Phillies-Braves game. Scott Graham and former Major League catcher and manager Buck Martinez will host a pre-game special from 5:00-8:00 pm, interviewing players and talking to fans around the country as a lead-in to that night’s game and the start of the 2009 season.

The following day, April 6, XM will carry all 13 games from MLB’s traditional Opening Day. Through the regular season and post-season, XM will air every game from all 30 Major League teams on XM channels 175 to 189. A schedule of upcoming MLB games on XM can be found at www.xmradio.com/mlb. Listeners can also get Spanish-language broadcasts of games on MLB En Espanol, XM channel 174.

On Monday, April 6, MLB Home Plate host and former Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox manager Kevin Kennedy will report live from Fenway Park in Boston before the Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays and from 1:00-4:00 pm ET, Seth Everett and former Mets GM Jim Duquette will host a special edition of their daily MLB Home Plate show, Power Alley, live from Camden Yards in Baltimore before the Orioles face the New York Yankees.

“Once again XM listeners will have access to every Major League Baseball game with no blackouts or exclusions,” said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS XM’s President and Chief Content Officer. “So no matter where they live, fans won’t miss a game involving their favorite team. Plus, they’ll be treated to game calls from some of the game’s legendary voices like Vin Scully, Harry Kalas, Bob Uecker and others.”

In addition to live play-by-play coverage, SIRIUS XM offers baseball fans 24 hour coverage of the game on MLB Home Plate, the only radio channel dedicated to covering Major League Baseball seven days a week, 365 days a year. Now available to both XM and SIRIUS subscribers (XM channel 175, SIRIUS channel 210 with the “Best of XM” programming package), MLB Home Plate offers the most comprehensive radio coverage of the Major Leagues with a daily lineup of talk shows hosted by baseball experts and insiders like Cal Ripken Jr., Bill Ripken, Rob Dibble, Jim Duquette, Kevin Kennedy, Buck Martinez and others.

“MLB Home Plate offers both XM and SIRIUS listeners a true insider’s look at the game,” said Greenstein. “Our hosts provide the kind of perspective that can only be learned as a big league player, manager or front office executive. Listeners can hear compelling interviews with players and managers every day and fans can call in to talk about the topics that are on their minds.”

MLB Home Plate Daily Schedule: (All times ET)

Weekdays

• 7 – 10 am: Baseball This Morning with Scott Graham and Buck Martinez
• 10 am – 1 pm: Power Alley with Seth Everett, Jim Duquette and BillyRipken
• 1 – 4 pm: Inside Pitch with Jeff Joyce and Kevin Kennedy
• 3 – 6 pm: The Show with Jody McDonald and Rob Dibble
• 6 – 7 pm: XM PreGame (Fantasy 411 6pm – 8pm Fridays with Mike Siano and Cory Schwartz)
• 7 – 10 pm: Game (8p-11p Fridays after Fantasy 411)
• 10 pm – 2am: MLB Live with Joe Castellano

Saturdays

• 8 – 10 am: Minors and Majors with Grant Paulsen
• 10 am – 1 pm: Talking Baseball with Ed Randall
• 1 pm – 4 pm: Game
• 4 pm – 7 pm: MLB Live Weekend with Casey Stern
• 7 pm – 10 pm: Game
• 10 pm – 2 am: MLB Live Weekend with Lee Hamilton

Sundays

• 8 – 10 am: Minors and Majors with Grant Paulsen
• 10 am – 1 pm: MLB Live Weekend with Holden Kushner
• 1 pm – 4 pm: Game
• 4 pm – 8 pm: MLB Live Weekend with Lee Hamilton
• 8 pm – 11 pm: Game
• 11 pm – 2 am: MLB Live Weekend with Joe Castellano

**This schedule is subject to change based on game schedule.

For more information please visit www.xmradio.com/mlb.

Source: SIRIUS XM Radio