The 2009 New York Yankees World Series victory immortalized

April 13, 2010 · Filed Under Baseball, Sports News · Comment 

Celebrated Sports Artist to Debut Seventh World Series Celebration Piece

After nearly a decade of waiting for the championship to return home, the 2009 Yankees clinched their 27th World Series. It is only fitting that a legendary victory such as this one be immortalized by famed seven-time World Series Celebration artist Opie Otterstad. On Saturday, April 17, 2010, Otterstad will unveil his Official World Series Victory Piece at Pop International Galleries, in SoHo.

In what has become a tradition of its own, the World Series victory art piece transports fans back to the glorious moment when a historic team clinches its destiny. For the past seven years, Major League Baseball fans have looked to legendary sports artist Opie Otterstad to create spectacular panoramic paintings capturing these wins. Known for narrating each winning team’s history on canvas, Otterstad celebrates not only the winning moment but often the path that led the team there. With Otterstad painting in Pinstripes, this piece will preserve the 2009 World Series story for all-time. Read more

Derek Jeter named 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year

December 1, 2009 · Filed Under Baseball, Other sports, Sports Fun, Sports News · Comment 

Sports Illustrated Group Editor Terry McDonell announced that Derek Jeter is the 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Jeter is the first New York Yankee to receive this award. Previous winners include Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. The 2009 SI Sportsman of the Year issue hits newsstands Wednesday, December 2. The issue marks the 11th cover appearance for Jeter.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED DEREK JETERSince 1954 the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year has been presented annually to the person who excelled in athletic performance and demonstrated great character. “Over all the years SI editors have used the same language to define the award,” said McDonell. “It is not for the victory alone that he (or she) is honored; rather, it is for the quality of his effort and the manner of his striving.’ And that defines Derek Jeter.”

“While having a Hall of Fame career and under a brilliant spotlight, Derek conducts himself with class and a selfless demeanor that allows not only his teammates but also his sport and his community to flourish,” McDonell continued. “It was his leadership both on and off the field that drove the Yankees to the world championship, and his Turn 2 Foundation is one of the most efficient and effective foundations of its kind. It is an honor to include Derek Jeter in the Sportsman fraternity.”

Jeter’s selection caps another outstanding season for the 35-year-old team captain and future Hall of Famer. In 2009 he batted .334 while leading the Yankees to their fifth World Series title in his 14 full seasons, their first since 2000 and their major league record 27th. On September 11, Jeter got his 2,722 hit, breaking Lou Gehrig’s 70-year-old franchise record. Jeter now has 2,747. In 2009, Jeter led the American League by reaching base 289 times, finished second in the league in hits (212), third in batting average and on-base percentage (.406), fourth in runs (107), and eighth in stolen bases (30). He was named an All-Star for the 10th time, including the sixth time as a starter, while winning his fourth AL Silver Slugger as the best hitting shortstop in the league, and his fourth Gold Glove as the league’s top defensive shortstop.

In 14 postseason games Jeter lived up to his reputation as a clutch player, batting .344 with a .432 on-base percentage, three home runs and six RBIs. He batted .407 in the World Series to help lead the Yankees to a six-game victory against the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies. During the Series Jeter was named the American League recipient of the Hank Aaron Award, given to the best hitter in each league as voted on by the fans, and the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who best displays skill on the field while giving back to the community off it.

Jeter will be honored at a ceremony in Manhattan on December 1 along with SI Kids’ SportsKid of the Year, Austin McCarthy. Sponsors for the Sportsman of the Year event include Ford, Gillette, Liberty Mutual and Verizon.

Jeter is the 10th baseball honoree and only the third in the last 34 years. Others players named Sportsman after great World Series-winning performances include Johnny Podres (’55), Sandy Koufax (’65), Tom Seaver (’69), Pete Rose (’75), Willie Stargell (along with Terry Bradshaw ['79]), Orel Hershiser (’88), Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson (’01) and the Boston Red Sox (’04).

Source: www.si.com/sportsman

Fox Sports En Espanol announces exclusive spanish-language programming for the 2009 World Series

October 28, 2009 · Filed Under Baseball, Sports News · Comment 

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

XM Radio Offers Listeners Every Game of the 2009 Major League Baseball Season Starting April 5

April 4, 2009 · Filed Under Baseball, Sports News · Comment 

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