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FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
Bayern Munich Takes on Chelsea in UEFA Champions League Final From Munich Saturday on FOX at 2:00 PM ET
FOX Sports Delivers "Baseball Night in America" Saturday with Premiere Primetime Slate Beginning at 7:00 PM ET
SPEED Airs NASCAR All-Star Race and Featured Programming Surrounding Big Weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Jimmy Johnson Selected to 2012 College Football Hall of Fame Class
BASEBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA - MLB on FOX, the sport's highest-rated and most-watched television package, debuts BASEBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA on Saturday, May 19 (7:00 PM ET). Featuring five matchups, FOX Sports kicks off a stretch of eight consecutive primetime dates, the most ever scheduled during the regular season. During the stretch, all US-based teams appear at least twice, continuing until the All-Star break. Primetime action beings in the city of Brotherly Love as the Phillies host the Red Sox. Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal call the action under the lights of Citizens Bank Park. In Chicago, Windy City rivals meet at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field as Adam Dunn and the White Sox engage the Cubs' Bryan LaHair in a power-hitting duel. In D.C., the Beltway Series features rookie phenom Bryce Harper and the Nationals hosting the Orioles. The Astros will look to contain the sizzling bat of Josh Hamilton as they host the Rangers in an all-Texas affair. Also, the Diamondbacks battle the Royals at the site of this July's All-Star Game in Kansas City.
Coverage begins with the BASEBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA PREGAME SHOW, originating live from MLB Network's state-of-the-art Studio 3 in Secaucus, NJ. The show is hosted by MLB Network studio host Matt Vasgersian, who is joined by analysts Harold Reynolds and Kevin Millar.
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GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST COV.
Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies Joe Buck, Tim McCarver 39%
& Ken Rosenthal
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Boston, Buffalo, Fort Myers, Hartford, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, West Palm Beach
Probable Pitchers: TBA vs. Joe Blanton, RHP (4-3, 2.96 ERA)
Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs Thom Brennaman & Eric Karros 26%
Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Salt Lake City, St. Louis
Probable Pitchers: John Danks, LHP (2-4, 6.46 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster, RHP (0-1, 1.74 ERA)
Baltimore Orioles at Washington Nationals Bob Carpenter & Billy Ripken 17%
Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.
MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Norfolk, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington
Probable Pitchers: Jason Hammel, RHP (4-1, 2.68 ERA) vs. Ross Detwiler, LHP (3-2, 2.75 ERA)
Texas Rangers at Houston Astros Kenny Albert & Tom Verducci 13%
Minute Maid Park - Houston, TX
MARKETS INCLUDE: Austin, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Tulsa
Probable Pitchers: Derek Holland, LHP (3-2, 3.78 ERA) vs. TBA
Arizona Diamondbacks at Kansas City Royals Daron Sutton & Rex Hudler 4%
Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City, MO
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Kansas City, Phoenix
Probable Pitchers: TBA vs. Bruce Chen, LHP (2-4, 4.34 ERA)
MOROSI: LAST-PLACE BOSOX STILL IN AL EAST RACE - FOXSports.com National MLB writer Jon Paul Morosi asks the question: who are the Boston Red Sox? "Are they the team that owns the longest active winning streak in the American League or the one that remains last in the American League East? The answer: I don't know. You don't know. They don't know," writes Morosi. "David Ortiz, hitting .346 in the No. 3 spot, explained the recent success this way: 'You've got the end of the lineup hitting. You have our starting pitchers not giving up seven runs per game. And us hitting when we've got men in scoring position. That's what makes the difference.' It sounds simple. It isn't. The coming weeks will become more complicated, between a rugged schedule and the respective returns of Kevin Youkilis and Daisuke Matsuzaka. The Red Sox will need to make nuanced roster decisions that have long-term ramifications on players' egos and careers. To do that without disturbing the relative harmony, Bobby Valentine must be better than he has been so far. Valentine, who went 10 seasons without managing in the big leagues, doesn't seem at ease in his new job - at least not yet. Terry Francona was a skilled communicator in such moments, when the organization's near- and long-term plans had to be conveyed inside and outside the clubhouse walls. Now Valentine must find his way. The Red Sox will get back to .500 soon enough. Then the real work begins."
To read more from Morosi, visit: http://tinyurl.com/cz2maac
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CROWN ON THE LINE AS BAYERN MUNICH AND CHELSEA MEET IN GERMANY - Elite European soccer again takes center stage Saturday, May 19 (2:00 PM ET) as FOX Sports presents exclusive live coverage of the UEFA Champions League Final from Munich, Germany. The culmination of Europe's most prestigious annual club soccer competition features German club Bayern Munich, the first team to play a UEFA Champions League Final in its home stadium, taking on England's Chelsea FC who's looking to capture its first European Cup.
Curt Menefee, FOX Sports' go-to studio host, is on hand in Germany to welcome viewers to Fu�ball Arena in Munich before handing-off to FOX Soccer lead studio host Rob Stone. Stone is joined at the pre-match desk by American National Soccer Hall of Famer and out-spoken FOX Soccer analyst Eric Wynalda and current Tottenham Hotspur and former US National Team goalkeeper Brad Friedel. The trio offers complete analysis of the Bayern Munich-Chelsea matchup, what to watch for, each team's strengths and weaknesses and pick which team they think will take home the trophy. FOX Soccer analyst Warren Barton along with match announcers Martin Tyler and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville also contribute to pre-match analysis.
FOX Soccer has additional features planned during its UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW SHOW Friday, May 18 (8:00-9:00 PM ET) and UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PRE-GAME SHOW Saturday, May 19 (1:00-2:00 PM ET), including Stone siting down for an exclusive interview with UEFA President Michel Platini. FOX Soccer also airs a post-match show following FOX Sports' coverage.
One of the highlights of FOX's trip to Germany includes a visit to Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels to spend the day with troops and their families. Stone, Wynalda, Friedel and Barton take an LUH-72 Lakota helicopter to tour the training area and go on a demo ride in a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. They also join soldiers in an exhibition soccer game and host a clinic with the boys and girls high school soccer teams.
FOX Deportes, the nation's leading Spanish-language sports cable network, adds to the comprehensive coverage with a week-long lead-up of programming that includes carrying the Bayern Munich v. Chelsea FC match. Coverage on Saturday, May 19 begins at 1:00 PM ET with the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL PREVIEW live from Munich. Match coverage begins at 2:30 PM ET, followed by the post-match celebration at 5:00 PM ET on Lo Mejor de la UCL. At 5:30 PM ET, FOX Deportes airs La Ultima Palabra, a special one-hour postgame show live. Manning FOX Deportes' Los Angeles studio are Mauricio Cardenas and Bruno Vain. John Laguna, Christian Bozzo and Daniel Brailovsky are on-site in Munich with reporters Nelson Vignolles and Alejandro Blanco.
NASCAR SPRINT CUP ALL-STAR RACE ON SPEED HIGHLIGHTS BIG WEEKEND IN AUTO RACING - FOX Sports Media Group's SPEED primes for the 28th annual Sprint All-Star race airing on the cable channel Saturday, May 19 with a special All-Star edition of its fast-paced new program SPEED CENTER beginning at 3:30 PM ET. Following the 30-minute special edition of SPEED CENTER, the anticipation continues to build as the network presents a special three-hour edition of NASCAR RACEDAY fueled by Sunoco with hosts John Roberts, Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds. The show features a wide variety of guests and looks at the 20th anniversary of "One Hot Night" and 25th anniversary of the famed "Pass in the Grass" All-Star race. Live racing begins at 7:00 PM ET with the Sprint Showdown, the final opportunity for drivers to race their way into the main event. SPEED's coverage of the All-Star race begins at 9:00 PM ET with Mike Joy, NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip, and McReynolds calling the action. Krista Voda hosts from the Hollywood Hotel alongside Jeff Hammond and Michael Waltrip with Dick Berggren, Matt Yocum and Steve Byrnes reporting from the pits.
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Week on SPEED (All times ET and subject to change):
Thursday, May 17
· NASCAR Race Hub (6 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
· SPEED Center (7 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
· NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge (8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.)
· Emmy-award winning Inside the Headsets replay (10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.)
Friday, May 18
· NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (10:30 a.m. to Noon)
· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Showdown) practice (Noon to 1:30 p.m.)
· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (All-Star) practice (1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
· Trackside (3 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
· NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying (4 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Showdown) qualifying (5 p.m. to 6 p.m.)
· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (All-Star) qualifying (6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)
· NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda (7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
· NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race (8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.)
· SPEED Center (10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.)
Saturday, May 19
· NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge replay (Noon to 2:30 p.m.)
· Emmy-award winning Inside the Headsets replay (2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
· NASCAR Performance (3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
· SPEED Center (3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
· NASCAR RaceDay Fueled by Sunoco (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
· NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.)
· Special preview of new SPEED series Hard Parts: South Bronx (11 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.)
· NASCAR Victory Lane (11:30 p.m. to Midnight)
JIMMY JOHNSON SELECTED TO 2012 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS - This week, FOX NFL SUNDAY analyst Jimmy Johnson was named to the 2012 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. The Oklahoma State head coach from 1979-83 and Miami head coach from 1984-88, Johnson continuously led his teams to victory, earning numerous coaching honors along the way and the national title with the Hurricanes in 1987, capped by a 20-14 victory over Oklahoma in the 1988 Orange Bowl. A member of Arkansas' 1964 national championship team, Johnson became the only person to win a college national championship as a player and coach and lead a team to a Super Bowl victory when he guided the Dallas Cowboys to victories in back-to-back Super Bowl victories following the 1992 and 1993 seasons. The 2012 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be inducted at the 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 4, 2012, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
On comparing coaching professional football and college football:
"While winning back-to-back Super Bowls at the Dallas Cowboys was rewarding, the most fun I had in football was in college; coaching an undefeated national champion in Miami, getting my start, going to a couple of bowl games at Oklahoma State, but on top of that playing for an undefeated national champion team at University of Arkansas. I am very honored."
On the college football playoff system:
"If we would have had playoffs in Miami, I'd probably would have won another couple national championships. But having the experience of both of it, I love the playoff system. I love being able to win on the field and doing it in professional football. The bowl system, being at Oklahoma State when we were building the program going to the Independence Bowl and they were just getting started. Even though I had to pull money out of my wallet to buy some hamburgers for our after the game dinner- that was our party- it was a great experience. So many individuals, coaches and players, at the collegiate level go to that bowl game, and all the fans who experience that, I think it's a positive. If you can have a playoff system that works within the bowl system, I think you'd have the best of both worlds."
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