Sport news

Feature set includes live stats, video highlights and streaming audio broadcasts of every game

MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, announced that MLB.com Mobile Premium, a new mobile-optimized live game product developed for the Palm(R) Pre(TM) smartphone, is available on the device via the MLB.com mobile Web site (wap.mlb.com).

Fans can stay connected to their favorite team wherever they go with these four live game components of MLB.com Mobile Premium:

• MLB.com Mobile Gameday Audio(TM) - Listen to live audio broadcasts of every Major League Baseball game through the final out of the 2009 World Series. Each game will offer the choice of listening to the home or away broadcasts without any blackout restrictions.

• MLB.com Gameday(TM) - Follow every pitch of every game with a detailed graphic presentation and live statistics.

• In-Game Video Highlights - Get realtime, high quality video highlights delivered directly to the smartphone quickly after the play happens on the field.

• Expanded scoreboard - View live statistical data from every MLB game, including linescores, current runners on base and other game details.

MLB.com Mobile Premium on the Palm(R) Pre(TM) is available to subscribers for a one-time fee of $14.99 for the remainder of the 2009 season, including the entire postseason, or a monthly charge of $2.99.

Source: MLB.com

“Long Beach CA Open” Finishes West Coast Leg of 2009 Tour

Beach Tennis USA(R), the organization responsible for launching the sport of beach tennis in North America, will hold its Long Beach CA Open, Saturday and Sunday, July 4 and 5 on Alamitos Beach at the Southeast corner of Shoreline Dr. and Ocean Blvd.

The thrilling play will begin on Saturday, July 4, with the Junior and Amateur tournaments starting at 10:00 a.m., followed by the Men’s Pro Division tournament at 1:00 p.m. On Sunday July 5, the Mixed Doubles Paddles Tournament will start at 9:00 a.m., with the Men’s and Women’s Pro Division tournament beginning at 12:00 p.m. The Women’s and Men’s Finals matches will begin promptly at 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., respectively.

Players from all over the country are set to compete for the $1,000 first-place prize, plus a guaranteed spot in the 2009 Beach Tennis USA National Championship in Long Beach, New York, September 5-6.

Beach tennis, which was launched in the U.S. as a pro and recreational sport in 2005 by real estate developer Marc Altheim, is a true hybrid sport that combines tennis and beach volleyball into one exciting and fast-paced game. Played on a regulation beach volleyball court, two players on each team use standard tennis racquets to hit a depressurized tennis ball back and forth over the net without letting it hit the sand.

Since its inaugural season in 2005, Beach Tennis USA (BTUSA) has experienced tremendous growth in player participation and crowd attendance, due largely to the company’s creation of regional licensing agreements and local leagues. To date, Beach Tennis USA has signed domestic licensee agreements in Charleston, SC, Tampa, FL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL and the Metro New York region as well as similar international deals in Japan, South Africa, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Bermuda.

“Beach Tennis Believes,” the official charity of BTUSA, will be accepting donations throughout the weekend on behalf of “The Long Beach Alliance for Children With Asthma” (LBACA), a partnership to improve the lives of children with asthma in the Long Beach community. Beach Tennis Believes helps raise funds and awareness for community centers and youth programs.

Beach Tennis USA

Beach tennis, which was launched in the U.S. as a pro and recreational sport in 2005 by real estate developer Marc Altheim, combines tennis and beach volleyball into one exciting and fast-paced game. Now in its fifth season, Beach Tennis USA has garnered increased attention while hosting events throughout Florida, Southern California, South Carolina, and New York. Beach Tennis USA has also gained recognition in the tennis world, attracting many former top-rated tennis players. The company continues to grow by adding new licensees in various U.S. cities and establishing “Team Beach Tennis,” which promotes year-round league play. To learn more about this fast-growing sport, or to learn how to join the movement, please visit www.beachtennisusa.net.

Even with the NBA and NHL Playoffs Underway, MLB Attracts More Fans Online

Compete, a TNS Media company, released the rankings of the top ten sports fan sites for May 2009, based on data from Compete’s panel of two million US-based internet users. Even with the NBA and NHL playoffs underway in May, Major League Baseball fans outnumbered NBA fans online more than two to one and NHL fans more than four to one. According to Compete, number-one ranked MLB.com reached more than 12,227,000 sports enthusiasts in May 2009 (up 35% since May 2008), followed by NBA.com with 5,624,776 unique visitors (UVs), Nascar.com with 3,716,636 UVs and NHL.com with 2,899,406 UVs.

Sports Fan Sites
Ranking Web site May 2009 May 2008 Change Percent

1 mlb.com 12,227,038 9,067,116 35%
2 nba.com 5,624,776 4,262,470 32%
3 nascar.com 3,716,636 3,903,193 -5%
4 nhl.com 2,899,406 2,035,278 42%
5 nfl.com 2,385,687 1,809,218 32%
6 wwe.com 1,784,088 2,574,245 -31%
7 pgatour.com 1,222,622 672,966 82%
8 minorleaguebaseball.com 1,101,034 753,579 46%
9 ufc.com 945,495 766,853 23%
10 kentuckyderby.com 932,266 794,666 17%

Compete also compared the May 2009 numbers to May 2008, which show a year-over-year increase in sports fan interest among the fans of the four major team sports — MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL with significant increases for MLB (35 percent) and the NBA (32 percent). Meanwhile, wwe.com and nascar.com visits dropped while pgatour.com and minorleaguebaseball.com cracked the top ten in May 2009.

Source: Compete, Inc.