Close Races in Both Leagues To Be Determined in Final Days of All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot Exclusively on MLB.com
Every single vote will matter in each League’s tightest races — Teixeira, Youkilis or Morneau? Pedroia or Kinsler? Hamilton, Hunter or Crawford? Molina or McCann? Ramirez or Rollins? Beltran or Soriano? — as fans cast their final ballots exclusively online via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot on MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball.
Online ballots for the 16 starting position players in the 2009 All-Star Game will be available through 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 2.
Entering the final week of balloting, MLB.com has recorded 163 million votes in the All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot, a 15 percent increase over the comparable 2008 vote total. With millions of votes coming over these last days, fans will determine which players will earn the title of All-Star starter for the 80th Midsummer Classic at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Tuesday, July 14.
“With fans casting votes on MLB.com at a record pace, we look forward to a historic and exciting conclusion to this year’s All-Star balloting for the elected starters,” said Dinn Mann, Executive Vice President, Content, MLB.com.
“These close races have been fascinating to watch each week and leave us eagerly anticipating the second leg of online balloting when the final roster spots for each All-Star Team will be determined exclusively on MLB.com.”
Source: MLB.com
Major League Baseball to begin in-market online streaming of live games in two markets beginning in July
Yankees on YES to launch with Yankees-Twins game on Wednesday, July 8
Major League Baseball announced it will launch this July a landmark pair of in-market subscription products, including Yankees on YES, to deliver live games online within their respective home broadcast territories. Upon launch, these will be the only live in-market streaming products in professional sports to include games with local broadcast television deals.
“These agreements are an important part of our global effort to give fans greater access to our game,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “It is important that fans in local markets have portable flexibility to stay connected to their favorite team if they can’t be at the ballpark, and I believe this represents a significant step in that direction.”
MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, has entered into a partnership with the YES Network and Cablevision to provide eligible Cablevision customers throughout the Yankees home broadcasting territory with access to YES Network Yankees telecasts live on their computers. The offering, which will be implemented through an authentication process managed by Cablevision and MLBAM, will be available exclusively to Cablevision customers who subscribe to the Family Cable (expanded basic) level of television service and Optimum Online.
The Yankees on YES package, available for a one-time fee of $49.95 for the remainder of the season or $19.95 for any 30-day period, is scheduled to launch on Wednesday, July 8 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) with the YES Network’s Yankees-Twins broadcast. Beginning immediately, eligible Cablevision subscribers can review FAQs for the product and purchase Yankees on YES at Yankees.com, YESNetwork.com and Optimum.net.
Major League Baseball became the first professional sports league to make every game available online for out-of-market fans in 2003 and since that time has delivered over 250 million live video streams. It now is also the first to make this number of live games available online for fans living in a home team territory such as the Yankees.
A second in-market live game streaming product is expected to be announced the week of June 29.
Source: MLB
New York Fans Can Stretch the Baseball Season With MSC Cruises Themed Sailings
Former Yankees, Mets Featured on Select 2009-2010 Caribbean Cruise Itineraries
New York baseball fans looking to stretch the baseball season into the winter months can enjoy the warmth of the Caribbean with some of their favorite former New York Yankees and New York Mets players on select sailings of MSC Cruises’ MSC Poesia.
In addition to visiting some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful locations, each “Baseball Greats” cruise includes free interactive guest/player activities, including a player-hosted trivia game in which guests can test their baseball knowledge, question-and-answer sessions with the players, a guest pitching contest and a lively story-telling session in which the players share candid revelations about some of the “characters” of the game. Baseball players will also host pitching, hitting, fielding and base running clinics.
New York fan favorites Frank Howard, Stan Bahnsen, Hector Lopez, Ken Griffey, Sr., Jeff Torborg and Ed Kranepool are in the lineup of baseball greats scheduled to sail Caribbean itineraries roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale this winter:
- Nov. 20, 2009: Frank “Hondo” Howard (who coached for both the Yankees and the Mets) and Bahnsen will be joined by Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller, Toronto Blue Jays Manager Cito Gaston and Bill Russell on the 10-night “Dazzling Dutch Caribbean and the Panama” itinerary.
- Jan. 16, 2010: Hector Lopez (who played on five Yankees championship teams and is now a minor league instructor with the Bombers), Jeff Torborg (who coached with the Yankees and managed the Mets), former Yankees slugger Ken Griffey, Sr., and Cookie Rojas (who coached for the Mets and is now an announcer for the Florida Marlins) will join Bahnsen on the 7-night “Island Treasures & Ancient Temples” itinerary.
- Feb. 6: Bahnsen will be joined by fellow former Yankees Rudy May, and former Mets Jim Fregosi (who was traded to the Mets for Nolan Ryan) and Ed Kranepool, as well as Tony Oliva on the 7-night “Island Treasures & Ancient Temples” itinerary.
- March 6, 2010: Bahnsen will be joined by Amos Otis, Rennie Stennet and two additional players (to be named) on the 7-night “Eastern Caribbean Enchantment” cruise.
- April 3, 2010: Bahnsen, Tony Taylor, Randy Hundley and two additional players will be on the 7-night “Eastern Caribbean Dream” cruise.
Caribbean cruise-only rates begin at $549 per person, double occupancy (government fees/taxes additional). As on all MSC Cruises’ sailings, kids ages 17 and younger sail free when sharing a stateroom with two full-fare-paying adults.
To review more information about MSC Cruises and its theme cruises, visit msccruisesusa.com/specialcruises/theme-cruises or a local travel professional.
Cruise Ship Offers Innovative 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games Lodging Solution
Ship Adds 10 Percent Room Capacity To Booked Out Downtown Vancouver Hotel Inventory
With downtown Vancouver hotels nearly completely booked, people with tickets to the 2010 Winter Games now have another innovative lodging option: staying aboard a luxury cruise ship docked along the Olympic host city’s waterfront.
Washington state residents have accounted for 50 percent of Vancouver 2010 Olympic Game ticket sales, according to CoSport.com, the exclusive U.S. ticket seller. Newwest Special Projects LP, an entrepreneurial travel company, previewed the onboard accommodations available to Vancouver 2010 Games visitors during a stop in Seattle on Saturday.
Newwest has chartered Norwegian Cruise Line’s Freestyle Cruising ship, Norwegian Star, for the duration of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Norwegian Star will be docked in North Vancouver from Feb. 10 through March 2, adding 10 percent capacity to the city’s downtown hotel inventory of 12,000 rooms.
“Having Norwegian Star in Vancouver will offer much needed accommodations for corporations, sponsors, sporting clubs and individual fans wanting to make the 2010 Olympic Games an experience of a lifetime,” said Dennis Laliberte, President of Newwest Special Projects LP. “This is a rare opportunity and our team is thrilled to help bring the world to Canada.”
Norwegian Star will arrive in Vancouver on Feb. 10, after a four-day sailing from Los Angeles, where the ship will reside in North Vancouver for the duration of the 2010 Winter Games. On March 2, the ship will head south, arriving back in Los Angeles on March 6. The pre and post cruise options give clients a great way to extend their Olympic experience, but also offer an additional means of transportation for visitors to arrive or depart Vancouver during this busy time.
“Through Newwest’s charter, Norwegian Star will offer unique accommodations for thousands of guests attending the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver,” said Andy Stuart, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Passenger Services. “We are pleased to be working with Newwest on this exciting project.”
Norwegian Star was purpose-built for Freestyle Cruising in 2001 and fully refurbished in 2006. In Vancouver, the ship will feature all the amenities, activities and entertainment programs as if at sea, with a crew of approximately 1,000 looking after a maximum of 2,240 guests. A variety of packages are available in either three or four night durations. Prices start at $350 U.S. per person, per night based on double occupancy. All packages include meals, airport transfers, daily transfers from/to the ship to North Vancouver’s Sea Bus Terminal, city tour of Vancouver and much more. A wide variety of rooms and suites are available aboard the ship from Inside and Outside Staterooms to Mini Suites with balconies and luxurious Penthouse Suites. Since the ship is a private charter, custom tailored packages can be arranged that could include private coach transfers, multilingual guides, private meals and functions for up to 1,000 guests aboard Norwegian Star.
“The ship has 1,119 staterooms allowing for 8,960 guests to be accommodated throughout the duration of the Games,” Laliberte said. “This will generate substantial revenues not only for all levels of government, but for the businesses of North Vancouver, Whistler and Vancouver.”
The head office for Newwest Special Projects LP is based in Edmonton, Alberta and has been in operation for 30 years specializing in special event travel.
Source: Newwest Special Projects LP
Major League Baseball, USAID and Pedro Martinez Join to Help Poor in the Dominican Republic
Pedro Martinez, one of the most dominating baseball pitchers in the past decade, and his wife, Carolina Cruz de Martinez, and the U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo Charge d’Affaires a.i., Roland Bullen, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Deputy Mission Director James Watson, and Major League Baseball consultant John Seibel, inaugurated a unique partnership, Project “Hay Poder en Aprender” (There is Power in Learning) in Pedro’s and Carolina’s hometown community of Manoguayabo in western Santo Domingo.
This project’s goal is to help 200 adolescents who live in at-risk situations. Through a combination of vocational training and educational programs, participants recover their self-esteem and dignity, discover their potential talents, and become productive citizens for their community and country. USAID, through Esperanza International and its Major League Baseball-Dominican Development Alliance (MLB-DDA), has committed $100,000 for a one year period.
Mrs. Cruz de Martinez said she became involved with the project as a result of “realizing that many Dominican youth are making poor decisions, which bring about teenage pregnancy and drug use, due to a lack of guidance and opportunities. We strongly believe that knowledge is power and when you give the right tools to a child at an early age, you can change and shape the destiny of his/her life, and therefore improve his/her self-confidence and positive leadership,” she said.
Charge Bullen said that the U.S. Government is engaged in supporting community development in the Dominican Republic and this project is the first of many more to come. He encouraged current Dominican baseball players, newly signed baseball players, academies and baseball fans to contribute through the MLB-DDA and praised the efforts of Pedro and Carolina Cruz de Martinez during his inauguration remarks.
The MLB-DDA was founded in November 2008 to tap the potential combined resources of baseball (teams, players, fans, corporate sponsors) in community outreach programs in the Dominican Republic, a country which currently produces more than 20 percent of all signed MLB players. USAID provides financial support through a matching grant incentive fund, MLB provides office and staff support, and six community development organizations (Esperanza, Plan, World Vision, Save the Children, IDDI, and Batey Relief Alliance) provide technical assistance and project management.
For more information about USAID and its programs, please visit www.usaid.gov or www.mlb-dda.org.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.
Source: U.S. Agency for International Development
Mexico-Poland Soccer Face-Off July 5 at Bridgeviews Toyota Park
Monterrey’s Rayados face off against Cracovia Krakow in first-ever Mayor’s Cup
Two of Mexico and Poland’s most storied soccer clubs will face off at Toyota Park in Bridgeview on July 5 for what promises to be a true soccer experience on and off the field, with fans from two of Chicago’s largest and proudest ethnic communities showcasing their love for soccer and their heritage.
Cracovia Krakow, Poland’s oldest soccer franchise, will travel from its home Pope John Paul II Stadium to suit up against Mexican powerhouse Club de Futbol Monterrey for a 6 p.m. kick-off. The teams will compete for the first-ever Mayor’s Cup, which is to feature international clubs each year.
Fan-friendly pricing starts at $25. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster or at the Toyota Park box office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available at all Doma and Polamer stores
“You haven’t experienced soccer until you’ve seen the friendly rivalry, passion and joy fans bring to international match-ups,” said Village of Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek. “We look forward to hosting spirited Mexican and Polish fans, and warmly invite everyone else to come share a unique and unforgettable sports and cultural experience. It is fitting this celebration of diversity and the American melting pot take place July 4th weekend.”
Cracovia has won five Polish titles. Two-time champion Monterrey, better known as “Rayados,” advanced to this year’s final eight in the Mexican league.
The event is organized by the Village of Bridgeview, Global Pro Management and John Zapa.
Source: Toyota Park
FASTHockey Ices Deal with Orb to Broadcast Youth Hockey Games LIVE on the iPhone
iPhone Owners Worldwide Can Watch Thousands of Games LIVE
FASTHockey, the premier destination for LIVE and on-demand video streaming of amateur ice hockey, announced it has partnered with Orb Networks to broadcast on the iPhone the thousands of amateur hockey games currently seen online at FASTHockey.com. FASTHockey will use Orb’s proven Orb Live Events technology to broadcast games LIVE from the OneHockey International Tournament from June 24 to July 3, 2009. iPhone and iPod touch owners can simply download the FREE Live Events application from the Apple App Store, and watch LIVE action of their favorite youth hockey team, including teams from around the globe.
FASTHockey is the most comprehensive amateur hockey destination on the web and helps unite youth hockey around the world through community, connections, and content. FASTHockey streamed almost 4,000 games LIVE during the 2008/2009 season, making it the premier destination for players, parents, coaches and fans that love watching great hockey action online. The partnership with Orb extends this community – including LIVE broadcasts of thousands of games – to the iPhone.
“Hockey has a tremendous following worldwide, and the fans are super-passionate,” said Marc Ruskin, CEO of FASTHockey. “For the first time, hockey fans – and families and coaches – can watch games LIVE on the iPhone worldwide. We selected Orb and its Orb’s Live Events technology because it is proven and approved in the App Store, and because it was fast, easy and inexpensive to implement in a geographically distributed way. Next season we will have LIVE events being broadcast from hundreds of venues around the world.”
Orb was the first company to stream LIVE TV to the iPhone in May, 2008. The Live Events technology has been used to power live broadcasts of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend with Turner Sports and The Masters Golf Tournament on the iPhone.
“We are really at the tipping point for user-generated-content. Till now, the state of the art has been to upload static video clips to a website for all to see. While this is all well and good, the next frontier will be LIVE content, available on a worldwide basis, to anyone who has an internet connection,” said Joe Costello, CEO of Orb Networks. “FASTHockey is leading the pack in this regard. Using Orb Live Events, they are going to bring thousands of youth hockey games around the world to the iPhone.”
For more information on watching the more than 300 games on tap during the OneHockey International Tournament, please visit: http://www.fasthockey.com/information/events/fasthockey_and_orb_deliver_live_hockey_to_iPhone.php
LIVE coverage of the Tournament begins June 24.
Download the FREE Orb Live Events application now from the Apple App Store, and look for LIVE youth hockey games beginning June 24.
FASTHockey.com is the premier online network for ice hockey players, coaches and fans to organize their hockey lives while developing personal connections rooted in shared hockey interests. FASTHockey.com provides the online platform so that athletes and coaches can create player and team profiles, upload videos and photos, track and view statistics, check out opponents before games, and discover the best ice hockey players in the world.
Orb Networks is a leading provider of media access applications. Its OrbLive application was the first to stream LIVE TV to the iPhone and iPod touch, and the OrbLive application is available today in the Apple App Store for $9.99 (a Free Sampler version is also available). For more information about OrbLive on the iPhone or iPod touch, please visit: http://orb.com/en/orblive
Source: Orb Networks, Inc.