MLB Productions to highlight the impact of the RBI program

Major
League Baseball and KPMG announced they will premiere The RBI Story: Driving
Home the Values of Life presented by KPMG on Friday, Aug. 24, on ESPN at 9 p.m.
ET. The compelling one-hour special, produced by Major League Baseball
Productions, will provide an intimate look at Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities
(RBI) through the lives of current and former players and explore the impact
the RBI program has had on millions of kids worldwide. Set against the backdrop
of the 2007 RBI World Series presented by KPMG, the special will explore the
experiences of three current RBI players: Ramon Reyes, age 18 from
Philadelphia; Denitia Carter, age 18 from Atlanta; and Daniel Hordo, age 15
from Los Angeles. Through stories told by players, coaches, alumni and
executives, viewers will see that RBI makes a champion of everyone.

RBI,
administered by Major League Baseball and sponsored by KPMG, annually provides
as many as 120,000 boys and girls, primarily from diverse and underserved
areas, with the opportunity to play baseball and softball. Since its inception,
Major League Baseball Clubs have drafted more than 170 RBI participants
including 17 RBI graduates in the recently completed 2007 First-Year Player
Draft. Countless more children have been impacted by the program, going on to
college and contributing to their communities positively. The RBI programs also
feature educational and life skills components, including Breaking Barriers: In
Sports, In Life, a multicultural character education program developed by Major
League Baseball, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Quick SMART! (Skills
Mastery And Resistance Training) program.

The RBI
Story: Driving Home the Values of Life presented by KPMG will be hosted and
narrated by RBI alumnus and Boston Red Sox Outfielder Coco Crisp. Crisp played
in two RBI World Series, and was part of the 1995 Los Angeles Seniors Boys
Championship Team.

“Years
ago I could only dream that someday I’d make the Major Leagues,” said
Crisp. “But I did – and that’s why whenever I talk to young kids I tell
them about a program that can help them pursue their dreams – Reviving Baseball
in Inner Cities.”

The
one-hour special will feature interviews with Crisp and other RBI alumni who
have gone on to the Major Leagues, including Dontrelle Willis, C.C. Sabathia
and Carl Crawford. It will also include insights from some of the program’s
strongest supporters, including Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig,
KPMG Chairman and CEO Tim Flynn, and Los Angeles RBI alumnus and

University of

Tennessee softball player Kenora Posey.

The
special, which provides a first-time look at the RBI program, uses a
combination of on-camera testimonials, in-game sound, behind-the-scenes moments
and up-close game coverage. Interspersed throughout the program will be key
moments of the 24 baseball and softball teams that competed in the 15th annual
RBI World Series presented by KPMG, which was held in early August in the greater
Los Angeles area.

Major
League Baseball Productions, the Emmy award-winning in-house television and
video production division of Major League Baseball, committed its vast
resources to produce The RBI Story: Driving Home the Values of Life presented
by KPMG.

Major
League Baseball sponsors are the only entities with commercial time during the
program. MLB themed spots from State Farm, Sharp, Pepsi, Holiday Inn,
MasterCard and Chevrolet will appear throughout the broadcast of The RBI Story:
Driving Home the Values of Life presented by KPMG.