CBS Sports Network To Present Minor League Baseball’s “Game of the Week”
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CBS Sports Network has reached an agreement with Minor League Baseball (MiLB) to televise 15 games throughout the course of the 2014 season. The schedule features games from the MiLB- affiliated leagues including Triple-A®Baseball, and also allows for the opportunity to flex games based on possible appearances by Major League Baseball stars. Beginning today and running through early August, CBS Sports Network will serve as the home of Minor League Baseball’s “Game of the Week” during the 2014 season.
The first five games of the schedule have been determined and are as follows:
- May 1: Indianapolis Indians (Pirates) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (Red Sox), 7:05 p.m. EST
- May 8: Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies) vs. Charlotte Knights (White Sox), 7:05 p.m. EST
- May 15: Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodgers) vs. Fresno Grizzlies (Giants), 10:05 p.m. EST
- May 22: Durham Bulls (Rays) vs. Columbus Clippers (Indians), 7:05 p.m. EST
- May 29: Iowa Cubs (Cubs) vs. Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals), 8:05 p.m. EST
Additional game dates will be announced at a later date and could feature multiple classifications of play ranging from Single-A to Triple-A. Each week’s matchup will be anchored by three-time Kentucky Sportscaster of the year, Dick Gabriel, and former Major League Baseball player Doug Flynn, a two-time World Series Champion with the Cincinnati Reds and Gold Glove winner with the New York Mets.
“We look forward to exposing even more fans to the excitement of Minor League Baseball, from top prospects working their way up to the major leagues to the fun and engaging elements our fans enjoy at our ballparks,” Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner says. “We feel this partnership with CBS Sports Network will truly capture the emotion of our game to a national audience week after week.”
The partnership between Minor League Baseball and CBS Sports Network was formed in conjunction with JMI Sports and its Chief Executive Officer, Erik Judson. JMI Sports, based in San Diego, Calif., is a leading provider of sales, marketing, and project management and multi-media rights management services to universities, professional teams, and municipalities.
“This partnership will allow us to further expose the experience of Minor League Baseball beyond the 41 million-plus fans that pass through our gates each season,” adds Michael Hand, Chief Marketing Officer for Minor League Baseball and President, MiLB Enterprises. “Since baseball began its first player draft in 1965, only 21 selections out of nearly 60,000 have advanced directly to Major League Baseball without first playing in Minor League Baseball. This partnership is the first truly comprehensive television package that will allow MiLB to feature the next generation of stars at all classifications as they travel The Road to the Show.”
