MLB on FOX analyst Grace rips Yankees' Pavano
by FOX Sports
Most-Watched Season to Date in 12 Seasons of Coverage
MLB/NASCAR Saturday Doubleheader Starts with Yankees/Mariners, White Sox/Angels & Giants/Phillies Clashes & Ends with Nextel's Best Racing at Richmond
GRACE: CARL PAVANO MIGHT AS WELL SAY "STICK ‘EM UP!": New MLB on FOX analyst Mark Grace visited the cast of FSN's Best Damn Sports Show Period this week, where he commented on the problems facing the New York Yankees and the blame game that surrounds the team. "Joe Torre didn't just forget how to manage get dumb overnight," said Grace. "Joe Torre can't pitch, that's the problem. If you ask me, [GM] Brian Cashman is the guy responsible. He's the guy that brought in Carl Pavano who has been an absolute salary bandit. I mean, Pavano might as well be saying, ‘STICK ‘EM UP!'"
FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL OFF TO ITS BEST START EVER: FOX Sports' decision to expand its regular season baseball coverage to include April contests for the first time is paying immediate dividends. Through four SATURDAY AFTERNOON GAME OF THE WEEK broadcasts, FOX Sports is averaging a 2.7/7 national rating/share and an average audience of 4.0 million viewers. 2007 marks FOX Sports' 12th season of MLB coverage and currently stands as the most-watched season to date.
Last Saturday's (4/28) schedule of Yankees-Red Sox and Cardinals-Cubs drew a 2.9/7 (4.1 million viewers) according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research, representing a +16% increase over last year's Week 4 coverage. FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL is also posting impressive gains versus last year across all key demographics. Additional year-to-year comparisons are listed below.
FOX Saturday Baseball - 2007 vs. 2006
HH Rtg - +8% (2.7 vs. 2.5)
M18-34 - +21% (1.7 vs. 1.4)
M18-49 - +20% (1.8 vs. 1.5)
M25-54 - +12% (1.9 vs. 1.7)
Average Audience +18% (4.0 mill vs. 3.35 mill)
FOX SPORTS, FSN & SPEED CELEBRATE AT SPORTS EMMY AWARDS: FOX Sports and its cable counterparts FSN and SPEED were honored with a combined four Sports Emmy Awards during the 28th Annual Sports Emmy Awards announced by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at ceremonies held this week in New York City. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in sports television during the 2006 calendar year.
NASCAR on FOX earned a statuette for Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound - its third in that category in six full seasons of coverage - while FOX's Major League Baseball Postseason coverage garnered an Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Special. FOX NFL SUNDAY's traveling road show was honored in the Outstanding Technical Team Studio category and FSN notched its ever first Emmy win in the same category for production of the MansionPoker.net Poker Dome Challenge. SPEED, in conjunction with NASCAR Images, earned an Emmy for Outstanding Live Event Turnaround for their presentation of Beyond the Wheel. FOX Sports has now earned 71 Emmy Awards in its thirteen years of existence.
MLB ON FOX SATURDAY AT 3:30 PM ET: The FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK kicks off Saturday's MLB-to-NASCAR doubleheader action on FOX with three attractive matchups at 3:30 p.m. ET. This week, Joe Girardi takes his turn in the FOX Network Center in Los Angeles when he joins host Jeanne Zelasko and analyst Kevin Kennedy for the MLB on FOX pregame show. Girardi and Kennedy team to cover the latest news from around the league, and break down what to look for this week.
After a scorching April, Alex Rodriguez has cooled off as the Yankees' pitching woes continue. Saturday they attempt to climb back into contention against A-Rod's former squad, the Seattle Mariners, who are battling pitching problems of their own with the loss of Felix Hernandez to the 15-day DL and a disappointing season thus far for Jeff Weaver. In San Francisco, Barry Bonds is closing in on Hank Aaron's home run record as the Giants host young slugger Ryan Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies, who took five out of six from San Fran last season. In Anaheim, FOX serves up a pitching duel as White Sox hurler Jon Garland takes on ace John Lackey and the first-place Angels.
NASCAR ON FOX INVADES PRIMETIME: NASCAR Nextel Cup racing on FOX invades primetime this Saturday, May 5 (7 p.m. ET) with the Crown Royal 400 from Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, VA. Winless thus far this season, top drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart should like their chances Saturday night, if history is any indication. Both have sprayed celebratory beverages in Richmond's victory lane three times, tops among all active drivers. The controversial Stewart is currently in sixth place in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings as crowd favorite Earnhardt stalks at 13.
FOX Sports' Emmy Award-winning coverage starts trackside with prerace host Chris Myers. Joining Myers in the Hollywood Hotel are analysts Jeff Hammond and Darrell Waltrip, providing insight and predictions prior to race time. Once the green flag is waved, DW joins race announcer Mike Joy and analyst Larry McReynolds in the broadcast booth where he'll pull those belt straps tight one more time and yell, "Boogity! Boogity! Boogity! Let's Go Racin' Boys!"
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