FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
by FOX Sports
McReynolds: Phoenix Sun Makes Drivers Prepare for Two Races in One
FOX Sports Supports Helps Boost Autism Awareness & Contributions
MLB ON FOX FEATURES EARLY SEASON YANKS/BOSOX BATTLE IN BEANTOWN — Week two of the 2008 FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK campaign highlights two intense division showdowns. In pursuit of regaining the AL East crown, reigning league MVP Alex Rodriguez leads the New York Yankees into Boston to take on the World Champion Red Sox. New York sends ace Chien-Ming Wang to the mound looking to silence the Red Sox lineup that includes the two-headed monster of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.
Meanwhile FOX Sports begins its day-long coverage from Phoenix as the Diamondbacks and off-season acquisition Dan Haren host hitting-champion Matt Holliday and the NL Champion Colorado Rockies. Game coverage is preceded by the Emmy Award-winning pregame show, with host Jeanne Zelasko, analyst Kevin Kennedy and joining the pregame show for the first time this season, analyst Eric Karros.
MCCARVER: YOUNG PITCHERS TOO BIG A HURDLE TO OVERCOME FOR YANKEES — With a tradition of winning that includes 13 straight playoff appearances, MLB on FOX analyst Tim McCarver thinks the 2008 Yankees are missing a key component in making it 14 in a row — experienced pitching.
"The Yankees have too many question marks in their pitching staff. If the young pitchers take time to get established, like most do, they will not make it to postseason play," said McCarver. On the other hand, the Boston Red Sox are poised to have a successful season. "With arms like (Daisuke) Matsuzaka and (Josh) Beckett, their pitching is solid throughout. The strength of the Red Sox is in all the right areas and they have a great manager in Terry Francona. It'll be interesting this weekend to see how the young Yankee pitchers do against the Red Sox hitters." As for the hype surrounding these two teams, "No matter how early they meet in the season, Yankees/Red Sox is always more than just a regular season game."
NASCAR ON FOX GEARS UP FOR PHOENIX — FOX Sports' Emmy Award-winning NASCAR team explores the desert in primetime as the 2008 NASCAR on FOX team travels to Arizona Saturday, April 12 (8 p.m. ET) for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 from Phoenix International Raceway. No Sprint Cup driver is hotter than Carl Edwards, who picked up his series-leading third victory of the season last week in Texas. Despite his torrid start to the season, Edwards and his fellow drivers chase points-leader Jeff Burton.
Prerace host Chris Myers and analyst Jeff Hammond bring fans all the news and features from the Hollywood Hotel, FOX Sports' traveling prerace set. Once the green flag drops, race announcer Mike Joy will be alongside analysts Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds to call all the twists and turns on the track. Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum patrol the pits for up-to-the-second reports on teams and pit stops.
MCREYNOLDS: DRIVING IN THE DESERT IS LIKE NIGHT & DAY — With the temperature in Phoenix this Saturday expected to reach 90 degrees, NASCAR on FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds says a big challenge for drivers will be adjusting the car and their driving to the changing track temperatures. "The crew has to build a car that can adjust throughout the course of the race. The hotter the track is, the more likely it is for the car to slide while later in the race, as the track gets cooler, the car will gain grip," said McReynolds. Drivers and crew chiefs will have to decide which aspects of the car they feel needs to be altered. "A car needs to be tweaked during any race but the track temperature affects the whole thing. It'll be a challenge that each driver will have to take into account with the new car."
FOX SPORTS SUPPORTS MAKES A DIFFERENCE — FOX Sports Supports, the on-air charitable initiative devoted to raising awareness, providing financial assistance and spurring volunteerism for select health related charities, is off to a successful start. As the official charity of NASCAR on FOX, Autism Speaks has benefited from on-air mentions of the organization including PSA's that run during the telecast. Through the first seven races of the NASCAR on FOX season, traffic for the Autism Speaks website (www.autismspeaks.org) increases by 55% on race day as compared to a typical Sunday.
The early achievements of this initiative caught the eye of another charitable organization, NASCAR Foundation, prompting the group to team up with FOX Sports Supports last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Through on-air mentions and the NASCAR Foundation website, the charitable pair was able to raise approximately $10,000 selling "NASCAR Day Pins" at $5 each with all the proceeds going towards Autism Speaks.
FOX Sports Supports is continuing its charitable efforts during the baseball season with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the official charity of the 2008 MLB on FOX season.
DIGGER CONTINUES TO LAP FELLOW ROOKIES — After seven races, FOXSports.com's 2008 NASCAR rookie of the year poll continues to be dominated by one individual. With driver's Regan Smith, Sam Hornish Jr, Dario Franchitti and now Michael McDowell, who caught America's attention after surviving a horrific crash last week, all competing in the poll, FOX's Gopher Cam mascot Digger has sustained the lead. Garnering 60% of the 56,976 votes cast as of 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the lovable critter has proven no match for his fellow rookies. Smith remains in second with 16%, Hornish Jr. is third (11%), Franchitti is fourth (5%) and McDowell is in fifth (4%).
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