ESPN Announces Latest Additions To Its Sunday Night Baseball Broadcast Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN

Major League Baseball’s 2015 season is just around the corner and in celebration, ESPN announced this week, its first official slate of games for this year’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell schedule.

This year’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell schedule kicks off Sunday, April 5thwith a matchup of National League foes St. Louis and Chicago. St. Louis will be on the road against the Cubs in the season’s first Sunday night broadcast. The following Sunday, April 12th, the Boston Red Sox make one of its annual trips up to New York to face their hated foes the New York Yankees. In week three, the Reds hit the road in an NL Central battle against the St. Louis Cardinals. And it’s the annual “Subway Series” between the Mets and Yankees in week four with the Mets leaving the safety of Shea Stadium to face the Yanks. Things only heat up from there as the season progresses. Dan Shulman will have the call for each week’s broadcast beginning at 8pm ET. He will be joined by analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk, and reporter Buster Olney. Each week’s broadcast is preceded by ESPN’s weekly pre-game show Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet at 7pm ET.

Those that won’t be near a television on Sunday nights can still catch ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell on ESPN Radio and online via WatchESPN. Broadcasts are also available in Spanish for ESPN’s Spanish-speaking audiences via ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio. ESPN’s current Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell schedule is listed below.

Current 2015 Sunday Night Baseball schedule:

Apr. 5

St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Opening Night presented by Scotts (ESPN2)
Apr. 12

Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees presented by Taco Bell
Apr. 19

Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals presented by Taco Bell
Apr. 26

New York Mets at New York Yankees presented by Taco Bell
May 3

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox presented by Taco Bell
May 10

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers presented by Taco Bell
May 17

Detroit Tigers at St. Louis Cardinals presented by Taco Bell
May 24

Texas Rangers at New York Yankees presented by Taco Bell
May 31

Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim presented by Taco Bell (ESPN2)
*July 12

St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates presented by Taco Bell
*July 19

Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim presented by Taco Bell

More information on ESPN’s weekly broadcasts of Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is available online along with all of the latest Major League Baseball news at:

Website: https://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

President Obama Making Special Call-In Appearance On The Herd This Morning

Courtesy: ESPN

There’s big news for fans of ESPN Radio’s The Herd With Coin Cowherd today.

President Obama will be a special call-in guest on The Herd today.  Cowherd’s interview with President Obama is scheduled for 11am ET.  Along with talking about the Bulls and White Sox—Obama’s home town teams—Cowherd will also discuss the NFL’s conduct policy and NBA players holding their own protest by donning shirts reading, “I Can’t Breathe.”  The shirts are in reference to the recent case in which an NYPD officer was cleared of charges in the death of Eric Garner.  The interview will also include a discussion on the upcoming healthcare signup deadline.

This morning’s call-in appearance is not the first time that President Obama has joined Colin Cowherd.  He joined Colin back on March 20^th to discuss his bracket for the 2014 March Madness tournament, college sports in general, and more.

The Herd With Colin Cowherd runs Monday – Friday from 10am – 1pm ET on ESPN Radio, the ESPN Radio app, espnradio.com, SiriusXM, iTunes Radio, Slacker, and TuneIn.  It is also simulcast on ESPNU.

More information on this morning’s show and upcoming broadcasts is available online at http://espn.go.com/espnradio/show?showId=theherd.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Events Announces Details Of Very Busy College Football Bowl Game Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN

The 2014 College football regular season is over and now it’s on to the “post season. With the “post season” comes the annual announcement of which teams will go bowling. And that announcement was made last night with ESPN Events announcing its schedule for this year’s bowl games in accordance.

ESPN Events owns and operates eleven of the bowl games that make up the annual college football bowl schedule. The first of those eleven games is the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. The Gildan New Mexico Bowl will be held Saturday, December 20^th. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:20pm ET/12:20 pm MT. Utah State (9 – 4 overall, 6 – 2 conference) will represent the Mountain West in the game. The Aggies will take on the Utep Miners from Conference USA. UTEP is 7 – 5 overall and 5 – 3 in conference play. The Gildan New Mexico Bowl will be played live at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

The second game on ESPN Events’ schedule of bowl games is the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. The Utah Utes (8 – 4 overall, 5 – 4 conference) will represent the Pac -12 in the game while The Colorado State Rams (10 – 2 overall, 6 – 2 conference) will play for the Mountain West. The Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl is also set for Saturday, December 20th. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30pm ET. The game will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV and will be broadcast live on ABC.

Third up on ESPN Events’ bowl schedule is the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. 2014 marks the 18^th year that the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will be held as part of college football’s “post season.” It is the nation’s longest-running cold weather bowl game. As with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl and the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, that game is also scheduled for Saturday, December 20^th. The Broncos of Western Michigan (Mid-American, 8 – 4 overall, 6 – 2 conference) will take on the Mountain West’s Air Force Academy Falcons (9 – 3 overall, 5 – 3 conference) in this game. The game will come live from Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium. It will broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

The fourth game on the schedule for ESPN Events is one of two newly-created bowl games. That game, the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, will be a prime-time game on Saturday, December 20th. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:15pm ET. The Jaguars of South Alabama (6 – 6 overall, 5 – 3 conference) will represent the Sun Belt as they take on the MAC representative Bowling Green Falcons (7 – 6 overall, 5 – 3 conference). The game will be played at the Cranton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.

Game Five on ESPN Events’ bowl schedule is another first-time bowl game. The Boca Raton Bowl will see C-USA Champion Marshall (12 – 1 overall, 7 – 1 conference) facing the Huskies of Northern Illinois from the MAC (11 – 2 overall, 7 – 1 conference) on Tuesday, December 23^rd at 6pm ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Radio from the FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

The sixth game on ESPN Events’ 2014 bowl schedule is the Hawai’i Bowl. 2014 marks the thirteenth anniversary of the annual bowl. In its thirteenth anniversary year, C-USA rep Rice (7 – 5 overall, 5 – 3 conference) will face Mountain West rep Fresno State (6 – 7 overall, 5 – 3 conference). 2014 marks the tenth year that the Hawai’i Bowl has been held on Christmas. The game will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI. Kickoff is scheduled for 8pm ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

Game Seven on ESPN Events’ 2014 bowl schedule comes in the form of the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl will take place the day after Christmas. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8 – 5 overall, 7 – 1 conference) from the C-USA will take on Big Ten rep the Illinois Fighting Illini (6 – 6 overall, 3 – 5 conference). Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm ET. The game will be played at Texas’ historic Cotton Bowl on the grounds of Fair Park. The game will be televised live on ESPN.

Also on December 26^th, the ACC’s NC State (7 – 5 overall, 3 – 5 conference) will face the UCF Knights (9 – 3 overall, 7 – 1 conference) from the AAC in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl. Kickoff is schedule for 8pm ET. The game will come live from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

After Friday night’s game, ESPN’s bowl coverage will continue on Monday, December 29^th with the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl live from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Arkansas Razorbacks (6 – 6 overall, 2 – 6 conference) will represent the SEC against the Texas Longhorns (6 – 6 overall, 5 – 4 conference) in this game. ESPN and ESPN Radio will have coverage of the game right from its 9pm ET kickoff.

The tenth game on ESPN Events’ schedule is the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, January 2^nd, 2015. The University of Houston fell to AAC foe Cincinnati over the weekend in the teams’ season ender, giving the Bearcats a piece of this year’s AAC Championship. Houston will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers (6 – 6 overall, 4 – 4 conference) from the ACC. Kickoff is set for 12pm ET. The game will be played live at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU in For Worth, Texas. This year marks the twelfth year that the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl has been a part of the college football “post season.”

Last on the list of ESPN Events’ bowl games is the Birmingham Bowl. The Pirates of East Carolina University (8 – 4 overall, 5 – 3 conference) will play for the AAC while Florida (6 – 5 overall, 4 – 4 conference) will represent the SEC. Florida is only one of two schools from the SEC to play in ESPN Events’ college bowl schedule this year. The only other SEC team to play in the schedule is Arkansas in the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl. The game will be played live at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday, January 3^rd. Kickoff is set for 12pm ET. It will be carried live on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

The complete 2014 listing and details of this year’s bowl games is available online at:

Website: http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CFBonESPN

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Giants World Series Blu-ray Collector’s Edition Is A Must Have For Any Hardcore Baseball Fan

Courtesy: MLB Productions/A&E Home Video/Lionsgate

Major League Baseball’s 2014 season is officially in the books.  The trophy’s been raised, the champagne poured, and all the gear is hung up for the year.  It means baseball fans have to wait another six months to hear the crack of the bat and all of the great smells of the ballpark again.  Meanwhile, the people at MLB Productions, Lionsgate, and A&E Home Video have made available for baseball fans everywhere a great way to get their baseball fix in the meantime.  They have partnered to release Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition.  This box set is a viable candidate for every sports writer and sportscaster’s best new releases this year.  The reasons for this are far more than any one person could ever discuss in a single setting.  So this critic will attempt to discuss at least some of the reasons that this box set is a win itself for baseball fans regardless of their team allegiance.  One reason that Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition is a win is the fact that it presents every single inning of every game from the 2014 World Series.  Within the context of each game, audiences can choose which inning to watch and whether to watch the top or bottom of said inning.  This is the norm from Major League Baseball Productions.  So it is especially nice to see that carried on in this box set.  Another reason that audiences will enjoy this box set is its companion booklet.  The companion booklet that comes with the Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition offers a complete box score for each game.  It also includes little tidbits about each game including not only the hits, .ERAs, etc. but even the games’ attendance and temperature at first pitch.  It really is an in-depth companion for any hardcore baseball fan in the context of this set.  Last but hardly least important worth noting of the Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition is its audio settings.  Audiences are not limited to just Fox’s broadcast team in following the game.  Fans can watch the game and listen to the game through the call of the Royals Radio Network and the Giants Radio Network.  That trio of choices is offered in every one of the World Series games, not just one.  Whether it be that choice of game audio, the set’s companion booklet, or the fact that all seven games are included in whole here, each factor plays its own important role in the success of the Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition.  Together, they make this box set a must have for any hardcore baseball fan regardless of their team allegiance.

The first and most important reason for the success of the Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition is the fact that presented in this set is the complete seven-game 2014 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals.  Not one game is left out.  It even includes as a bonus for baseball fans, Game 5 of the National League Championship Series between the Giants and Cardinals.  That was the game that boosted the Giants into the World Series.  As with each of the World Series’ seven games, that game is also presented in its entirety.  The fact that the series (and Game Five of the NLCS) is shown in its entirety is just the tip of the iceberg that makes the complete collection a bonus.  MLB Productions has maintained its tradition of allowing audiences to choose the inning at which they want to start here.  Not only that, but they can choose whether they want to start at the top or bottom of the given inning.  This, too is something that MLB Productions has made a standard with each of its previous releases.  So the fact that MLB Productions has continued that tradition here is a wonderful thing.  It isn’t all that makes the Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition a success.  Audiences should also take into account the set’s companion booklet.

The companion booklet that comes with the Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition is a perfect addition to the box set.  It includes a complete, in-depth box score for each game.  It doesn’t just give the standard score information such as .ERAs, runs, hits, etc.  It also includes extra tidbits such as the game-time temperature at the time of each game’s first pitch, attendance at each game, and even specific details about certain players from both sides of the ball.  It’s like having a full series program for those that could only take in the game from their living rooms and bedrooms.  The fact that the people at MLB Productions would include this with the box set once again (it’s not the first time that MLB Productions has done this either) makes the box even more of a win.

The complete presentation of all seven games from the 2014 World Series is a key factor to the success of the Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition.  The set’s in-depth companion booklet makes the experience all the richer for baseball fans.  That is because of the amount of information that is shared throughout the companion booklet.  It is like having a program for those that couldn’t be at any of the games.  The last factor that makes this box set a success is the trio of audio options for each game.  Audiences are not relegated to listening only to Fox’s broadcast team.  They are given the option of listening to the game through the call of the Royals Radio Network and the Giants Network.  There are those people who actually admit to turning off a game’s audio on television and taking in the game through the call of their local radio affiliate.  Now audiences can do just that without even having to turn on a radio.  Again whether one is loyal to the Royals or Giants, audiences can experience the call of each game through the network of their choice.  Even more impressive is that audiences can even switch between the two radio networks or Fox’s broadcast team throughout each game.  They are not forced to listen to just one broadcast audio option within any game.  That is a huge win for audiences even if they are not loyal to the Royals or Giants.  That factor rounds out the entire box set and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this box set is a must have for every sports writer and sports caster around the country.  It is just as much of a must have for any hardcore baseball fan regardless of team allegiance.

The full seven-game presentation of the Giants 2014 World Series Collector’s Edition and its in-depth companion booklet more than make this Blu-ray box set a must have for any lover of America’s past-time.  The fact that audiences can choose the inning and half of said inning at which they start viewing makes the box set even more of a hit.  The multi-functional  audio options offered to audiences throughout the course of those seven-games makes the box set a grand slam (bad pun fully intended).  It is available now and can be ordered online direct from MLB Productions’ website at http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=51967736.  More information on this and other releases from MLB Productions is available online at:

Website: http://mlbproductions.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mlbprod

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Looks Back At Jeter’s Career With Special Programming This Week

Courtesy: ESPN

Derek Jeter is officially counting down his final days wearing pinstripes. In celebration of the Yankee great’s career, ESPN is offering special programming documenting his career throughout this week. ESPN’s week-long coverage of Jeter’s career begins today as the Yankees host the Orioles in the second game in a four-game series that kicked off Monday. New York won yesterday’s game, blanking the Orioles 5 – 0. Game two is expected to begin tonight at 7:05pm ET. Jon Sciambi will have the call for the game. He will be joined by analyst Rick Sutcliffe and analyst/reporter Doug Glanville for additional commentary.

Jon Sciambi will also have the call Thursday night for what will be Jeter’s last game at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees close out their four-game series against the Orioles on ESPN Radio. He will be joined by analyst Chris Singleton for additional commentary. Coverage of Thursday night’s game begins with pre-game coverage at 6pm ET. Freddie Coleman will have a full wrap-up of the game immediately following its conclusion on The Freddie Coleman Show.

SportsCenter Special: Derek Jeter will air this Friday, September 26^th at 7:30pm ET. Karl Ravech will anchor the special broadcast. He will be joined by ESPN MLB analysts Curt Schilling, Aaron Boone, Mark Mulder and ESPN MLB Insiders Buster Olney, Tim Kurkjian, and Keith Law. They will look back at Jeter’s storied career and examine his place in the pantheon of both baseball history and that of the Yankees.

On Sunday, ESPN’s look back at Jeter’s career continues with two more special broadcasts. Sunday morning at 8am ET, Chris Connelly will take a look at reaction by Yankees fans on Jeter’s retirement on Outside The Lines. That’s on ESPN2. Sunday night, Jorge Sedano (ESPN’s Sedano & Stink) will host an ESPN Radio special focusing on Jeter’s career. That will be Sunday night at 7pm ET.

The special programming across the ESPN networks and ESPN Radio is accompanied by additional coverage online via ESPN.com and in print via ESPN The Magazine as well as through ESPN New York. The content will focus on Jeter’s farewell to the game and his legacy and impact on the world. The additional coverage from ESPN The Magazine and ESPN New York is listed below.

• Contributions from ESPN MLB Insiders Buster Olney, Jayson Stark and Jim Caple;
• An examination of the marketing and merchandizing of Jeter from reporter Darren Rovell;
• A Numbers column from Peter Keating exploring Jeter’s ‘marquee value’ rating from the Fansourced issue of ESPN The Magazine, currently on newsstands;
• An exploration of Jeter’s role in American life from J.R. Moehringer for the Cleveland issue of ESPN The Magazine, which hits newsstands on Friday, Oct. 3;
• ESPN New York content from Andrew Marchand and Ian O’Connor exploring Jeter’s relationship with umpires and his future after baseball;
• Social media integration across platforms utilizing the hashtag #FarewellJeter

ESPN.com will offer photo galleries of some of the biggest moments in Jeter’s career as well as his various Topps baseball cards. There will also be an interactive SportsNation ranking of Jeter’s top 10 plays and a quiz asking which retirement gifts were given to Jeter by the league’s teams.

More information on ESPN’s coverage of Derek Jeter’s retirement and the network’s Major League Baseball coverage is available online at http://espn.go.com/mlb. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Tigers Host Giants Live Sunday On ESPN’s SNB Broadcast

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell will come live from Motown this Sunday night.

The Detroit Tigers will host the San Francisco Giants live on ESPN this Sunday night in the third game of a three-game series between the teams. ESPN’s Dan Shulman will anchor Sunday night’s broadcast. He will be joined by analyst John Kruk and reporter Buster Olney for additional commentary throughout the game. As with each week’s broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell, Sunday’s telecast will be preceded by Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet at 7pm ET. MLB Hall of Famer Barry Larkin will join host Karl Ravech for the show.

This weekend’s inter-league matchup will prove to be an interesting one for both teams as the Tigers have proven so far this season to be better on the road than at home. The team is 35 – 30 at home but 42 – 33 on the road. However, it is coming into tonight’s game on the heels of an 11 – 4 drubbing of Cleveland yesterday at home, giving the team even more motivation going into this weekend’s series as it hosts the Giants. San Francisco will pose its own threat for the Tigers this weekend. It has proven to be almost as good on the road as it is at home going 38 – 33 at home and 38 – 31 on the road so far this season. San Francisco comes into tonight’s game after having a day to rest up yesterday following Wednesday’s 9 – 2 loss to Colorado. So the team will be ready to go against Detroit.

Sunday night’s game is the third in a three-game series between the Tigers and Giants. The series’ first game is tonight with first pitch scheduled for 7:08pm ET. Game two is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. It is currently expected to start at 1:08pm ET. ESPN Radio will have full coverage of the game beginning at 12:30pm ET.

Anyone that is not near a TV Sunday night can still catch the game live on ESPN Radio. Spanish-speaking audiences can also catch Sunday’s broadcast live on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio.

More information on ESPN’s MLB coverage is available online at http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Orioles To Host Yankees On Sept. 14th Edition Of Sunday Night Baseball

Courtesy: ESPN

Football season is officially underway.  College football and NFL stadiums alike are now rocking every week with rabid fans on both sides of the ball.  While football has taken center stage, audiences should be reminded that the 2014 MLB season isn’t over just yet.  With time ticking away before the playoffs start, ESPN has announced that the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees will face off live on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell on Sunday, September 14^th.

The teams’ matchup on September 14^th will be the last in a four-game series between the teams that weekend.  The series kicks off Friday, September 12^th with a double-header between the AL East rivals. Whether or not audiences are Yankees fans, the scheduled game will be an important one as it is believed that it will be the last appearance by Yankees great Derek Jeter on Sunday Night Baseball.  It will also be the last for Jeter at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which is itself celebrating its 25^th season this year.

Dan Shulman will have the call for the game.  He will be joined live by analyst John Kruk and reporter Buster Olney for additional commentary.  Fans that won’t be close to a TV to catch the game on  September 24^th can still catch it on their local ESPN Radio affiliate.  Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton will have the call for audiences listening on the radio.  It will also be available online via WatchESPN and on TV and radio for Spanish-speaking audiences on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes radio.  As with every Sunday Night Baseball broadcast on ESPN, the matchup between the Orioles and Yankees will be preceded by ESPN’s Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet live at 7pm ET.

Tomorrow night, audiences can catch the third game in a three-game series between the Indians and Royals.  The Royals currently sit atop the AL Central Standings while the Indians are third in the division, 3.5 games back.  Game two is tonight at 7:10pm ET.  Next Sunday night, September 7^th, ESPN will carry the third game in a three-game series between the Giants and Tigers.

More information on ESPN’s MLB coverage is available online at http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.