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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 05 May 2010 14:58 |
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 2K Sports announced today that 24-year-old Wade McGilberry of Semmes, Alabama has won an unprecedented cash prize in the amount of $1,000,000 by being the first person to throw a verified perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K10, the latest iteration of the popular Major League Baseball 2K series. The special contest, which was available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft through the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network* and PlayStation3 computer entertainment system through the PlayStation Network*, illustrated 2K Sports' dedication to delivering vastly improved gameplay and pitching mechanics this season in Major League Baseball 2K10.
According to the SportsBusiness Daily, McGilberry pitched the perfect game using the Braves' Kenshin Kawakami. "It was actually my wife who convinced me to go for it," said Wade McGilberry, winner of 2K Sports' Perfect Game competition. "I never thought I'd actually win a million dollars playing a video game, it's all still sinking in for me." Wade threw a verified perfect game on the first day of the competition, a feat thought by many to be impossible. He went on to add, "The game itself was fantastic - I'm glad I bought it either way ¬- but I have to say, this is a nice return on my investment."
"This competition was an amazing ride for us," said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. "We honestly had no idea what to expect. But the incredible response from the fans and the buzz surrounding the competition was nothing that we could have ever predicted. Throwing a perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K10 is anything but easy. We congratulate Wade on his successful pursuit of perfection."
Fans were able to participate in the $1,000,000 Major League Baseball 2K10 contest beginning on March 2, 2010 at 12:01 AM PST. The competition ended on May 1, 2010 at 11:59 PM PDT. To compete, gamers had to play in MLB Today mode, select from any of the available matchups, and then choose the option to participate in the ‘MLB 2K10 contest' that automatically defaulted to the proper gameplay settings as defined by the official contest rules. Entries had to be recorded via camera or digital video recorder in compliance with guidelines provided by 2K in the official rules, and all eligible entrants had to submit a copy of their recording in its entirety for verification. Submissions were only accepted on DVD. To ensure accuracy in the verification and submission process, 2K Sports partnered with Twin Galaxies International, the worldwide authority on video game world records, and provider of scores to Guinness World Records that are published in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition. On May 2, 2010, 2K Sports, in conjunction with Twin Galaxies International, began reviewing player submission videos. After a thorough review process, 2K Sports determined that Wade McGilberry was the first person to throw a verified perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K10. Source: 2KSports
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
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Written by Maury Brown
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Friday, 23 April 2010 10:33 |
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Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) announced that MLB.TV is now available in North America on the PlayStation3 (PS3), the first and only gaming console to stream live baseball games in High Definition (HD). According to Sony, the combination of the PS3 system’s technical capabilities and MLBAM’s pioneering live high definition streaming technology provides the necessary infrastructure to make this platform partnership the industry benchmark for streaming live HD content to the home.
“MLB.com is the perfect partner to showcase the power and potential of PS3 as an in-home platform for all types of entertainment: games, TV, movies, original content and now, live, HD access to America’s favorite pastime,” said Jack Tretton, president and chief operating officer, SCEA. “We are excited for our customers who don’t live near their favorite team and can now see every game, and keep an eye on the rest of the league, too, as this season promises to include many record-breaking moments that they won’t want to miss.”
“In addition to desktops and laptops, which can be found in every American home, as well as mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, this transaction represents another important distribution point for our fans to enjoy live baseball games via the Internet,” said Kenny Gersh, senior vice president, business development, MLBAM.
With PS3 and PlayStation Network, MLB.TV subscribers receive a superior visual and interactive experience with an array of features built and designed exclusively for use in the PS3 ecosystem. Some of the features include:
- Home and Away Feeds – Choose to watch either the home or away broadcast feed.
- Live Game DVR Functionality – Use the live video overlay to pause and rewind live games or fast-forward back to live game action.
- Scrollable Linescore – Go directly to any half-inning to watch only that portion of the game.
- MLB Scoreboard – Scrollable league-wide scoreboard for each day’s games in three modes: Pre-game with scheduled starting pitchers; Live with up-to-the-minute game status; and Post-game with final pitching decisions and archived feed selection.
- Favorite Team Selection – Pick a favorite team or teams to be featured first on the daily scoreboard.
- Calendar Schedule – Scroll through the entire 2010 Major League Baseball schedule in calendar format or the user-designated favorite team’s schedule.
Recognizing PS3’s ability to process, stream and display live HD content, the MLB.TV offer is exclusive to PS3 owners and free to current MLB.TV subscribers who already own a PS3 system. Source: Sony
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
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Written by Maury Brown
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Sunday, 04 April 2010 07:50 |
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It caused the servers to meltdown, but by moving yesterday’s chat with Harold Reynolds from the Yakcy sports social media site (see http://www.yakcy.com) to Yacky’s Facebook page, Reynolds was able to get more than 140 characters out on questions.
One of the best exchanges involved a question from Ken Fang of the great Fang’s Bites sports media blog, who asked Reynolds about getting more African-Americans back into Major League Baseball:
I think players understand there's a problem and yes, deep down it may be how they're thinking. The game has changed how guys get into the game...for lower income families. With all the travel squads and feeder systems into the draft, it's what scouts are in tune with. There's really only 10 teams that will go ahead and draft high school players and develop them and those are the teams that have higher percentage of minority players. The solution is we either have to figure out a way where scholarships for baseball have to be equal to the other sports in order draw the minority player or all the other Major League teams that have the philosophy of drafting college players need to change or adapt and look at and take chances with high school players. Baseball doesn't give full scholarships like other sports in college...it's difficult especially when it comes to the finances.
I followed up by asking about ascension of Michael Jordan which bolstered the NBA’s popularity, as well as the NFL seeing quicker transition from college to the big leagues, Reynolds had this to say:
I think [MLB's] done a great job of marketing the game. I really believe it comes down to scholarships. When you're looking for ways to overcome economic situations, it comes down to scholarships. In most communities, the best athletes are playing all of the sports. I did it as a kid but I was given a scholarship to play baseball and if I hadn't gotten one, I would've played football. I just don't think that's there for these kids today.
The issue is complex, and kudos to Reynolds for bringing up the full-scholarship issue, a key pillar in the topic. Still a ways to go.
Click to donate
to Autism Speaks |
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Tuesday, 30 March 2010 10:30 |
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Starting this baseball season, Time Warner Cable subscribers who receive the YES Network in the Yankees’ home broadcasting territory will be able to purchase a package of YES’ New York Yankees game telecasts for live inmarket online viewing.
The Yankees on YES Live Game Streaming in-market package will launch in conjunction with YES’ Sunday, April 4, season-opening Yankees-Red Sox telecast (8 pm ET). YES Network will offer the package to eligible Time Warner Cable customers for $69.95 for the entire 2010 regular season, or $19.95 for any 30-day period this regular season. All games will be delivered in true high definition, the highest-quality live streaming as pioneered by Major League Baseball Advanced Media.
Time Warner Cable joins Cablevision and Verizon’s FiOS service in the distribution of YES telecasts for viewing live on broadband this season. Registration commences today for the more than six million eligible subscribers of Cablevision, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. Customers can purchase a package of all of YES' 127 regular season Yankees telecasts for $69.95, or can pay $19.95 for any 30-day period.
YES Network will allow eligible Time Warner Cable customers to purchase this package and use high-speed Internet access to watch YES’ Yankees telecasts live on their computers throughout the Yankees’ entire home broadcasting territory. They also will be able to watch YES’ Yankees telecasts live on laptops or other portable computers via WiFi. Time Warner Cable has reached an agreement with the YES Network to cooperate with Major League Baseball Advanced Media to ensure that only eligible Time Warner Cable customers may subscribe to the package.
The YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the nation the past seven years, and Major League Baseball Advanced Media reached a multi-year agreement last year paving the way for YES to launch in-market streaming of its Yankees telecasts in partnership with YES affiliates.
Beginning immediately, eligible subscribers can review FAQs for the product and purchase Yankees on YES Live Game Streaming at Yankees.com, YESNetwork.com, Optimum.net (for Cablevision customers) and Verizon.net/YES (for Verizon FiOS customers). The YES Network and Major League Baseball Advanced Media reached a multi-year agreement last year paving the way for YES to launch in-market streaming of its Yankees telecasts in partnership with YES affiliates.
Source: Time Warner, MLB Advanced Media
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF HOCKEY)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 18 March 2010 14:55 |
Yakcing all over Twitter: A new social network site launched by Victor Rojas
looks to hook you into sports specific social networking "rooms" |
Social networking has become more than a trend, by all accounts, it appears to be here to stay. Whether it’s Facebook or Twitter, millions connect to discuss what is important to them.
For sports, Twitter seems to have gained incredible traction. Media, fans, and athletes converged on the platform, and with it, it has become where many get their news.
But, as with any platform that isn’t specific to one area, it can have disadvantages. Trying to pick out game relevant tweets in the timeline gets lost with other content being followed. Sure, there are hashtags, but with only 140 characters at your disposal to comment with, they can chew up space for something you wish to say, and getting everyone to use the same hashtag for an event is no sure bet.
Victor Rojas, the new television play-by-play man for the LA Angels, and former MLB Network host today launched Yakcy (http://www.yakcy.com/), a site that allows sports fans to engage in Twitter-esq conversation on sports, thus allowing fans to focus on specific events without the background chatter often times associated with Twitter.
Rojas, a staple on Twitter, saw the need for a sports specific social media site at one point last season.
“While I was extremely active on Twitter for most of last summer & enjoyed the interaction, I found it difficult to follow ‘conversations’ on my timeline during a game and wasn't a fan of the hashtags,” Rojas said. “The proverbial light bulb for me occurred during the Twins/White Sox play-in game. As I watched and ‘talked’ with friends & followers, I kept getting @mentions from other fans wanting to talk about their teams. That's really when it dawned on me...what if I created a 'space' where I could talk about a specific game with fans from the two teams involved and no one else? My lack of sleep began the next day.”
The site is designed around specific sporting events, such as each game for the NCAA Tournament, Golf, MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MMA, and more. Users can login by creating an account through Yakcy, or use your Facebook or Twitter accounts to connect through to the site. Once in, sport-centric “rooms” are available to enter into approx. an hour and a half before an event starts and closing about an hour and a half, after. Events also have a “Yak-Trak” room open 24/7 to allow open chats.
Rojas kicked off the site with a soft launch today with multiple phase to the application functionality coming shortly, including versions iPhone and Android mobile platforms.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(SPORTS BASH)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 10 February 2010 11:10 |
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On April 4, ESPN360.com, ESPN’s 24/7 broadband sports network, will become ESPN3.com. At that time the network will also introduce new features and functionality that will enhance the viewing experience. Details of these enhancements will be released closer to the launch in the spring.
“The name ESPN3.com more closely aligns with the existing naming convention for our networks,” said Sean Bratches, executive vice president, sales and marketing. "We have approached this as a network for years, and as users have become more accustomed to engaging with content across various screens, it made sense to make adjustments that reflect both the product’s and the industry’s evolution.”
Added Damon Phillips, vice president, ESPN3.com, “The network will continue to offer the same great content that sports fans have come to expect, with more than 3,500 live events annually. We look forward to rolling out new enhancements to offer the best viewing experience possible in the months ahead.”
ESPN3.com will continue to give consumers control over their broadband sports viewing experience with the ability to pause and rewind live events. Fans will continue to be able to toggle between up to 20 events in a main viewing window, and with a single click, jump to another event. Video can be viewed in widescreen (16:9) and normal (4:3) views and can be expanded to full screen or reduced to a compact size. Recently completed events will continue to be archived and available for on-demand replay.
The site will feature the same live online sports coverage that users are accustomed to on ESPN360.com. Events include, but are not limited to:
- Basketball: NBA, Men’s and Women’s college basketball, Euroleague, FIBA, WNBA;
- Football: College Football (including the BCS Bowl games beginning next season)
- Soccer: FIFA World Cup events and global qualifiers, Football League (UK), Carling Cup (UK), La Liga (Spain), Italian Serie A, Portuguese Liga Sagres, MLS, US National team, international “friendlies” and more;
- Baseball: MLB, College World Series, Little League World Series;
- Tennis: Hundreds of hours of multi-court coverage of all four “grand slam” events as well as select other events;
- Golf: extensive coverage of the US Open, The Masters, The Open Championship and more;
- Lacrosse: Major League Lacrosse, NCAA College Lacrosse;
- Misc. Sports: X Games and Winter X Games, NCAA Hockey and Softball, Open-wheel Racing, Professional Racquetball, International Polo and more.
The network is available at no cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider and is currently in 50 million households – a majority of US broadband homes. It is accessible via dozens of Internet Service Providers nationwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Cox Communications, Comcast, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more.
Source: ESPN
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Tuesday, 05 January 2010 13:42 |
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 Last week, the Washington Times shutdown its entire 25-member sports section. Today, at least one of those has landed elsewhere. MASN, the television home of the Washington Nationals, has announced that Ben Goessling has joined the network as a full-time reporter, blogger and on-air contributor. Goessling will cover the Nationals for MASNsports.com, beginning on January 11th.
Goessling will continue writing about the team on a daily basis, hosting live chats and video blogs and making frequent appearances during MASN's pre and post game show, Nats Xtra. He will also interact with fans using Twitter, the popular social networking platform. He joins Phil Wood and Byron Kerr who continue to cover the Nationals for MASNsports.com.
Goessling enters his third year covering the Nationals after two seasons on the beat at the Washington Times, where he was a frequent contributor to Nats Xtra during the "Hot Corner" segment. In addition to covering the Nationals and two World Series, he covered the Washington Capitals, Redskins and Wizards, as well as local college basketball, the AT&T National tournament and the 2009 Frozen Four. He began his career at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, where he covered everything from sports to local news and business, and has worked for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, where he was honored by the Minnesota Associated Press Sports Association for a 2004 investigation into allegations of coaching impropriety at the University of Minnesota.
During his years at the Washington Times, Goessling embraced the changing face of sports media by contributing to "Chatter," the Times' popular Nationals blog, hosting online chats with fans and developing a robust Twitter account, @washtimesbb.
"Ben is one of the most trusted, informative, and active members of the media covering the Nationals," said MASN spokesman Todd Webster. "We are excited that Ben is bringing his insights, perspective and work ethic to MASNsports.com, to provide Nationals fans with 24/7 access to the team."
While Goessling has landed, please continue to support the other Washington Times sports writers that were let go. For sports business matters, follow Tim Lemke on his blog http://www.timlemkesports.com/ and on twitter @TimLemkeSports
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 09 December 2009 15:54 |
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 In a sign that the Baseball Writers Association of America’s landscape is continuing to change, Sean Foreman, the creator of Baseball-Reference.com has gained inclusion into the BBWAA. In making Foreman a member, the definition as to who falls within the parameters for inclusion into the BBWAA further evolves.
Foreman is not specifically known as a writer, although he has recently published work on The New York Times, and blogs on Baseball-Reference. However, his contributions in terms of statistical information has been at the core of countless articles in mainstream and alternative media.
Institutions that also gained inclusion into the BBWAA include AOL Fanhouse, which includes writers such as Ed Price Jeff Fletcher, as well as the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 02 December 2009 17:00 |
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 For those that are looking to get their foot in the door in baseball, this may be an opportunity.
MLB.com, the Official Site of Major League Baseball, is seeking stats stringers in these markets for the 2010 season:
· Boston
· Cincinnati
· Cleveland
· Detroit
· Miami
· Milwaukee
· Texas
Stats stringers are responsible for digitally scoring games from one of the 30 MLB ballparks, which provides the data used in the live content applications on MLB.com, including Gameday and MLB.TV, real-time highlights and text alerts, and by our business partners. This is a perfect part-time job for a diligent, responsible employee who happens to be a big baseball fan.
Responsibilities include:
- Arrive at the ballpark no later than one hour prior to the scheduled start time;
- Double-check and verify all pre-game information: rosters, umpires, weather conditions, etc.;
- During the game, enter the results of every pitch and game event (plays, substitutions, etc.) using our proprietary software and coding language;
- Work closely with our game-night support staff (via AOL Instant Messenger) to ensure proper scoring of all game events and accuracy of data;
- After the game, enter all post-game information: winning and losing pitcher, saves, holds, time and attendance
- Validate all stats in software box score against the official box score provided by the Official Scorer, and print out a final box score and game text for the club PR staff
Qualifications include:
- Previous experience (including pressbox exposure) with a professional or college sports team, preferably baseball;
- Exceptional (and demonstrable) knowledge of baseball and how to score a baseball game;
- Strong computer proficiency (Windows OS and Windows-based software) and the ability to quickly learn and operate new software;
- Regular availability to attend games in-person as required by the schedule: weekdays, nights and weekends;
- A "team player" with a great attitude, including but not limited to a willingness to make and learn from mistakes and the ability to work closely and cooperatively (and take direction from) our game-night staff;
- Professionalism. It's a fun job and we pay people to watch baseball, but it's also an important job and we want people who will take the responsibility seriously.
(New stringers undergo an 8-10 week correspondence training program, and co-score several practice games in the ballpark with a returning stringer, before scoring any games solo in the ballpark.)
Those interested in applying should send a resume and cover later, addressing the above-listed qualifications, to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
ONLY those who reply to this e-mail address will be considered, and due to volume, we may be unable to respond to all applicants.
Source: MLB.com
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF FOOTBALL)
(THE BIZ OF HOCKEY)
(THE BIZ OF BASKETBALL)
(SPORTS BASH)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
Follow The Biz of Baseball on Twitter
Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook |
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