Fox has begun shooting promos featuring players from 20 of
the 28 MLB teams. The "player personality promos" and "Safe at
Home" segments will run each night during prime-time programming.
Fox Sports Exec VP/Marketing Tracy Dolgin: "This campaign will
help us do for Major League Baseball what we did for the NFL and
NHL, which is to retain the sports' core audience while building
a whole newer, younger audience." Fox Sports Senior VP/Creative
Dir George Greenberg said the spots will put players "in a
different light." The following players will be used (Fox
Sports):
AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE
TEAM PLAYERS TEAM PLAYERS
BAL Alomar, Bonilla, Ripken ATL Justice, Maddux, McGriff
BOS Clemens and Vaughn CUBS Sandberg and Sosa
CAL Edmonds and Salmon CIN Larkin and Sanders
CHI Guillen, Thomas, Ventura COL Bichette and Walker
CLE Belle and Lofton HOU Bagwell and Biggio
DET Fielder and Fryman L.A. Karros, Nomo, Piazza
MIL Nilsson and Carr NYM Brogna and L. Johnson
MIN Puckett PHL Daulton and Dysktra
NYY Cone, O'Neill, Martinez S.D. Gwynn and Caminiti
SEA Johnson and Griffey S.F. Bonds and Williams
LIGHTS, CAMERA, PLAY BALL: In Milwaukee, Michael Schenk is
producing a spot that plays off catcher Dave Nilsson's Australian
background. Nilsson tells how difficult it is to find someone to
play catch with in Australia, and the camera pulls back to find
him playing catch with himself, "boomerang style" (MILWAUKEE
JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/22). In Houston, Craig Biggio and Jeff
Bagwell make fun of how many times they've been hit by pitches.
Biggio sits in a dugout wondering why he got hit 22 times last
season: "Do these guys not like me?" Manager Terry Collins then
sends Biggio to hit and with a sign on Biggio's back that reads:
"Hit Me" (Blount & Truex, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/22).
IN THE BOOTH: Tim McCarver is close to signing a deal with
Fox that would team him with either Joe Buck or Thom Brennaman as
top broadcast team, according to Rudy Martzke. Other possible
analysts are Andy Van Slyke, Rick Dempsey, and Ken Singleton.
Fox will have two baseball studio shows starting June 1, with a
children's show at noon followed by a regular program at 12:30pm.
Fox Exec Producer Ed Goren notes the 12:30 show "could be called
'Saturday Fever'" with Van Slyke or Dave Winfield possible (USA
TODAY, 2/22).
