ESPN's 10th season of MLB coverage will begin on
Sunday, April 4, with the Rockies-Padres game from
Monterrey, Mexico. In addition to its Sunday night
coverage, ESPN will televise Wednesday doubleheaders, while
ESPN2 will televise Wednesday doubleheaders in September.
For its Sunday night schedule, the Mets and Rangers lead
with four appearances, while the Yankees, Cardinals, Cubs,
Braves, Angels and Mariners appear three times each (ESPN).
In Orange County, Steve Grimley noted that the "conflict"
between Sunday night NFL and MLB coverage for ESPN "still
exists." MLB Dir of PR Rich Levin: "We're still
negotiating. Nothing has been resolved." ESPN can "only"
move the games to ESPN2 with MLB's permission. Last year,
MLB gave the Sunday night games back to the teams to
distribute as they wished (O.C. REGISTER, 2/18). USA
TODAY's Rudy Martzke notes that two of the three September
Sunday night games on ESPN involve the Brewers, and if MLB
Commissioner (and former Brewers Owner) Bud Selig gives
those games back to the team, "he'd be taking the Brewers'
only two Sunday night games off national TV." ESPN's Mike
Soltys: "Baseball sees and approves our schedule, so they
know of the Brewers games. We put our marquee games early
so they wouldn't go against the NFL" (USA TODAY, 2/19).
CHICAGO STORY: In Chicago, Sherman & Kirk report on the
possible move of non-WGN Cubs games to Fox Sports Chicago,
the White Sox's carrier. If a deal is made, it would mark
the first time that local Cubs games would be on a station
that isn't owned by the Tribune Co. Sources described the
talks as "extremely sensitive," with the atmosphere at Fox
Sports Chicago and WGN "quite tense" (CHI. TRIBUNE, 2/19).
