Rawlings, the longtime sponsor of the Gold Glove awards for defensive excellence in MLB, is pushing the program up a notch with the awarding of a Platinum Glove to the top defensive players in the AL and NL, and a one-hour show on ESPN2 tomorrow evening. “Baseball Tonight Presents Rawlings Gold Glove Awards” will air tomorrow at 10:00pm ET. All 18 Gold Glove winners will be announced and the trophies will be featured on the “Baseball Tonight" set. The Platinum Glove awards will also be announced -- fans can vote for the best defensive player in each league on the Rawlings Sporting Goods Facebook page starting tomorrow night. Rawlings is also ramping up the program with a N.Y. presentation of the Gold and Platinum Gloves Nov. 11 before 550 people at the Pierre Hotel, in which Joe Piscopo will emcee and Jerry Seinfeld will perform. Gold Sport Collectibles, which makes the golden gloves, is presenting sponsor of the dinner; other sponsors include EA Sports, Topps and Budweiser. With the push behind its signature Gold Glove Award, Rawlings is trying to increase its MLB visibility. Rival Wilson has long been the official glove of MLB, while Rawlings has official ball rights, along with the 54 years of heritage with the Gold Glove Awards. "This is a branding play for us that we hope will put a halo over Rawlings and better connect us with every baseball fan," said Rawlings Senior VP/Marketing Mike Thompson. Alliance Marketing Partners, Conshohocken, Pa., handles the account for Rawlings.
