MLB on ESPN Theme Song - Opening Day 2024

ESPN baseball theme song and graphics - 2018-present - Opening Day 2024

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MLB on ESPN Theme Song

Top Prospects: Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays

Top Prospects: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B, Blue Jays

MLB Opening Day 2016 Schedule

The new baseball season is coming at us like a fastball as the teams of MLB close out the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues.Opening Day 2016 will actually be spread over two days,this Sunday 3 April and Monday 4 April.
Sunday 3 April - all times PM Eastern
Cardinals @Pirates 1:05
Blue Jays @ Rays 4:05
Mets @ Royals 8:37
Monday 4 April - all times PM Eastern
Astros @ Yankees 1:05
Giants @ Brewers 2:10
Twins @ Orioles 3:05
Mariners @ Rangers 4:05
Red Sox @ Indians 4:10
Phillies @ Reds 4:10
Nationals @ Braves 4:10
Dodgers @ Padres 7:05
Blue Jays @ Rays 7:10
Rockies @ Diamondbacks 9:40
White Sox @ Athletics 10:05
Cubs @ Angels 10:05

Major League Baseball Spring Training Dates;Pete Rose Up For Reds Hall

Less than a month from today,22 January,MLB players will start conditioning and practicing for their long season.Key spring training dates for the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues include:
19 February - Pitchers' and catchers' first workout;
22-27 February - Full squad first workout;
1-3 March - First spring training games.*
In other baseball news,the Cincinnati Reds are going ahead with their plan,with the approval of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred,to induct their former star player and manager Pete Rose into the team Hall of Fame.Given Rose's having betted on Reds games both while playing for and managing the Reds,it is doubtful he will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown,New York anytime soon.The National Hall has a rule against inducting anyone who has been banned from baseball,as Rose was for his betting habit in 1989.*
In December,Mr.Manfred refused to reinstate Rose into baseball on the grounds that he hadn't shown evidence of a re-configured life and still gambles.While Rose cannot work for any MLB team or its minor league affiliates,he can participate in ceremonial events approved by Mr.Manfred.Rose will receive his Reds Hall of Fame red sports coat at a team hall of fame banquet during the special Reds honours weekend of 24-26 June.

World Series;PGA Tour;Laughing Kookaburra

The World Series had a travel day Friday as it moved to St.Louis from Boston.The best of seven series is tied 1-1.The St.Louis Cardinals downed the Boston Red Sox 4-2 in Game 2 on Thursday,aided by two hits by Carlos Beltran.Game 3 will start at 8:07 pm Eastern on Fox TV.*
The 2013-2014 PGA season is well underway as the third round of the CIMB Classic is being played at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club,Malaysia.Co-leaders as of the time of publication were Americans Ryan Moore and Chris Stroud at -12.Gary Woodland of the USA and Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat,one of the local favourites,were tied for third at -11.Phil Mickelson is still in contention,tied for eleventh place with four others at -7.*
The Laughing kookaburra(Dacelo novaeguineae) is a fairly large,social and common bird of Australia and New Zealand.It may be found in woodland,park and garden settings and is very tolerant of people,even eating from,or snatching food from,people's hands.The amazing laughing call is a territorial claim mostly heard at dawn and from sunset to dusk.It may reach a very loud level as family units defend their territories.They eat all manner of small animals,including mice,birds,large insects,frogs and snakes,as well as large poisonous snakes on occasion.A popular children's song was inspired by this engaging down under character.
Update:In Game 3 of the World Series at Busch Stadium in St.Louis,St.Louis topped Boston 5-4 on an obstruction call.Clearly it was unintentional and a stroke of bad luck for the Red Sox.As Cardinal left fielder Matt Holliday said,that's part of the game.We'll take it.*
At the CIMB Claasic in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia,Ryan Moore(USA),Gary Woodland(USA) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat(THA) are tied for the fourth round lead.*

Cardinals Crush Dodgers;Wacha MVP

The St.Louis Cardinals ended the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series dream Friday night with a 9-0 win that shocked L.A. ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw,knocking him out of the game in the fifth inning-the first time that has happened this year.For the Cards,rookie pitcher Michael Wacha was superb,throwing seven shutout innings for his second win of the National League Championship Series.He won the NLCS Most Valuable Player award for his efforts.*
The Cardinals now go on to the World Series against either the Detroit Tigers or Boston Red Sox.The World Series starts Wednesday night.*
Right fielder Carlos Beltran,known for his outsatnding post-season play,hit two singles and a double,going 3-4 and batting in two runs for the Cardinals.He made an excellent catch as well.It will be Beltran's first ever appearance in a World Series.We did it as a team,Beltran said.We fought hard,we worked hard all season long,and thank God we're here.*
The Dodgers' rookie outfielder Yasiel Puig,credited with energising the team in the regular season,had a terrible night,going 0-3 at the plate and being charged with two errors.Puig's behaviour was criticised by Major League Baseball in a memo to the Dodgers.In Game 5 of the NLCS,Puig confronted umpire Ted Barrett for his balls and strikes calls-a breach of baseball etiquette that will not be tolerated,MLB said in the memo.Puig's mercurial temperament has been on display all year.*

Beltran Continues Post-Season Magic,Cards Win

Arguably the greatest post-season position player of all time,the St.Louis Cardinals' right fielder Carlos Beltran added flash to an otherwise dull contest that dragged into extra innings,spriting the redbirds to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series Friday night.The steady pitching of the Cardinals' Joe Kelly and the Dodgers' Zach Greinke and good relievers kept the bats at bay for most of the game.*
In the top of the tenth inning,the Dodgers threatened to take the lead when Mark Ellis tripled and Michael Young hit a fly ball,but Carlos Beltran caught it and threw a laser to home plate,nailing Ellis when he slid home.The Puerto Rican,a veteran of 35 postseason games coming into tonight,chewed his gum as he faced reliever Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the 13th,then lined a walkoff double to the right field corner,delighting the Busch Stadium sellout crowd,most of whom stayed till the 12:30 am conclusion of the series opener.*
Beltran's regular season record is very good,but not great,with a batting average of .283,along with 358 home runs and 300 stolen bases.In the post-season,however,he has batted .357 with 15 homers in 129 at bats,tying Babe Ruth's postseason home run record.That's a home run per every 8.6 at bats.On the strength of his post-season sparkle,Beltran,36,may well qualify for the Hall of Fame.*
I think God gave me the calm I needed to play this game,Beltran said.I just stayed in myself and tried to play the game the high way.I got to give the glory and the honor to God.We're fortunate to be here.Today was a good game,and that's what it's all about.They didn't want to lose,and we didn't want to lose.*
Update:The St.Louis Cardinals also won Game 2 of the National League Championship Series,edging the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 1-0.Now the next three games will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles starting on Monday evening.

Tigers Muffle A's;SoCal Fire Threat Soars

Strong pitching by the Detroit Tigers muffled the Oakland Athletics' bats as the Tigers took game one of the American League Division Series 3-2 Friday night at Oakland Coliseum.Max Sherzer manhandled the A's with his fastball,striking out 11 in his 7 innings of work,and reliever Joaquin Benoit finished the job,getting the save.*
The only real excitement for the boisterous,towel-waving A's fans came in the seventh inning,when strongman Yoenis Cespedes clubbed a two-run homer,but it was too little too late for the Bay Area squad as they dropped the opener of the best 3 out of 5 ALDS.
One A's fan was so anxious,he bit his yellow towel as he watched the Tigers pitching shut his team down.*
In Southern California,the anxiety this weekend is about a severe wildfire threat as the annual ritual of the Santa Ana winds kicks into gear.These winds form when high pressure builds in the desert,pushing cool,dry air over the mountains and down toward the coast.As the air descends the slopes,it heats up rapidly and,striking the tinder dry vegetation,has a strong potential of igniting wildland fire.
Red flag fire warnings are posted for much of Los Angeles;Orange;San Bernardino;and Riverside Counties;plus other areas as far south as Campo on the Mexico border.Critical fire conditions will persist till Sunday evening,the National Weather Service said.
Los Angeles County is preparing by staffing nearly 500 extra firefighters on equipment across the county.Together with US Forest Service firefighters and a few dozen aircraft,they will handle the danger posed by near record low fuel moisture levels combined with the Santa Anas.Gusts of up to 85 mph are possible this weekend,with humidity in the single digits.Explosive fire growth is a distinct possibility,given the horrendous conditions in the region.
Update:In game 2 of the ALDS,Oakland evened the series to one game apiece by edging Detroit 1-0.The series now moves to Detroit for the third game on Monday.

Giants Blank Cards;Autumn Mist Abounds

The San Francisco Giants pinned the St.Louis Cardinals down at Busch Stadium in St.Louis Friday night.A strong pitching performance by Barry Zito ensured that Frisco will live another day as the National League Championship Series returns to their Bay Area for its conclusion.
Zito pitched 7 and 2/3rds shutout innings and Sergio Romo closed the contest out,at least delaying a second straight league crown to the World Champion Cardinals.
I had all my pitches working tonight,Zito said.The most important thing is getting it back to San Francisco so our fans can be a factor.For me,the most important thing is getting everything done for San Francisco.
The next game of the series will be played at 7 pm Eastern,4 pm Pacific on Sunday.Fox Television will broadcast it.
The iconic autumn mist obscured some parts of the Mid-Atlantic region Friday night,making road travel more hazardous.Jupiter has remained a brilliant feature in the eastern sky over recent nights.At times,Jupiter can reach a magnitude of up to -2.6.

Commentary:A Baseball Hero Helps Out

Hearing that Johnny Bench had a brush with skin cancer brought back summertime memories of being a baseball fan in the 1970s.At that time,baseball cards were unbelievably popular among boys,and Johnny Bench's card was one you held onto.He was the greatest catcher of his era,excelling in both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game.Finding out he'd been ill was concerning to his many fans;but it was a relief to learn he'd been effectively treated for basal cell carcinoma.
It's potentially a teachable moment when a celebrity is sick.Many of them,such as Johnny Bench, go on to use their fame to help combat the illness,alerting the public to ways it may be prevented,detected or healed,if prevention fails.
Greater meaning is given to their entire experience of the health problem,and people they never met may be aided by their sharing.This is the case for Johnny Bench as he participates in the Major League Baseball/American Academy of Dermatology Play Sun Smart skin cancer awareness program

Poor Market Quarter Ends;MLB Playoffs Begin

The stock market was racked by massive volatility in the just-ended Q3.The CBOE VIX Volatility Index soared an amazing 159.32% over the the three months as investors fretted over debt fears both at home and abroad and consumers faced escalating food and health care costs,while gas remained stubbornly over 3.00 a gallon even though the summer driving season has come to an end.For the quarter,the Dow lost 12.1%,while the NASDAQ fell 12.91 and the S&P plummeted 14.1.
This financial gloom was relieved by an entertaining close to the Major League Baseball season-unless you are a Boston Red Sox or Atlanta Braves fan.Both teams created a lot of excitement as they dragged the wild card race out to the very end,both succumbing to ineptitude under pressure in the end.The Tampa Bay Rays and St.Louis Cardinals rallied into the playoffs instead,which began late Friday afternoon as the Rays clocked the Texas Rangers 9-0 in the American League Division Series.Rays catcher Kelly Shoppach hit two homers in the first game of the best of five series.The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers were tied 1-1 in the other American League match-up when the game was suspended for rain.They will resume play Saturday night.
Next week,the market will deal with manufacturing and service sector reports from the Institute for Supply Management,as well as Friday's unemployment numbers and continuing European drama.The S&P futures were having none of it Friday evening,cratering a further 30.30,while bond index futures rose.

Lee Leaves Off;Market Craters

The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee have left off torturing the Mid-Atlantic region after nearly a week,the sun and then the moon making a belated appearance,saving the sanity of the region's harried residents.At least 12 deaths resulted from T.S. Lee's effects,with the Susquehanna basin being seriously shaken by flooding.The storm was blocked from exiting the area for some time by Hurricane Katia,which is moving northward well off the east coast.
There were still some flash flood advisories from thunderstorms in Pennsylvania until 3am,however.
The stock market was not so fortunate on Friday,with Euro debt anxiety still in the forefront of traders' thinking,as well as concern that the Federal Reserve may not be offering supportive measures anytime soon.For the week,the Dow and S&P slid 2.7%,while the NASDAQ retreated 0.5%.The CBOE VIX volatility index rose 4.20 to 38.52.
Next week will see the release of inflation data,as well as the Empire State and Philly Fed manufacturing surveys,plus industrial production and retail sales figures.
The S&P futures fell a further 27.70 Friday evening,and bond index futures continued to strengthen.Oil was down 1.81 to 87.24 a barrel,while gold rose 1.90 to 1857.10 an ounce.
The Baltimore Orioles downed the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 at Rogers Centre in Toronto Friday night.It was the first of the three final games of the season between the divisional rivals and bird-themed ballclubs of the American League East.