MLB Network will look back at some of the signature baseball calls from Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Costas in a new The Sounds of Baseball episode debuting Thursday, February 8th at 8 p.m. Et.
Cohosted by MLB Network’s Tom Verducci and Matt Vasgersian, the program will reflect on Costas’ run covering the game, from iconic postseason moments to memorable regular season games.
Awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, Costas has been on the national baseball stage for more than 40 years. For the 2024 season, Costas is once again set to be the play-by-play voice for several MLB Network Showcase telecasts, a role he started when MLB Network launched 15 years ago in 2009.
“Bob Costas’ name and voice are synonymous with baseball. If you love the game, you will love this special. It is more than an appreciation of the...
Cohosted by MLB Network’s Tom Verducci and Matt Vasgersian, the program will reflect on Costas’ run covering the game, from iconic postseason moments to memorable regular season games.
Awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, Costas has been on the national baseball stage for more than 40 years. For the 2024 season, Costas is once again set to be the play-by-play voice for several MLB Network Showcase telecasts, a role he started when MLB Network launched 15 years ago in 2009.
“Bob Costas’ name and voice are synonymous with baseball. If you love the game, you will love this special. It is more than an appreciation of the...
- 2/1/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
MLB Network’s “Prime 9” countdown show is returning to the schedule.
The program, which has been off the programming list since 2015, is set to return on Monday, December 11, with noted sportscaster Bob Costas as the host. During the show, MLB Network offers the “nine best” in a wide array of different categories, including the nine best players at each on-field position in the sport.
““When MLB Network started in 2009, and for the first few years after that, Prime 9 was a signature program for the network. There were dozens of various categories, but eventually the inventory ran its course But in the decade-plus since then, new players, new baseball issues, new records, new “curses” broken and extended and more have emerged,” says Costas in a statement. “All sports have histories, debates, and generational comparisons. But baseball has the richest history of any American sport. And has more ongoing debates and “all-time lists” than any other sport.
The program, which has been off the programming list since 2015, is set to return on Monday, December 11, with noted sportscaster Bob Costas as the host. During the show, MLB Network offers the “nine best” in a wide array of different categories, including the nine best players at each on-field position in the sport.
““When MLB Network started in 2009, and for the first few years after that, Prime 9 was a signature program for the network. There were dozens of various categories, but eventually the inventory ran its course But in the decade-plus since then, new players, new baseball issues, new records, new “curses” broken and extended and more have emerged,” says Costas in a statement. “All sports have histories, debates, and generational comparisons. But baseball has the richest history of any American sport. And has more ongoing debates and “all-time lists” than any other sport.
- 12/8/2023
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Vin Scully, the longtime Dodgers play-by-play announcer considered by many to be the king of his profession, died Tuesday. He was 94.
The Los Angeles Dodgers confirmed Scully’s death through its official social media.
“He was the voice of the Dodgers, and so much more,” the organization wrote. “He was their conscience, their poet laureate, capturing their beauty and chronicling their glory from Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson to Clayton Kershaw. Vin Scully was the heartbeat of the Dodgers — and in so many ways, the heartbeat of all of Los Angeles.”
pic.twitter.com/FloR9dBhZj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 3, 2022
Also for years a national announcer of baseball for NBC, football and golf for CBS and baseball for CBS Radio, Scully endeared himself to fans through 67 seasons with the Dodgers, a record for one broadcaster with one team in any sport. In 2010, the American Sportscasters Assn. named...
The Los Angeles Dodgers confirmed Scully’s death through its official social media.
“He was the voice of the Dodgers, and so much more,” the organization wrote. “He was their conscience, their poet laureate, capturing their beauty and chronicling their glory from Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson to Clayton Kershaw. Vin Scully was the heartbeat of the Dodgers — and in so many ways, the heartbeat of all of Los Angeles.”
pic.twitter.com/FloR9dBhZj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 3, 2022
Also for years a national announcer of baseball for NBC, football and golf for CBS and baseball for CBS Radio, Scully endeared himself to fans through 67 seasons with the Dodgers, a record for one broadcaster with one team in any sport. In 2010, the American Sportscasters Assn. named...
- 8/3/2022
- by Jon Weisman
- Variety Film + TV
Bob Wolff, a sports broadcaster for eight decades who interviewed both Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter, died Sunday in South Nyack, N.Y., at age 96, his family told the New York Times. He was a broadcaster at New York City’s Madison Square Garden for more than 50 years, calling Rangers and Knicks games including the latter team’s two NBA titles. And in a storied career that began in radio and spanned the cable TV era, he was on hand to describe some of the most seminal moments in 20th century sports history, including Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World.
- 7/17/2017
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Yogi Berra, a New York Yankees legend and one of the most beloved American sports stars in history, died Tuesday. Yogi was an All-Star catcher for the Yankees from 1946 to 1963, and also played one year with the Mets before retiring as a player in 1965. He played in the Bronx alongside the likes of Joe Dimaggio and Mickey Mantle ... earning a record Ten World Series rings. Yogi also caught pitcher Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
- 9/23/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Chicago – Golf and gambling go together like the 19th hole and tall tales. The green grass of the course isn’t the same without a little wagering, and the new film ‘The Squeeze’ – written and directed by Terry Jastrow – follows the game from small town America to the big stage of Las Vegas.
The film boasts an all-star cast, and is co-produced by Oscar nominee Anne Archer. The excellent character actor Michael Nouri, the steady Christopher McDonald and the very funny Katherine Lanasa are joining forces with newcomers Jeremy Sumpter and Jillian Murray. The odyssey of a young hot prospect and two gambling legends – based on a true story – are teed up to create a viable comedy about colorful characters, the essence of the links and who-will-outdo-who on the fairway and in the rough of life.
Katherine Lanasa and Christopher McDonald Check Out the Golfer’s Life in ‘The Squeeze...
The film boasts an all-star cast, and is co-produced by Oscar nominee Anne Archer. The excellent character actor Michael Nouri, the steady Christopher McDonald and the very funny Katherine Lanasa are joining forces with newcomers Jeremy Sumpter and Jillian Murray. The odyssey of a young hot prospect and two gambling legends – based on a true story – are teed up to create a viable comedy about colorful characters, the essence of the links and who-will-outdo-who on the fairway and in the rough of life.
Katherine Lanasa and Christopher McDonald Check Out the Golfer’s Life in ‘The Squeeze...
- 4/21/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
When it comes to hosting Saturday Night Live, there are degrees of greatness. Sure, there’s the Five-Timers Club, that posh and exclusive club that meets every year in Gstaad to anoint late-night kings, plot ways to blackmail Bill Murray into making Ghostbusters III, and otherwise control the comedy world — except for NBC’s primetime lineup. But you can sneak into the Five-Timers with one great show and four B- performances. No need for names, but it’s possible to get by on reputation and before you know it, you’re exchanging the club’s secret handshake with Lorne Michaels.
- 5/20/2013
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW.com - PopWatch
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
- Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball (2010)
Unlike most other team sports, baseball is a game of individual achievements that culminate in a team’s efforts to win. Each batter stands alone at the plate, facing a pitcher who opposes him. Each defender on the field must make a play alone, or in conjunction with another defender. The cumulative efforts of each individual results in a team win or a team loss.
That is one reason why baseball has had such a strong hold on successive generations. It’s easy to imagine oneself as Babe Ruth hitting a called home run, or Don Larsen throwing a perfect game, or last year’s hero David Freese improbably winning Game Six of the World Series. These incredible moments come from one man stepping up at the right moment and delivering magic. Anyone who...
- Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball (2010)
Unlike most other team sports, baseball is a game of individual achievements that culminate in a team’s efforts to win. Each batter stands alone at the plate, facing a pitcher who opposes him. Each defender on the field must make a play alone, or in conjunction with another defender. The cumulative efforts of each individual results in a team win or a team loss.
That is one reason why baseball has had such a strong hold on successive generations. It’s easy to imagine oneself as Babe Ruth hitting a called home run, or Don Larsen throwing a perfect game, or last year’s hero David Freese improbably winning Game Six of the World Series. These incredible moments come from one man stepping up at the right moment and delivering magic. Anyone who...
- 8/9/2012
- by Ray DeRousse
- Obsessed with Film
In case you weren't aware, Wednesday (October 6) marked the beginning of the 2010 version of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Don't worry if you were too distracted by your fantasy football roster to remember, as the end of the season was relatively drama-free (save for fans of the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres, whose race came down to the final day). This year's crop of playoff teams is a mixture of the usual suspects (the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Tampa Bay Rays) mixed with a load of surprising upstarts (the Cincinnati Reds, the Texas Rangers). After yesterday's action, the Yankees, Rangers and Phillies are each one step closer to playing in the World Series, but it was the Phillies' dismantling of the Reds that really caught the attention of the sports world, as pitcher Roy Halladay dismantled the best-hitting team in the National League on...
- 10/7/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
On Monday night (July 26), Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Matt Garza threw a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers. That makes five no-hitters this season, a year that the sports media has dubbed "The Season of the Pitcher." Between the no-hitters, the debut of phenom Stephen Strasburg and the emergence of stars like lights-out wonder Ubaldo Jimenez and reborn knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, it has been an incredible few months for anybody who is a fan of the science of pitching. There have even been two perfect games this year (care of the Oakland Athletics' Dallas Braden and the Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Halladay), which is an incredible statistic.
There have only been 18 perfect games — wherein a pitcher does not allow any hits or walks — in the history of baseball, so each one continues to have a certain magic about it many years later. There was Don Larsen's famous perfect game during the 1956 World Series,...
There have only been 18 perfect games — wherein a pitcher does not allow any hits or walks — in the history of baseball, so each one continues to have a certain magic about it many years later. There was Don Larsen's famous perfect game during the 1956 World Series,...
- 7/28/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
For baseball fans, The Official Major League Baseball World Series Film Collection, out on Nov. 10, is the Holy Grail, the mother lode, a grand slam of a DVD collection. Remove the wrapping, tilt the package cover, and out comes a monster of a book that starts with a forward by Bob Costas and is followed by overviews of World Series from 1903 to 2008. The pages grow thicker starting with 1947, as the first of 20 DVDs are fitted into the set. And what's on those DVDs? Fifty-plus hours of footage capturing memorable moments from the annual fall classic. It's all there: Willie Mays' legendary grab called "The Catch," Jackie Robinson swiping home in 1955, Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956, the Miracle Mets of 1969, Reggie Jackson emerging as Mr. October in 1977, the Mets capitalizing on Bill Buckner's infamous error in 1986, Kirk Gibson playing the limping hero in 1988, the Yankees winning it all in 1996, 1998, 1999 and in the 2000 Subway Series,...
- 11/9/2009
- by ianspelling@corp.popstar.com (Ian Spelling)
- PopStar
Sometimes, it seems as though all of history is defined by disaster. Rarely does the collective conscious truly pay attention to the plight of the world unless cataclysmic events are involved — you need only look at the recent earthquakes and tsunamis that rocked Indonesia and Samoa for proof. October 8 lives in infamy for a number of reasons: Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in the history of the World Series on this day in 1956, the U.S. House of Representatives began impeachment proceedings for President Bill Clinton in 1998 and Crash Test Dummies put out a Christmas album in 2002. But today lives in infamy because it marked the beginning of the Great Chicago Fire, which ripped through the city in 1871. The apocryphal story says that a cow kicked over a lantern to start the blaze, which then ate through the mostly-wood metropolis. The unpredictable Chicago wind — coupled with the relatively...
- 10/8/2009
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
DVD Playhouse—May 2009
Paramount Centennial Collection Paramount Studios releases two more classic titles from its library on special edition DVD: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is John Ford’s last masterpiece (although he would go on to direct two more very good films) from 1962: about an Eastern lawyer (James Stewart) who travels west only to find primal brutality in the form of sadistic bandit Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin, great as always) and pragmatic brutality in local rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), each two sides of a coin that represent a way of life slowly dying out as Stewart’s modern brand of civilization tames the West. A perfect film, period. Howard Hawks’ El Dorado is essentially a remake of his earlier classic Rio Bravo, with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and a young James Caan as lawmen joining forces against corrupt cattle barons. Great fun. Two disc sets.
Paramount Centennial Collection Paramount Studios releases two more classic titles from its library on special edition DVD: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is John Ford’s last masterpiece (although he would go on to direct two more very good films) from 1962: about an Eastern lawyer (James Stewart) who travels west only to find primal brutality in the form of sadistic bandit Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin, great as always) and pragmatic brutality in local rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), each two sides of a coin that represent a way of life slowly dying out as Stewart’s modern brand of civilization tames the West. A perfect film, period. Howard Hawks’ El Dorado is essentially a remake of his earlier classic Rio Bravo, with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and a young James Caan as lawmen joining forces against corrupt cattle barons. Great fun. Two disc sets.
- 5/12/2009
- by Allen Gardner
- The Hollywood Interview
New York -- MLB Network is going all out in its first month of operation, saying Tuesday that it will air the Ken Burns documentary "Baseball."
The Emmy-winning nine-part series on the history of baseball from the 1800s to the early 1990s first aired on PBS in 1994 to high ratings. It has aired occasionally on PBS since. MLB Network, which goes live New Year's Day in 50 million households, will air one part at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through January and February. It begins Jan. 6, following the nightly hourlong "Hot Stove Report" of baseball news.
The documentary will include special commentary recorded by Burns, MLB Network said.
The "Baseball" announcement is another of a series of programming acquisitions by the network. On its first night, the channel will introduce itself with an hourlong "Hot Stove Report" and then televise the 1956 World Series perfect game by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Emmy-winning nine-part series on the history of baseball from the 1800s to the early 1990s first aired on PBS in 1994 to high ratings. It has aired occasionally on PBS since. MLB Network, which goes live New Year's Day in 50 million households, will air one part at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through January and February. It begins Jan. 6, following the nightly hourlong "Hot Stove Report" of baseball news.
The documentary will include special commentary recorded by Burns, MLB Network said.
The "Baseball" announcement is another of a series of programming acquisitions by the network. On its first night, the channel will introduce itself with an hourlong "Hot Stove Report" and then televise the 1956 World Series perfect game by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- 12/30/2008
- by By Paul J. Gough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- The Mlb Network will bow on New Year's Day with the original telecast -- commercials and all -- of Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
The game, which was televised on NBC, was thought to have been lost to history. But several years ago, a collector discovered a kinescope version of the game that begins in the second inning and continues throughout the end.
It will be the first time the contest has been televised since the October day 52 years ago.
Yankees' announcer Mel Allen and Dodgers' announcer Vin Scully do the play-by-play. Larsen is the only pitcher ever to throw a perfect game.
The Mlb channel will sign on at 6 p.m. Et with a live "Hot Stove" studio show that will introduce the network and update what's happened in baseball since the World Series. The Yankees-Dodgers game begins at 7 p.m.
Also...
The game, which was televised on NBC, was thought to have been lost to history. But several years ago, a collector discovered a kinescope version of the game that begins in the second inning and continues throughout the end.
It will be the first time the contest has been televised since the October day 52 years ago.
Yankees' announcer Mel Allen and Dodgers' announcer Vin Scully do the play-by-play. Larsen is the only pitcher ever to throw a perfect game.
The Mlb channel will sign on at 6 p.m. Et with a live "Hot Stove" studio show that will introduce the network and update what's happened in baseball since the World Series. The Yankees-Dodgers game begins at 7 p.m.
Also...
- 12/17/2008
- by By Paul J. Gough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A rousing sports fantasy and an oldfangled star vehicle for Kevin Costner, "For Love of the Game" is big and long, loud and monumentally dramatic. The Universal release -- not quite going into extra innings, but a two-hour-plus struggle that cinematic umps could have speeded up in stretches -- has the stuff to post a clear but not overwhelming win at the boxoffice.
Director Sam Raimi's affection for the material is evident, and Costner delivers a perfect game by Hollywood standards, though it's too risky a bet to say the movie will be a hit in the same league as "Bull Durham" and "Field of Dreams". It just might, but as the characters say in the film, Major League Baseball has changed. It has been wrecked by greed. Where does that leave fans of baseball movies?
Based on a posthumous novel by Michael Shaara (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Killer Angels"), "For Love of the Game" is straightforward storytelling with literary-style rearranging of the chronology of events, spurred by the memories of lead character Billy Chapel (Costner), aging ace of the Detroit Tigers, on the most important day of his life.
From many huge close-ups of the crotch of Chapel's loyal catcher Gus (John C. Reilly) to the reassuring and classy presence of Dodger announcer Vin Scully (who broadcast Yankee Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series), "For Love of the Game" is one of the most attentive and respectful movies ever about the sport.
Although liberal use is made of convincing TV footage of the career-milestone game of fictional Chapel -- shot at Yankee Stadium -- the movie also gives one a new appreciation of the rigors of the game and competitive spirit of the players through adroitly, imaginatively filmed on-field sequences. Alas, when the action shifts to Chapel's mental replay of his career and failed relationship with single-mother/fun-loving-journalist Jane (Kelly Preston), the overall pitching becomes more erratic.
Pop songs like Bob Seger's melancholy "Against the Wind" and composer Basil Poledouris' anthems-away score come to bat during the many epiphanous moments in store for Chapel as he mows down the Yanks inning after inning on his way, everyone hopes, to a perfect game. As if possibly joining the legends of the sport isn't enough of a strain, Hall of Fame-bound Chapel has learned that Tigers owner (Brian Cox) has sold the team.
That's not all. The new owners want to trade Chapel. He has the chance to retire honorably like those of the "old school" and suddenly realizes he may be pitching his final game. But what really gets to him is five-year-fling Jane giving him the heave-ho and heading for the airport, where she's subsequently delayed and catches his game on the tube in a bar full of Yankee fans.
Even nonfans of baseball will have a hard time resisting this set-up that includes Jane's USC-attending daughter (Jena Malone) watching Chapel in his moment of glory. Surprisingly, that moment is fleeting and the story seems willing to risk ending on a note of stinging defeat, but that's before the fat lady has sung.
From cinematographer John Bailey to production designer Neil Spisak to costume designer Judianna Makovsky, Raimi and Costner field an all-star lineup that comes through in the clutch reel after reel.
FOR LOVE OF THE GAME
Universal Pictures
A Beacon Pictures/TIG Prods./ Mirage Enterprises production
Director Sam Raimi
Screenwriter Dana Stevens
Based on the novel by Michael Shaara
Producers Armyan Bernstein, Amy Robinson
Executive producers Ron Bozman,
Marc Abraham
Director of photography John Bailey
Production designer Neil Spisak
Editors Eric L. Beason, Arthur Coburn
Costume designer Judianna Makovsky
Music Basil Poledouris
Casting Lynn Kressel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Billy Chapel Kevin Costner
Jane Aubrey Kelly Preston
Gus Sinski John C. Reilly
Heather Jena Malone
Gary Wheeler Brian Cox
Frank Perry J.K. Simmons
Running time -- 137 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Director Sam Raimi's affection for the material is evident, and Costner delivers a perfect game by Hollywood standards, though it's too risky a bet to say the movie will be a hit in the same league as "Bull Durham" and "Field of Dreams". It just might, but as the characters say in the film, Major League Baseball has changed. It has been wrecked by greed. Where does that leave fans of baseball movies?
Based on a posthumous novel by Michael Shaara (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Killer Angels"), "For Love of the Game" is straightforward storytelling with literary-style rearranging of the chronology of events, spurred by the memories of lead character Billy Chapel (Costner), aging ace of the Detroit Tigers, on the most important day of his life.
From many huge close-ups of the crotch of Chapel's loyal catcher Gus (John C. Reilly) to the reassuring and classy presence of Dodger announcer Vin Scully (who broadcast Yankee Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series), "For Love of the Game" is one of the most attentive and respectful movies ever about the sport.
Although liberal use is made of convincing TV footage of the career-milestone game of fictional Chapel -- shot at Yankee Stadium -- the movie also gives one a new appreciation of the rigors of the game and competitive spirit of the players through adroitly, imaginatively filmed on-field sequences. Alas, when the action shifts to Chapel's mental replay of his career and failed relationship with single-mother/fun-loving-journalist Jane (Kelly Preston), the overall pitching becomes more erratic.
Pop songs like Bob Seger's melancholy "Against the Wind" and composer Basil Poledouris' anthems-away score come to bat during the many epiphanous moments in store for Chapel as he mows down the Yanks inning after inning on his way, everyone hopes, to a perfect game. As if possibly joining the legends of the sport isn't enough of a strain, Hall of Fame-bound Chapel has learned that Tigers owner (Brian Cox) has sold the team.
That's not all. The new owners want to trade Chapel. He has the chance to retire honorably like those of the "old school" and suddenly realizes he may be pitching his final game. But what really gets to him is five-year-fling Jane giving him the heave-ho and heading for the airport, where she's subsequently delayed and catches his game on the tube in a bar full of Yankee fans.
Even nonfans of baseball will have a hard time resisting this set-up that includes Jane's USC-attending daughter (Jena Malone) watching Chapel in his moment of glory. Surprisingly, that moment is fleeting and the story seems willing to risk ending on a note of stinging defeat, but that's before the fat lady has sung.
From cinematographer John Bailey to production designer Neil Spisak to costume designer Judianna Makovsky, Raimi and Costner field an all-star lineup that comes through in the clutch reel after reel.
FOR LOVE OF THE GAME
Universal Pictures
A Beacon Pictures/TIG Prods./ Mirage Enterprises production
Director Sam Raimi
Screenwriter Dana Stevens
Based on the novel by Michael Shaara
Producers Armyan Bernstein, Amy Robinson
Executive producers Ron Bozman,
Marc Abraham
Director of photography John Bailey
Production designer Neil Spisak
Editors Eric L. Beason, Arthur Coburn
Costume designer Judianna Makovsky
Music Basil Poledouris
Casting Lynn Kressel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Billy Chapel Kevin Costner
Jane Aubrey Kelly Preston
Gus Sinski John C. Reilly
Heather Jena Malone
Gary Wheeler Brian Cox
Frank Perry J.K. Simmons
Running time -- 137 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/10/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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