Yankees/Angels Saturday Leads into All-Star Tuesday on FOX

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK

Leads Into All-Star Week with Yanks/Angels & Cards/Cubs

Karros: Are The Yankees Fundamentally Sound?

Selig, Goren, Buck & McCarver Preview Tuesday Night’s MLB All-Star Spectacular

MLB ON FOX WEEK 14: FIRST HALF WRAPS UP – Before the excitement of the 80^th MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14 (8:00 PM ET), The FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK presents its final weekend of the first half with two exciting battles on Saturday, July 11 (4:00 PM). It’s a matchup of bi-coastal rivals as Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees travel to Southern California to visit Vladimir Guerrero and the Angels.  Also, long-time NL Central rivals meet as Derrek Lee and the Cubs host leading All-Star vote getter Albert Pujols and the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.  This week, the pregame show originates live from Angel Stadium in Anaheim with host Chris Rose.  Once game action begins, Rose joins the game crew of Dick Stockton and Eric Karros as a field reporter.  For instant updates during the week and games from the entire MLB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX.

GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST COV.

New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels Dick Stockton & Eric Karros                                           71%

Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA

MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Probable Pitchers: Andy Pettitte LHP (8-4, 4.53 ERA) vs. Jered Weaver, RHP (9-3, 3.15 ERA)

St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs                             Joe Buck, Tim McCarver,                                                 28%

& Ken Rosenthal

Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL

MARKETS INCLUDE: Austin, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, St. Louis, Tulsa

Probable Pitchers: Chris Carpenter, RHP (6-3, 2.32 ERA) vs. Ted Lily, LHP (8-6, 3.32 ERA)

KARROS: FUNDAMENTALS PLAY KEY ROLE IN YANKEES/ANGELS SERIES – One team that has consistently challenged the New York Yankees in recent years has been the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  The two squads again battle it out this Saturday with MLB on FOX game analyst Eric Karros in the booth alongside Dick Stockton.  Karros has a theory on why the Angels always seem to have the Yankees number: “If you’re not a team that is completely fundamentally sound, you will have trouble with the Angels and I wouldn’t say that fundamentals have always been the strength of Yankee teams in the last few years,” said Karros. “Fundamentals are one place where there is some vulnerability for the Yankees.”

ROSENTHAL: PHILLIES NEED TO CAPITALIZE ON CHANCE TO SEIZE NL EAST – After sweeping the Mets 3-0 over the weekend and heading into a six-game home stand against the Reds and Pirates, MLB on FOX’s Ken Rosenthal sees a great opportunity for the defending champs heading into the All-Star break.  “The Phillies are getting really interesting now.  At 43-38, they’re 4.5 games up on the Mets, 4 up on Atlanta and 2 on the Marlins.  Jimmy Rollins is getting hot, and as he goes, the Phillies go.  They really have a chance here to put some distance at least between themselves and the Mets.  I still wouldn’t rule out the Marlins or Braves in this position but once the Phillies get Raul Ibanez back and if they can add a starting pitcher and/or reliever like Pedro Martinez or Roy Halladay, they’re going to be quite formidable.”

SELIG, GOREN, BUCK & McCARVER PREVIEW MIDSUMMER CLASSIC – MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, FOX Sports President Ed Goren along with MLB on FOX’s Emmy Award-winning broadcast team of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver participated in a press call to preview coverage of Major League Baseball’s 80^th All-Star Game from Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Tuesday, July 14 (8:00 PM ET.)

Selected highlights are transcribed below. For a replay of the full call dial 719-457-0820 and enter the passcode 8748442 when prompted.

** A press kit containing ratings/audience history, pregame details, productions facts, 2009 vs. 1966 St. Louis All-Star Game ‘Tale of the Tape’ and broadcaster bios was sent out earlier this week. If you didn’t receive it or need more info, please contact the FOX Sports PR office in New York.**

Goren on the production logistics in having President Obama at Busch Stadium to throw out the first pitch: “We went through this during the post-9/11 World Series at Yankee Stadium with President Bush. His presence affects the set up a bit, makes it similar to a Super Bowl in terms of security. The Secret Service will lock down the facility before the game and there may be some limitations of camera movement and certainly involves a lot more communication, but its not a big deal. It will be seamless to the viewer and trust me, it’s well worth it.”

Buck on whether he likes the format of playing for home-field advantage format: “Tim and I are on record saying this has made the best All-Star Game of the four major sports even better. Before the format change, you would see the starters for one maybe two at bats and then they would be on their way to the airport. Now its completely different. We sit in with the managers and talk about how they’re going to manage and win the ball game, not just to get everyone in. Now personally, I love to see them go a step further. We were awfully close to a frightening situation last year at Yankee Stadium. Great ballgame but as it turned out we were maybe one out away from having JD Drew pitch in the ballgame. I’m glad they ended up adding another pitcher and a 33rd person on each roster but I’d love to see the starters start the game and see, for example, Tim Lincecum pitch five innings and see a real baseball game.”

McCarver on his time in St. Louis and its baseball tradition: “I played in St. Louis from 1959-1969 and again in 1973 and 1974 and was fortunate to be on teams that were very successful so you would get no argument from me in saying St. Louis was and still is the best baseball town in America. My experience there was nothing but terrific. With Joe living in St. Louis and me going back, from a personal standpoint, this game is very special for both of us.”

Selig on whether he thinks the format of playing for home-field advantage works: “A lot of people think that the 2002 tie really drove the change in format. We had been talking about this for at least a year before. I remember as kid watching Ted Williams break his elbow in the first inning of the 1950 All-Star Game in Chicago’s Comiskey Park. He played the whole game. But later the All-Star Game had lost its desire. Since the format change, the games have been played with remarkable intensity. It isn’t like we had a brilliant recipe for how we decided how to award home-field advantage before. One year the AL got it, the next the NL got it.  Do I think playing for home-field advantage is good?  You bet I do. Frankly, the events over the last six years have really made me feel stronger about this.”

– FOX SPORTS –