FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
World Lightweight Championship on the Line – FOX UFC SATURDAY at 8:00 PM ET
Four-Bout Card Features Henderson/ Melendez Title Match; Cormier Battles Mir
Offensive Fireworks on Full Display – MLB on FOX Saturday at 2:30 PM ET
Tigers/Angels, Nationals/Mets & Twins/White Sox
NASCAR on FOX Heads to Kansas City Sunday at 12:30 PM ET
McReynolds Reacts to Penske Penalties
Full Grid of This Week’s FSMG Live Events
WORLD FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP HEADLINES FOX UFC SATURDAY – FOX UFC SATURDAY returns to primetime broadcast television this Saturday, April 20 (8:00 PM ET) live from HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. FOX Sports Media Group’s FOX Sports, FUEL TV, FX, FOX Deportes, FOXSports.com and FOX Sports Radio get fans primed for an outstanding quadruple-header of fights on the broadcast network with preliminary bouts airing on FX. UFC on FOX’s seventh installment is highlighted by Benson Henderson defending his lightweight championship against Gilbert ‘El Nino’ Melendez.
The Henderson versus Melendez main event is preceded by three thrilling matchups; Daniel Cormier steps up to the UFC stage to take on former heavyweight titleholder Frank Mir in his debut; two talented lightweights coming off recent title challenges will meet as Nate Diaz takes on former Strikeforce 155 pound champion Josh Thomson; and two dangerous welterweights will cross paths as Canadian young gun Jordan Mein takes on battle tested Matt Brown in the opening bout.
UFC announcers Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan call all bouts on FOX Sports as well as the preliminary matches airing live on FX. Beginning at 5:00 PM ET, host Jay Glazer is alongside UFC middleweight contender Brian Stann and bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz who offer analysis for the preliminary bouts on FX. When coverage shifts to FOX at 8:00 PM ET, host Curt Menefee is joined by Brian Stann and Chael Sonnen to preview and breakdown the main event’s bouts. Both shows originate LIVE on-site from HP Pavilion in San Jose. Additionally, preliminary bouts and the main card fights air live on FSMG’s Spanish language network FOX Deportes. UFC announcer Larry Pepe hosts all coverage of matches for FOX Sports Radio.
For instant updates during the week from the entire UFC on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/UFCONFOX. Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports.
HENDERSON TOO MUCH FOR MELENDEZ IN UFC TITLE FIGHT SAYS FLORIAN AND CRUZ – The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns this week to San Jose, CA for FOX UFC SATURDAY with the lightweight title fight between champion Benson Henderson and challenger Gilbert Melendez. Both FUEL TV’s UFC TONIGHT analyst Kenny Florian and UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz think Henderson is too tough for Melendez. “Melendez has a great wrestling background, a great boxing background and he can box with Benson whenever he wants to,” says Cruz. “This is a real test for Henderson, but I’ll take Henderson with his pace and the way he mixes it up.” Florian believes Henderson will be forced to wrestle Melendez. “Benson really needs to be careful on the inside. Melendez has a great knack of getting on the inside and throwing bunches of punches. He’s going to force Benson to wrestle, and it’s going to come down to who’s the better wrestler. I pick Henderson to win this one.” Watch the predictions from FUEL TV’s UFC TONIGHT: http://youtu.be/OLTKG5VlMzE
BIG BATS TAKE CENTER STAGE ON FOX – Offensive firepower is on full display on Saturday, April 20 (2:30 PM ET) as the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK gets back into gear with live regional coverage of three matchups. In Southern California, pitchers are on high alert as Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and the Angels host Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and the Tigers. In New York, the Mets host the NL East rival Nationals while Joe Mauer and the Twins are in Chicago to take on White Sox.
Coverage begins with the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL PREGAME SHOW, a full 30-minute program originating live from MLB Network’s state-of-the-art Studio 3 in Secaucus, NJ. The show is hosted by longtime FOX Sports and MLB Network broadcaster Matt Vasgersian who is joined this week by analysts Harold Reynolds and Kevin Millar.
For instant updates during the week from the entire MLB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX, on Instagram at http://instagram.com/foxsports
GAME
Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels*
Angels Stadium – Anaheim, CA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Austin, Birmingham, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tulsa
Probable Pitchers: TBA vs. TBA
*On FOX Deportes
Washington Nationals at New York Mets Kenny Albert & Tim McCarver
Citi Field – Flushing, NY
MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Richmond, Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach
Probable Pitchers: Gio Gonzalez, LHP (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Aaron Laffey, LHP (0-0, 4.82 ERA)
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox Howard David & Bert Blyleven 11%
U.S. Cellular Field – Chicago, IL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis
Probable Pitchers: Kevin Correia, RHP (1-1, 2.95 ERA) vs. Gavin Floyd, RHP (0-3, 6.32 ERA)
ROSENTHAL: PLENTY OF TIME FOR ANGELS TO IMPROVE – In his latest column for FOXSports.com, MLB on FOX reporter Ken Rosenthal writes that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are still a work in progress, and despite a sluggish start, the team is showing signs of improvement on the field and in the clubhouse: “The Angels’ walk-off victory over the Astros on Saturday night could prove a turning point for a team that began the season 2-8.” Even before then, the mood around the club was not as tense as it was last season, according to some of the same sources who detailed a rift between general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia to me last September. “Dipoto and Scioscia were getting along better, the sources said. The clubhouse dynamic was good. The Angels just needed to win games.”
To read more from Rosenthal on the transformation of the Angels click here:
NASCAR ON FOX: HOW WILL PENSKE RESPOND? – NASCAR on FOX returns to afternoon racing at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, April 21 (12:30 PM ET) for the STP 400. A major storyline expected to dominate the weekend is the news of NASCAR suspending seven members Penske Racing on Wednesday for using unapproved parts on the cars of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano last weekend.
Coverage begins with the FOX NASCAR SUNDAY prerace show hosted by Chris Myers, providing up-to-the-minute reports, live interviews with drivers, crewmen and officials shaping the day’s action and analysis from Darrell Waltrip and Michael Waltrip. Once the green flag drops, race announcer Mike Joy is alongside analysts Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds to call all the twists and turns on the track while Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum patrol the pits for reports on teams and pit stops. FOX Sports’ Jeff Hammond serves as the network’s roving analyst, taking fans from the garages to pit road and everywhere in between.
For instant updates during the week from the entire NASCAR on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NASCARONFOX
MCREYNOLDS ON NASCAR PENALTIES: TEAMS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING – NASCAR today penalized the No. 2 and No. 22 of Penske Racing for violations found at Texas Motor Speedway prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event on Saturday. Both teams were assessed 25 driver and owner points, $100,000 fines and six-race suspensions for their crew chiefs, car chiefs, engineers and the No. 2 team’s team manager. NASCAR on FOX and SPEED analyst Larry McReynolds reacted on the penalties and circumstances surrounding them. “This is what I expected and it’s really not a surprise,” said McReynolds. “Teams got very creative with rear sway bars and rubber bushings to put more skew into these cars, and there is no telling how much money they spent. Nobody was doing anything wrong but you knew NASCAR would put an end to this, and with a new season and car, they took away those avenues. Bottom line is it appears those two cars, had they not been caught, were going to steer on the track and put a lot of skew into them. They’d help the aerodynamics of the car, especially at a high-speed track like Texas. They knew what they were doing and they knew it wasn’t okay. In today’s NASCAR world, teams have to submit and get parts approved before they can put them on their car. The whole garage was looking, watching and waiting to see how NASCAR would handle this, and had they not dropped the hammer on the Penske teams, it was going to open Pandora’s Box once again.”
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE DOUBLEHEADER THIS SUNDAY – FOX Soccer is home to the Barclays Premier League this weekend as top teams Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham are all in action. The back-to-back coverage beings live on FOX Soccer with Tottenham taking on Manchester City, Sunday, April 21 (8:00 AM ET), followed by Liverpool vs. Chelsea, live at 10:30 AM ET. Tottenham hosts the second-place Citizens at White Hart Lane, and manager Andres Villas-Boas faces a dilemma over midfielder Gareth Bale’s selection after an ankle injury. Spurs are desperate to break into the top-four with only two points separating them from the European spots. The second match of the doubleheader features third-placed Chelsea, as the squad travels to Anfield. Manager Rafa Benitez is in familiar territory when he meets his former Liverpool side for the crucial encounter, but the Blues will have to keep an eye on their midweek UEFA Europa League semifinal first leg, also live on FOX Soccer, Thursday, April 25 (2:30 PM ET).
FOX NFL SUNDAY & BEING: LIVERPOOL RECEIVE SPORTS MEDIA HONOR – FOX NFL SUNDAY, America’s most-watched pregame show, took home the top award for Sports Series (News/Analysis) at the 2013 Cynopsis: Sports Media Awards on Wednesday morning. FOX NFL SUNDAY is hosted by Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw who sit alongside analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan, NFL insider Jay Glazer and comedian Rob Riggle. BEING: Liverpool, FOX Soccer’s first reality documentary series featuring The Liverpool Football Club (LFC), has won two Cynopsis: Sports Media Awards for New Sports Show and Documentary Series and was named as a finalist for Sports Series (Best Entertainment). Through never-before-seen access, BEING: Liverpool cameras were able to document what it takes to compete at the highest level, while chronicling the life inside the club from the perspective of the players, coaches, management and ownership of one the world’s most recognizable and valuable sports franchises. The series premiered on September 16, 2012 on FOX.
FSMG NATIONAL NETWORK KEY EVENTS CALENDAR
All Times Eastern and Subject to Change
* Also Airing on Deportes
Week of: 4/17/2013 – 4/24/2013
DATE NETWORK TIME EVENT DETAILS
4/17/13 FOX Soccer 9:00 PM CONCACAF Men’s U-17 Championship: Semifinal – Panama/Canada
4/19/13 FOX Soccer 6:00 PM CONCACAF Men’s U-17 Championship: 3rd Place Match
4/19/13 FUEL TV 7:00 PM UFC Weigh-in on FUEL TV
4/19/13 FOX Soccer 9:00 PM CONCACAF Men’s U-17 Championship: Final
4/20/13 FOX Soccer 9:30 AM Barclays Premier League: Sunderland/Everton
4/20/13 FOX Soccer + 9:53 AM Barclays Premier League: West Brom/Newcastle
4/20/13 SPEED 2:00 PM Camping World Truck Series: Kansas City, KS
4/20/13 FOX 2:30 PM MLB on FOX: MN at CHWS/DET at LAA/WASH at NYM
4/20/13 FX* 5:00 PM UFC Prelims on FX
4/20/13 FOX* 8:00 PM FOX UFC Saturday: “Henderson vs. Melendez” San Jose, CA
4/20/13 BTN 12:00 PM Spring Football Coverage: Penn State
4/20/13 BTN 2:00 PM Spring Football Coverage: Michigan State
4/20/13 BTN 5:00 PM Spring Football Coverage: Wisconsin
4/21/13 FOX Soccer * 8:00 AM Barclays Premier League: Tottenham/ Manchester City (with Match Day)
4/21/13 FOX Soccer * 10:30 AM Barclays Premier League: Liverpool v Chelsea
4/21/13 FOX 12:30 PM NASCAR: STP 400 Kansas City, KS
4/23/13 FOX Soccer 2:00 PM UEFA Champions League: Semifinal Leg 1 – Bayern-Barcelona
4/24/13 FX 2:00 PM UEFA Champions League: Semifinals Leg 1 – Dortmund- Real Madrid.
4/24/13 FOX Soccer 10:00 PM CONCACAF Champions League: Santos Laguna/Monterrey Final Leg 1
Recent Comments