MASN announces plans for spring training telecasts

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Feb 9, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 14,205 articles
BALTIMORE - With just about a week until pitchers and catchers report to camp, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network has released its schedule for both the Orioles and Nationals’ spring training telecasts.

“MASN is offering unmatched access to the Nationals and Orioles this year, starting with an unprecedented 11 spring training games on television,” MASN spokesman Todd Webster said. “MASN is bringing fans inside the game with complete baseball coverage all season long.”

Since both Orioles and Nationals are partners in the network, viewers can expect a great deal of access they have not seen before, with field reporters and in-game comments from managers.

The first game on the schedule will be the O’s and the Nationals from Viera, Fla., on March 3 at 1 p.m. It will mark the first of more than 300 MASN baseball telecasts for 2007. The game will feature the Nationals broadcast crew of Bob Carpenter and the newly signed Don Sutton, the Hall of Fame pitcher and former TBS broadcaster.

“I can’t wait to get to spring training,” Carpenter said. “Working with Don is going to be a real honor and a treat. As for being the broadcast team that does the first telecast of the network in Baltimore, it will be an honor.”

The new home of the Orioles and Nationals will have solid cable coverage throughout the entire mid-Atlantic area and, of course, DirecTV fans will have access to the games.

MASN will debut its new pre-game and post-game shows, “O’s Xtra” and “Nats Xtra” for three of the last games in March. These 30-minute programs will showcase Nationals and Orioles news, analysis, highlights and interviews. The details of these shows will be released in the next few weeks as contracts are signed.

While the Baltimore broadcast team is not yet set (expect an announcement on that as soon as next week), this much is certain: Jim Palmer will return, giving MASN the distinction of being the only regional cable network to have two Hall of Fame pitchers in their broadcast stable. Jim Hunter, Fred Manfra and Joe Angel will continue to call O’s games on their new flagship station, WHFS-FM 105.7.

Television rights

MASN’s spring training telecast schedule:

Nationals preseason games on MASN

» March 3, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles at Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» March 8, 1:05 p.m. — Astros at Nationals, Viera

» March 9, 1:05 p.m. — Nationals at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

» March 12, 1:05 p.m. — Mets at Nationals, Viera

» March 21, 7:05 p.m. — Braves at Nationals, Viera

» March 27, 7:05 p.m. — Mets at Nationals, Viera

» March 30, 2:05 p.m. — Nationals at Orioles, Norfolk, Va.

» March 31, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles at Nationals, Washington, D.C.*

Orioles preseason games on MASN

» March 3, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles at Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» March 9, 1:05 p.m. — Nationals at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale

» March 18, 1:05 p.m. — Red Sox at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale

» March 24, 1:05 p.m. — Dodgers at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale

» March 28, 1:05 p.m. — Cardinals at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale*

» March 30, 2:05 p.m. — Nationals at Orioles, Norfolk, Va.

» March 31, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles at Nationals, Washington, D.C.

*Denotes games featuring new MASN pre- and post-game shows.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner