Exclusive: Former CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl and Cannonball Productions principals Sean Hanish and Paul Jaconi-Biery have completed principal photography on a documentary series about the famed 1982 Milwaukee Brewers.
Just a Bit Outside: The Story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers chronicles the ups-and-downs of an almost championship season. The story is about the love affair between a down-on-its-luck blue collar city, and a perfectly matched blue-collar team — one that continues to this day, 40 years later.
The ’82 Brewers, known affectionately as “Harvey’s Wallbangers,” made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series, only to lose. But then, in their lowest moment, the city threw the Brewers a parade that rivaled any celebration thrown for a team winning the World Series.
“They say never meet your heroes because they are bound to disappoint. But I can attest, these ballplayers deliver insights, recollections and stories about the magical summer of...
Just a Bit Outside: The Story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers chronicles the ups-and-downs of an almost championship season. The story is about the love affair between a down-on-its-luck blue collar city, and a perfectly matched blue-collar team — one that continues to this day, 40 years later.
The ’82 Brewers, known affectionately as “Harvey’s Wallbangers,” made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series, only to lose. But then, in their lowest moment, the city threw the Brewers a parade that rivaled any celebration thrown for a team winning the World Series.
“They say never meet your heroes because they are bound to disappoint. But I can attest, these ballplayers deliver insights, recollections and stories about the magical summer of...
- 4/11/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
You cannot imagine how excited Washington, D.C., Nationals fans are about the team making it to the World Series for the first time since 1933, when the capital’s baseball team was called the Senators. Sadly, the Giants beat us then in five games.
The story of how the Nats won the 2019 National League pennant title has the makings of a heartwarming Hollywood movie. Imagine a baseball team that begins the season with a failing record only to come from behind and ace an exciting wild-card game, and battle on to beat the higher-ranked Dodgers and Cardinals.
The Nats consist of old and young players bonded over winning a pennant. The ace veteran, Ryan Zimmerman, age 35, had key hits during the playoffs. Rising star Juan Soto is only 20, and couldn’t legally drink booze during the locker-room celebrations. Soto turns 21 on October 25, so hopefully he will have something to celebrate.
The story of how the Nats won the 2019 National League pennant title has the makings of a heartwarming Hollywood movie. Imagine a baseball team that begins the season with a failing record only to come from behind and ace an exciting wild-card game, and battle on to beat the higher-ranked Dodgers and Cardinals.
The Nats consist of old and young players bonded over winning a pennant. The ace veteran, Ryan Zimmerman, age 35, had key hits during the playoffs. Rising star Juan Soto is only 20, and couldn’t legally drink booze during the locker-room celebrations. Soto turns 21 on October 25, so hopefully he will have something to celebrate.
- 10/23/2019
- by Aviva Kempner
- The Wrap
In baseball and comedy, the term “screwball” has roughly the same meaning — something that breaks in a wildly unexpected direction. Or a series of them, in the case of director Billy Corben’s new documentary Screwball, which shines a light on the comedy of errors that led to the 2013 Biogenesis scandal, arguably the biggest in Major League Baseball history. Named for the Miami-area clinic where an unlicensed doctor dispensed performance-enhancing drugs to a variety of athletes, the affair blew up after a whistleblower walked off with boxes of medical records...
- 3/27/2019
- by Alex Bhattacharji
- Rollingstone.com
In today’s film news roundup, “Screwball” is getting a domestic release in the spring, Brian Goldsmith re-ups at Lionsgate, horror novel “Snowblind” is in the works as a film, and “Room 13” has been cast.
Acquisition
Greenwich Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to baseball doping documentary “Screwball” and plans a theatrical release to coincide with the start of the Major League Baseball season in April.
The film, directed by Billy Corben (“Cocaine Cowboys”), centers on the Alex Rodriguez/Biogenesis doping scandal, which broke in 2013 when several Mlb players were accused of obtaining performance-enhancing drugs such as human growth hormone from the now-defunct rejuvenation clinic Biogenesis of America.
“Screwball” premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival and recently played at DocNYC. Corben and Alfred Spellman produced under their Rakontur banner.
“Billy Corben’s wildly entertaining doc is his latest look at a perverse pursuit of the American Dream,...
Acquisition
Greenwich Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to baseball doping documentary “Screwball” and plans a theatrical release to coincide with the start of the Major League Baseball season in April.
The film, directed by Billy Corben (“Cocaine Cowboys”), centers on the Alex Rodriguez/Biogenesis doping scandal, which broke in 2013 when several Mlb players were accused of obtaining performance-enhancing drugs such as human growth hormone from the now-defunct rejuvenation clinic Biogenesis of America.
“Screwball” premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival and recently played at DocNYC. Corben and Alfred Spellman produced under their Rakontur banner.
“Billy Corben’s wildly entertaining doc is his latest look at a perverse pursuit of the American Dream,...
- 11/17/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The real-life misadventures of central figures in the 2013 Major League Baseball doping scandal play like outrageous twists and turns in the seriocomic crime fiction of Carl Hiassen or Elmore Leonard throughout “Screwball,” an impudently entertaining documentary that suggests what might result if the Monty Python troupe were given carte blanche to produce an investigative report for “60 Minutes.”
It comes to us from Billy Corben, a filmmaker whose previous chronicles of illicit activity and entrepreneurial drug traders in and around Miami might now be viewed as warm-up pitches for his latest effort. This time on the mound, he throws heat and scores impressively with help from a lineup that includes baseball All-Stars, mob-connected lowlifes, tanning and bodybuilding enthusiasts, free-spending Mlb investigators, and an unlicensed anti-aging expert whose lack of bona fide medical credentials scarcely hindered his ability to provide, one way or the other, performance-enhancing drugs for his clients. The latter shady character,...
It comes to us from Billy Corben, a filmmaker whose previous chronicles of illicit activity and entrepreneurial drug traders in and around Miami might now be viewed as warm-up pitches for his latest effort. This time on the mound, he throws heat and scores impressively with help from a lineup that includes baseball All-Stars, mob-connected lowlifes, tanning and bodybuilding enthusiasts, free-spending Mlb investigators, and an unlicensed anti-aging expert whose lack of bona fide medical credentials scarcely hindered his ability to provide, one way or the other, performance-enhancing drugs for his clients. The latter shady character,...
- 9/24/2018
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
A version of this story first appeared in the Oct. 30 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Rob Manfred is only the 10th commissioner of Major League Baseball, taking over in January from the long-serving Bud Selig. But Manfred, 57, is the only commissioner to have played Little League. And despite his admission that he was "one of the worst Little League players," the father of four grown kids has made reaching young people a top priority. The league's Play Ball initiative offers resources and clinics so children can get familiar
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- 10/21/2015
- by Marisa Guthrie
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Why should I care about the Oscars?
No, that’s a serious question. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I do. At their very best, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gets it right by tripping and falling into a “Market Irglova & Glen Hansard” here or a “12 minute standing ovation” there. At their very worst, AMPAS indulges in the most regressive, ass-backwards impulses of the industry. Whether enforcing asinine restrictions on eligibility or blacklisting via internal politics, Academy voters can be inept, close-minded and utterly humorless about their annual pat-on-the-back. Too old, too white, and too male, AMPAS is like a closet mob comprised solely of Bud Selig clones, perpetually fumbling in the dark for their reading glasses.
And yet despite all this, I’m still going to throw the remote through the television if Alexandre Desplat’s The Grand Budapest Hotel doesn’t bring...
No, that’s a serious question. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I do. At their very best, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gets it right by tripping and falling into a “Market Irglova & Glen Hansard” here or a “12 minute standing ovation” there. At their very worst, AMPAS indulges in the most regressive, ass-backwards impulses of the industry. Whether enforcing asinine restrictions on eligibility or blacklisting via internal politics, Academy voters can be inept, close-minded and utterly humorless about their annual pat-on-the-back. Too old, too white, and too male, AMPAS is like a closet mob comprised solely of Bud Selig clones, perpetually fumbling in the dark for their reading glasses.
And yet despite all this, I’m still going to throw the remote through the television if Alexandre Desplat’s The Grand Budapest Hotel doesn’t bring...
- 2/21/2015
- by David Klein
- SoundOnSight
Oscar Taveras, the St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder regarded as one of the majors' top prospects, died Sunday in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic. He was 22. Taveras was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro at the time of the crash on a highway between the beaches of Sosua and Cabarete in Puerto Plata, about 215 miles north of the capital of Santo Domingo, said Col. Diego Pesqueira of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency. "He wasn't carrying documents at the time of the accident, but his body was identified by family members," Pesqueira said. National police spokesman Jacobo Mateo Moquete said he was...
- 10/27/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Oscar Taveras, the St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder regarded as one of the majors' top prospects, died Sunday in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic. He was 22. Taveras was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro at the time of the crash on a highway between the beaches of Sosua and Cabarete in Puerto Plata, about 215 miles north of the capital of Santo Domingo, said Col. Diego Pesqueira of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency. "He wasn't carrying documents at the time of the accident, but his body was identified by family members," Pesqueira said. National police spokesman Jacobo Mateo Moquete said he was...
- 10/27/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
The ball, marked and numbered for the occasion, bounced high off the dirt and down the third-base line, where a rookie who was 4 years-old when Derek Jeter made his major league debut leaped into the air to attempt a bare-handed play. It went off of his palm and onto the grass, and by that time Jeter was safe at first with hit No. 3,465 - sixth all-time, and the most in franchise history - along with the 1,311th Rbi of a career in which he established himself as the New York Yankees' consummate captain and, for two decades, the face of baseball.
- 9/28/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Major League Baseball has a new commissioner — its 10th ever — in the form of the league's current COO, Rob Manfred. The 55-year-old Manfred succeeds Bud Selig in the top role. Selig ran Mlb for 22 years and will retire in January 2015. Also read: Tony Stewart Drops Out of This Weekend's Nascar Race in Wake of Kevin Ward Jr. Death Manfred was elected in a second vote by owners Thursday, the final day of the quarterly owners meetings. In doing so, he beat out Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner and Mlb executive vice president of business, Tim Brosnan, who withdrew before the.
- 8/14/2014
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
On the verge of retirement, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig probably doesn't want baseball fans to read this story. In fact, he's threatened to "impose the strongest sanctions available" on two team owners for what's about to be detailed. In 2005, the Montreal Expos relocated to the nation's capital to become the Washington Nationals. The move rankled Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who was furious at the prospect of another ball club taking market share in the same geographical region. But he was mollified by a settlement agreement whereby the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (Masn) — in which the
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- 7/29/2014
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nine major health organizations are calling on commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball to totally ban tobacco from ballparks Asap ... in the wake of Tony Gwynn's death.TMZ Sports has obtained a letter sent by the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association and seven other major health orgs ... calling on Mlb to honor Gwynn's memory by issuing a blanket prohibition on tobacco at the ballpark.They write, "It is time to take...
- 6/25/2014
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Tony Gwynn, the Hall of Fame batting champion, died Monday in Poway, Calif., after a long battle with cancer. He was 54.
Baseball's Tony Gwynn Dies
Gwynn’s death was announced by Major League Baseball, reported The New York Times. Over the last few years, the former Mlb standout had undergone numerous surgeries for cancer of the mouth and salivary glands. Though he’d continued to serve as San Diego State University's baseball coach throughout his cancer battle, he was forced to go on medical leave in the spring. Gwynn had blamed his cancer on dipping tobacco.
"Major League Baseball today mourns the tragic loss of Tony Gwynn," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement Monday. "The greatest Padre ever and one of the most accomplished hitters that our game has ever known, whose all-around excellence on the field was surpassed by his exuberant personality and genial disposition in life.”
"For more than 30 years,...
Baseball's Tony Gwynn Dies
Gwynn’s death was announced by Major League Baseball, reported The New York Times. Over the last few years, the former Mlb standout had undergone numerous surgeries for cancer of the mouth and salivary glands. Though he’d continued to serve as San Diego State University's baseball coach throughout his cancer battle, he was forced to go on medical leave in the spring. Gwynn had blamed his cancer on dipping tobacco.
"Major League Baseball today mourns the tragic loss of Tony Gwynn," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement Monday. "The greatest Padre ever and one of the most accomplished hitters that our game has ever known, whose all-around excellence on the field was surpassed by his exuberant personality and genial disposition in life.”
"For more than 30 years,...
- 6/17/2014
- Uinterview
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig and Espn president John Skipper joined forces to speak to the media in a conference call on Friday before the first pitch is thrown out in the 2014 season this weekend. They came together to mark the first year of the new multiyear rights agreement between Major League Baseball and Espn that begins Sunday with the opening game in San Diego between the Los Angeles Dodgers and hometown Padres. With the black mark of steroids inevitably in the headlines last year -- which saw the suspension of New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and his subsequent lawsuit against
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- 3/28/2014
- by Debbie Emery
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hurting from his drug suspension, New York Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez is going to miss out on 162 games during the 2014 baseball season.
Also riding the bench for any postseason games this year, Rodriguez's court ruling costs him $25 million of the $86 million remaining on his contract, and was announced on Saturday (January 11).
The 38-year-old posted his thoughts on Facebook, writing, "The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one."
Alex continued, writing, "This is one man's decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable.
Also riding the bench for any postseason games this year, Rodriguez's court ruling costs him $25 million of the $86 million remaining on his contract, and was announced on Saturday (January 11).
The 38-year-old posted his thoughts on Facebook, writing, "The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one."
Alex continued, writing, "This is one man's decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable.
- 1/12/2014
- GossipCenter
New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez has been suspended for the entire 2014 season, or in the words of New York's Daily News: "He's out." On Saturday an independent arbitrator upheld the majority of a 211-game suspension Major League Baseball assessed Major League Baseball's biggest star in August for his links to a clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs. The ruling by Fredric Horowitz will cost Rodriguez $25 million in salary and places a major question mark over the All-Star's career. Rodriguez, who remained defiant throughout the investigation and publicly denied he had used the substances, will turn 40 during the 2015 season.
- 1/11/2014
- by Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
So sad. The Mlb tragically lost an umpire when Wally passed away on Oct. 14 from a heart attack.
Wally Bell, a veteran umpire for the Mlb, died from a massive heart attack on Oct. 14. He was in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, when he passed away at the age of 48 years old.
Wally Bell Passes Away At The Age Of 48
Wally’s death caused the Mlb to grieve over the loss of the good-natured umpire, who worked in both major leagues for 13 years.
He was the umpire for the National League playoff series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals a week before he passed away.
“I am deeply saddened and shocked at the loss of Umpire Wally Bell,” Mlb executive vice president of baseball operations Joe Torre said. “Umpiring was his life, and he touched so many people within the game of baseball. Aside from being an accomplished,...
Wally Bell, a veteran umpire for the Mlb, died from a massive heart attack on Oct. 14. He was in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, when he passed away at the age of 48 years old.
Wally Bell Passes Away At The Age Of 48
Wally’s death caused the Mlb to grieve over the loss of the good-natured umpire, who worked in both major leagues for 13 years.
He was the umpire for the National League playoff series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals a week before he passed away.
“I am deeply saddened and shocked at the loss of Umpire Wally Bell,” Mlb executive vice president of baseball operations Joe Torre said. “Umpiring was his life, and he touched so many people within the game of baseball. Aside from being an accomplished,...
- 10/15/2013
- by Ivy Jacobson
- HollywoodLife
Alex Rodriguez is stepping up to the plate — with a lawsuit against Major League Baseball. The New York Yankees slugger — who’s currently fighting a 211-game suspension, claiming that the organization, and Mlb commissioner Bud Selig, of engaging in “tortious and egregious conduct with one, and only one, goal: to improperly marshal evidence that they hope to use to destroy the reputation and career of Alex Rodriguez, one of the most accomplished Major League Players of all time.” Also read: Stephen Colbert Suggests NY Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez Try Combat Juggling (Video) The complaint, filed in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday,...
- 10/4/2013
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has never been known to hide his feel about, well, anything. So it was no surprise when he was very candid about his thoughts on the current battle between Alex Rodriguez and Major League Baseball during an appearance on "The Tonight Show."
When host Jay Leno asked Mark about his opinion on A-Rod's suspension for violating the league's drug policy, Cuban calls it "Horrible. Look, I think it's disgraceful what Major League Baseball is trying to do to him." He continues, "Not that he doesn't deserve to be suspended, he does. But they have policies in place: first-time offender 50 games, second time a 100. 214 games? That's personal." Rodriguez was actually suspended for 211 games.
Cuban has had his own run ins with Mlb before, after attempting to buy three different franchises since 2008. He says the league has essentially become commissioner "Bud Selig's mafia." "When I was...
When host Jay Leno asked Mark about his opinion on A-Rod's suspension for violating the league's drug policy, Cuban calls it "Horrible. Look, I think it's disgraceful what Major League Baseball is trying to do to him." He continues, "Not that he doesn't deserve to be suspended, he does. But they have policies in place: first-time offender 50 games, second time a 100. 214 games? That's personal." Rodriguez was actually suspended for 211 games.
Cuban has had his own run ins with Mlb before, after attempting to buy three different franchises since 2008. He says the league has essentially become commissioner "Bud Selig's mafia." "When I was...
- 8/12/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Alex Rodriguez has been hit with a 211-game drug suspension. On Monday, Aug. 5, Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the 38-year-old New York Yankees third baseman has been suspended for violations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and the Basic Agreement. According to a Major League Baseball press release, A-Rod has been "suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2013 Championship Season and Postseason and the entire 2014 Championship Season." The suspension is effected on Thursday, Aug. 8, and will cover 211 Championship Season [...]...
- 8/5/2013
- Us Weekly
It looks like Major League Baseball is prepared to hand down a very long suspension to New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, due his reported connection to the Biogenesis clinic. According to Espn, A-Rod is likely to become the most accomplished player in the league's history to receive a suspension.
Sources familiar with the situation say that Rodriguez and roughly 12 other players will be suspended Monday (August 5). A-Rod's sentence will likely extend through the end of the 2014 season. Deliberations between commissioner Bud Selig's office and A-Rod were said to have ended Saturday when Selig said he was done negotiating.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez, who hasn't played during the 2013 season due to a hip injury, says he is headed to Chicago, where the Yankees begin a three-night series against the White Sox Monday. Rodriguez has been playing with a minor league affiliate of the Yankees as he got ready to return to the team's main roster.
Sources familiar with the situation say that Rodriguez and roughly 12 other players will be suspended Monday (August 5). A-Rod's sentence will likely extend through the end of the 2014 season. Deliberations between commissioner Bud Selig's office and A-Rod were said to have ended Saturday when Selig said he was done negotiating.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez, who hasn't played during the 2013 season due to a hip injury, says he is headed to Chicago, where the Yankees begin a three-night series against the White Sox Monday. Rodriguez has been playing with a minor league affiliate of the Yankees as he got ready to return to the team's main roster.
- 8/5/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Ryan Braun -- the 2011 National League Mvp -- has been suspended without pay for the rest of the season amid allegations he was using performance enhancing drugs. Mlb Commissioner Bud Selig made the announcement ... saying the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder violated the league's policy on substance abuse. Fyi -- the allegations came to light after authorities raided the Biogenesis clinic in Florida and discovered records linking Braun -- and a host of other Mlb stars -- to Ped purchases.
- 7/22/2013
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Tonight, the best players in Major League Baseball will face off against one another in the league’s annual All-Star Game. While there will likely be plenty of fastballs and homeruns on display during the Midsummer Classic, we here at VH1 Celebrity had an idea that might help improve the chances that a non-sports fan would tune-in to the game. What if the commissioner introduced a new idea wherein celebrities would throw out the first pitch of every inning, not just a single one before the game started? (We know, we know, it’s a genius idea.)
While that idea (probably?) won’t be implemented this year, here’s hoping that Bud Selig sees this post and makes this change in time for next year’s affair. In the meantime, please check out this hilarious gallery of celebrities —including the likes of Mariah Carey, Barack Obama, Bill Murray, Charlie Sheen...
While that idea (probably?) won’t be implemented this year, here’s hoping that Bud Selig sees this post and makes this change in time for next year’s affair. In the meantime, please check out this hilarious gallery of celebrities —including the likes of Mariah Carey, Barack Obama, Bill Murray, Charlie Sheen...
- 7/16/2013
- by Mark Graham
- TheFabLife - Movies
Major League Baseball, the Fox Sports Media Group and Turner Broadcasting are entering into a new eight-year national media rights agreement that represents a 100 percent increase in the annual rights fees compared with the previous contract, according to an official announcement made Tuesday. The deals with Fox, Turner and an earlier agreement with Turner are worth $12.4 billion over eight years to baseball, according to Mlb commissioner Bud Selig, who added that the national revenue will be shared equally by all 30 teams. “I have often said in recent years that we are living in the golden
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- 10/2/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
My friend Brett Berk went for a drive with an old crush of mine, Andrew McCarthy, in a shiny new Camaro, talking about Andrew's long gone classic Camaro. But what caught my eye was Andrew talking about learning to be alone. "I’d been with a woman for years, we had a kid together, and yet, though we’d been engaged for a number of years, I didn’t seem to want to get married. So it’s a look at my life as a travel writer, and how my experience of travel changed my life and my view of the world. And it’s an exploration of some “manly” journeys—going down the Amazon, climbing Kilimanjaro—and addressing the question, how does a solitary person come to terms with intimacy?" That's something I personally try and work on every day.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar apparently took the...
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar apparently took the...
- 9/18/2012
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
Major League Baseball and Espn extended their television contract through 2021 on Tuesday, a deal that almost doubles the amount of money the network will pay annually for baseball content while also all but eliminating local blackouts for Espn games on Monday and Wednesday nights. The deal was announced on Tuesday. It combines rights for TV, radio, digital and international that had been separate. The new single contract adds new rights to air a wild-card game, along with additional rights to highlights and digital content. It also gives the network more flexibility to show games involving popular teams.
The previous contracts...
The previous contracts...
- 8/29/2012
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside TV
Espn extended its agreement with Major League Baseball on Tuesday, entering a new eight-year deal. During a conference call on the deal Tuesday, Mlb Commissioner Bud Selig noted that the deal comes at a "100 percent increase" over the previous deal, which he said was "further proof that we are truly living in the Golden Age of this sport." Though Selig and others would not confirm the specific dollar amount of the deal, media reports have put the number at $5.6 billion overall. Also read: News Corp. Buying Espn's Stake in Asian Joint Venture,...
- 8/28/2012
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
They can’t formally begin talks until Oct. 15, but Fox Sports and the Los Angeles Dodgers are said to have started preliminary discussions on a new cable pact. Last year, Fox and former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt struck a 20-year, $3B deal that included a provision giving the Dodgers 30% of the Fox Sports channel. But, Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig did not allow that pact to proceed. Citing a source familiar with the current talks, Reuters reports the renewal being discussed since May would “almost certainly exceed” the kiboshed deal and include joint ownership of English and Spanish language channels. According to the Reuters source, no financials have been discussed, but sports consultant Marc Ganis said the new deal could cost $4B or more. Fox and the Dodgers’ current deal expires at the end of next year. The Dodgers have been spending big on players recently and the talks are thought...
- 8/27/2012
- by NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor
- Deadline TV
Assuming no further delays and no last-second breakthroughs in mediation sessions, a federal bankruptcy judge will hold a key hearing on December 7 that will help determine whether the Los Angeles Dodgers can go ahead with its plan to auction future media rights in advance of a team sale. The intense in-fighting and legal maneuvers that have put one of baseball's most historic franchises into such a mess has been well documented, and one might wonder whether anything like this could ever happen again. Unfortunately, Mlb commissioner Bud Selig won't have to give any clues at next week's hearing. On
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- 12/1/2011
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A U.S. Bankruptcy judge today set December 7 to kick off a two-day hearing about whether the Los Angeles Dodgers can begin marketing the team’s lucrative future local TV rights, which Fox Sports holds through the end of the 2013 baseball season. Fox already has sued the Dodgers to block any early rights sale. The network claims its regional network has an exclusive window to renegotiate a new deal as part of its current contract, and that that team is using bankruptcy protection to break that agreement. (As part of that lawsuit, Fox will ask Judge Kevin Gross to dismiss the team’s bankruptcy altogether in a hearing set for December 27.) How valuable are those TV rights? Soon-to-be-ex-Dodgers owner Frank McCourt at one time had a $3 billion deal with Fox in place before it was rejected by Major League Baseball and commissioner Bud Selig, forcing McCourt to seek bankruptcy for...
- 11/30/2011
- by PATRICK HIPES, Managing Editor
- Deadline TV
Who would have thought Major League Baseball, usually the archaic and dysfunctional sports league, would be the one getting things done? Commissioner Bud Selig said on Thursday that, pending a final decision from the league's special committee for on-field issues, it will shuffle its playoff format to the benefit of teams and broadcasters everywhere. There will be an additional wild-card team in the playoffs, meaning an additional play-in game and a whole lot more television revenue. As of now, Fox and Turner pay Mlb about $400 million for the rights to the playoffs...
- 11/18/2011
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
If Frank McCourt’s fight to remain owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed long and arduous, it was — after all, he had to fight his ex-wife Jamie with one hand and baseball commissioner Bud Selig with the other. If the end of that fight seemed to come fast and easy, well, it kinda did. Here’s the release from Major League Baseball that came out tonight announcing a deal to sell one of the most popular and lucrative franchises in sports: “The Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball announced that they have agreed today to a court supervised process to sell the team and its attendant media rights in a manner designed to realize maximum value for the Dodgers and their owner, Frank McCourt. The Blackstone Group LP will manage the sale process.” According to the L.A. Times, the sale would include the team, Dodger Stadium and its parking lots,...
- 11/2/2011
- by PATRICK HIPES, Managing Editor
- Deadline TV
Will it ever get better for Major League Baseball? Not this year. After the Detroit Tigers eliminated the New York Yankees from the playoffs last night, Commissioner Bud Selig not only lost his marquee franchise but also his one chance at ratings gold. While the playoffs feature teams from large media markets, like the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers (Dallas), none of them have the cross-country appeal required to improve the league’s moribund ratings. Last year the World Series tied the record for the lowest marks in league history -- in a contest...
- 10/7/2011
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Frank McCourt’s fight to keep the Los Angeles Dodgers might have cost him another ally. Fox Sports, which owns TV broadcast rights to the Dodgers (as well as exclusive negotiation rights when the current deal expires after next year), has sued the team in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, saying the Dodgers are breaching their contract by shopping future rights. “The telecast rights to the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games are an inherently unique and irreplaceable asset and business opportunity,” the filing reads. McCourt, who lost financial control of the team to Major League Baseball earlier this year, sees the next media-rights deal as the key to solidifying his and the team’s cash woes, which would allow him to remain owner. Remember, McCourt and Fox had worked out a long-term extension this year that would have given the owner $385 million in upfront payments that he claims was necessary to keep the team afloat,...
- 9/28/2011
- by PATRICK HIPES, Managing Editor
- Deadline TV
The Los Angeles Dodgers today asked the judge in their bankruptcy case to let them auction off their local TV rights for the 2014 season and beyond. The team said the sports rights market was “vibrant” now and they wanted to try to cut a deal “to avoid any risk of deterioration in value.” Prior to their bankruptcy filing, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig rejected owner Frank McCourt’s deal with Fox Sports’ Prime Ticket. That blocked a $385M upfront payment on the proposed deal, worth an estimated $3B. Fox still has an exclusive negotiating period with the team set for Oct. 15-Nov. 30 of next year, but the Dodgers maintain the bankruptcy negates it. In its filing in Delaware federal court, the team asked that its 45-day negotiating term with Fox be moved up to this year, followed by 60 days of open bidding. Time Warner Cable, Dish Network and DirecTV might be bidders,...
- 9/17/2011
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
The NFL is shopping an eight-game Thursday primetime TV package, with commissioner Roger Goodell having informal conversations with networks last week, according to the Sports Business Journal, which is reporting that a stake in the league's NFL Network might be in play for the winning bidder. The talks are expected to gain momentum now that the league-imposed lockout is over. The NFL Network currently has rights to eight late-season Thursday NFL games; the new package will cover the early season. The Sbj says Turner and Comcast would be front-runners, especially since they have cut previous deals that included league-owned assets (Turner pacted with the NBA in 2007; Comcast has a similar deal with the NHL). Fox and Espn also are expected to be interested in the package. ... Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt wants to sell the team's broadcast rights without Major League Baseball's approval, but his plan to do so has ticked off Fox Sports,...
- 8/3/2011
- by PATRICK HIPES, Managing Editor
- Deadline TV
Associated Press
How do you find rich men to marry in China? Will Michael Vick endorse a new anti-dog-fighting bill? And do successful siblings help you succeed in business? A look at the most interesting posts on the Wall Street Journal blogs.
How to Marry Rich in China: With wealth comes gold-diggers, and China now has a bounty of both. A new school called in Beijing called the Moral Education Center for Women is offering courses in how to snag a billionaire or millionaire.
How do you find rich men to marry in China? Will Michael Vick endorse a new anti-dog-fighting bill? And do successful siblings help you succeed in business? A look at the most interesting posts on the Wall Street Journal blogs.
How to Marry Rich in China: With wealth comes gold-diggers, and China now has a bounty of both. A new school called in Beijing called the Moral Education Center for Women is offering courses in how to snag a billionaire or millionaire.
- 7/19/2011
- by Christopher John Farley
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Dodger fans have a reason to feel extra blue. Battered by an acrimonious divorce between owners Frank and Cindy McCourt, the baseball team filed for bankruptcy on Monday. The embattled owner also said that he had secured $150 million in debtor-in-possession financing to help him keep creditors at bay. Also read: Baseball Commish Rejects Frank McCourt's Dodgers Deal With Fox After Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig rejected a $385 million television deal between the Dodgers and Fox, the team has struggled to make its payroll. Among the bold faced names that McCourt is scrambling...
- 6/27/2011
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
The Los Angeles Dodgers have filed for bankruptcy. It's a huge development in the saga of the troubled team. Frank McCourt has been struggling to make the payroll. Interestingly, the creditors include 23 current team members and former Dodger Manny Ramirez , who is owed $20,992,086. Andrew Jones , also a former member, is owed $11,075,000 and current slugger Matt Kemp is owed $216,944. And legendary announcer Vince Scully is a creditor who is owed $152,778. The top 40 creditors are owed a...
- 6/27/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig on Monday rejected a proposed $385 million deal between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox, nullifying a key component of last week's divorce settlement between owners Frank and Jamie McCourt. By rejecting the proposed contract, Selig effectively gave McCourt two choices: Give up the team or sue. The divorce agreement was dependent on Selig approving the long-term television contract with Fox. "I cannot approve the club's proposed transaction with Fox," Selig said in a written statement. "This proposed transaction with Fox would not be in the best...
- 6/20/2011
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
Mlb commish Bud Selig just rejected a proposed $3 billion dollar TV deal between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports ... a deal that was the basis for the divorce settlement between Frank and Jamie McCourt . As TMZ previously reported, the McCourts reached a settlement to their divorce on Friday that was predicated on Mlb signing off on the Fox deal. Now, with the demise of the deal, the McCourts are back to square one --...
- 6/20/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Former Los Angeles Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt wants to sell the team Asap -- before Major League Baseball makes a move to seize the franchise from her ex-husband Frank McCourt . Jamie filed docs today in L.A. County Superior Court -- asking Judge Scott Gordon to order the sale of the team in order to prevent a possible seizure. As we previously reported, Frank and the Mlb have been battling over the Dodgers' finances --...
- 5/19/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Roger McDowell -- the Atlanta Braves pitching coach who allegedly hurled gay slurs at a group of fans earlier last weeked -- was suspended today by Major League Baseball. McDowell's suspension will last two weeks, during which time he will not be paid. He was also fined an undisclosed amount of money. Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement Sunday, "Conduct by people associated with Mlb that shows insensitivity to others simply cannot and will not be tolerated.
- 5/1/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Frank McCourt will appeal a judge's ruling that he is Not the sole owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers -- a ruling that opened the door for Jamie McCourt to stake claim to the team. Back in December, Judge Scott Gordon threw out an agreement signed by Frank and his estranged wife that would have made Frank the sole owner. Frank's attorney's filed paperwork today stating he will challenge Gordon's ruling. See, Bud Selig 's...
- 4/29/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt -- who lost control of his debt-laden team when Major League Baseball took it over earlier this month -- appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to blast baseball commissioner Bud Selig. McCourt told the show that Selig is dragging his feet on approving the team's TV-rights contract with Fox, which he said would put $285 million dollars in the financially strapped team's pockets. Also read: "Dodgers Bidding War? A Way TV Rights Could Go Up for Grabs" McCourt, who's in New York trying to get the deal approved...
- 4/28/2011
- The Wrap
La Dodgers owner Frank McCourt defiantly announced, "Nobody is taking the Dodgers from me" ... moments after Major League Baseball pulled the plug on a deal with Fox worth upwards of $3 billion, according to McCourt. McCourt says Commissioner Bud Selig vetoed the 17-year broadcasting mega-deal with Fox -- which McCourt claims would have immediately given the Dodgers $300 million in equity. During a news conference in NYC, McCourt ripped Selig for shutting down the deal ... claiming, "It...
- 4/27/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell has been accused of targeting a group of male fans last weekend at a Giants game in San Fran -- allegedly asking them, "Are you a homo couple or a threesome?" Mega-attorney Gloria Allred announced the allegations moments ago in a news conference -- representing a family of four (including two 9-year-old girls) who claim they watched McDowell make the homophobic remark and then use a baseball bat to simulate gay sex.
- 4/27/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Frank McCourt: I Won't Sue Till Bud Makes His Move
Sources connected with Frank McCourt tell TMZ ... Frank and his lawyers have decided to sit back and wait ... to see who Mlb Commissioner Bud Selig chooses to oversee the day-to-day operation of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Our sources say the person Selig picks will not run the operation, but rather will have a Veto over decisions Frank and the rest of the management team make.
As TMZ first reported ... Frank's lawyers are preparing legal documents that would challenge Selig's move earlier this week -- claiming it's "arbitrary and capricious."
Our sources say nothing will be filed before Selig names the monitor. We're told if it's someone who has been "sympathetic" to the team and Frank, they probably will not challenge the decision -- at least not immediately.
If, however, ...
Sources connected with Frank McCourt tell TMZ ... Frank and his lawyers have decided to sit back and wait ... to see who Mlb Commissioner Bud Selig chooses to oversee the day-to-day operation of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Our sources say the person Selig picks will not run the operation, but rather will have a Veto over decisions Frank and the rest of the management team make.
As TMZ first reported ... Frank's lawyers are preparing legal documents that would challenge Selig's move earlier this week -- claiming it's "arbitrary and capricious."
Our sources say nothing will be filed before Selig names the monitor. We're told if it's someone who has been "sympathetic" to the team and Frank, they probably will not challenge the decision -- at least not immediately.
If, however, ...
- 4/22/2011
- by tmz
- Gossipvita
Sources connected with Frank McCourt tell TMZ ... Frank and his lawyers have decided to sit back and wait ... to see who Mlb Commissioner Bud Selig chooses to oversee the day-to-day operation of the Los Angeles Dodgers . Our sources say the person Selig picks will not run the operation, but rather will have a Veto over decisions Frank and the rest of the management team make. As TMZ first reported ... Frank's lawyers are preparing legal documents...
- 4/22/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
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