The Orioles have also announced that interim manager Juan Samuel will return to his role as third base coach with the team. Samuel had compiled a 16-31 record through Wednesday’s game. The rest of the coaching staff will remain in their current roles, and Gary Allenson will return to Norfolk to manage the Triple-A Tides.

Showalter, 54, has compiled an 882-833 record in 11 seasons as manager of the New York Yankees (1992-95), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000) and Texas Rangers (2003-2006). A two-time Manager of the Year (1994 and 2004), Showalter’s 882 wins are 10th-most among active major league managers and 65th all-time.

Showalter spent the first 19 years of his professional baseball career in the New York Yankees organization, culminating in a four-year stint as manager from 1992-95. In 1994 Showalter earned AL Manager of the Year honors, guiding New York to a 70-43 record before the strike ended the season prematurely. The next season, he led the Yankees to their first playoff berth in 14 years and managed the American League All-Star team. He was the youngest manager in the major leagues in each of his four seasons in New York.

In November 1995, Showalter joined the Arizona Diamondbacks, 28 months before the expansion franchise began play, and helped shape the new team’s major league operations. In 1999, he guided the Diamondbacks to a 100-win season and the NL West division title, an improvement of 35 victories over the previous season, the most in major league history.

Showalter joined the Texas Rangers prior to the 2003 season and in 2004 guided the club to an 18-win improvement over the previous year, earning his second Manager of the Year honor.

In between managerial stints, Showalter has served as an analyst on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight and ESPN Radio from 2001-02 and for the last several years.

“Buck Showalter’s proven track record makes him the right choice for manager of the Orioles and we are thrilled to add a two-time Manager of the Year to our organization” said Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail. “We believe Buck’s extensive experience and expertise will be a major benefit to us as we look towards a more successful future.”

A native of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, Showalter graduated from Mississippi State University in 1979. He earned All-American honors in 1977 in his only season with the Bulldogs, batting a school record .459 and establishing a then-team mark with 44 RBI. A fifth-round selection by the Yankees in the 1977 draft, Showalter spent seven seasons as a first baseman and outfielder in the New York minor league system, batting .294 in 793 games.

Showalter’s managerial career began in 1985 with the Oneonta Yankees. He managed for five seasons in the Yankees minor league system, earning Eastern League Minor League Manager of the Year honors in 1989, prior to joining the major league coaching staff in 1990.

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National Hockey League representatives along with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Steelers, the National Hockey League Players’ Association, the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County gathered today at Heinz Field to discuss plans for the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.

The NHL announced that Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will battle Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on New Year’s Day in a regular-season game at Heinz Field, home of the Steelers, at 1 p.m. ET.

The NHL’s fiercest rivalry will be re-ignited in the event Forbes magazine calls “the best new sporting event” of the last decade.

The 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will mark the fourth consecutive season the NHL has played a regular-season outdoor game on New Year’s Day. The Buffalo Sabres hosted the Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year’s Day 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Day 2009 and the Boston Bruins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day 2010.

“Our players love to participate in this grand celebration of our sport, our fans love to watch it, our broadcasters love to show it and our sponsors are pleased to support it,” said Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner. “The Capitals and Penguins will write a new chapter in Pittsburgh sports history when the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic comes to Heinz Field on New Year’s Day.”

The Bridgestone brand, the Official Tire of the NHL and the NHLPA, returns for the third consecutive year as title sponsor. The 2010 event was a magical day at Fenway Park and firmly established the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic as a major national sports property. More than 5.5 million viewers watched the game on North American television, and NHL.com attracted nearly 1 million unique visitors on January 1. Demand for tickets exceeded 307,000 requests, and investment in the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic by NHL corporate marketing partners increased 66% from 2009 with 16 partners spending more than $10 million.

“The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic has become a tradition of excellence, passion and excitement in the sports world — it’s the same tradition that the Bridgestone brand instills in its products every day,” said Phil Pacsi, Vice President, Consumer Marketing, U.S. & Canada Consumer Tire Sales Sales, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, (BATO). “Watching one of the NHL’s fiercest rivalries come head-to-head at the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field is an event not to be missed, and will be talked about for years to come. We are excited and proud to be part of this new tradition.”

The NHL’s two biggest stars, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, bring their rivalry to the big stage of the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. Their rivalry has blossomed into one of the most intriguing individual matchups in all of sports. Both No. 1 overall draft choices (Ovechkin 2004 and Crosby 2005), the superstars have been linked since they entered the League at the same time at the beginning of the 2005-06 NHL season. At the end of that season, Ovechkin won the Calder Trophy as top rookie, with Crosby finishing second.

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BMW Group will also be the Official Mobility Partner of four National Governing Bodies (NGBs): USA Bobsled & Skeleton, US Speedskating, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field.

Jack Pitney, Vice President of Marketing for BMW of North America, USOC Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird and short track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, the most decorated U.S. winter Olympian of all time, were all in New York City to make the partnership announcement.

This multi-million dollar agreement goes beyond financial support to also provide the USOC with fundraising opportunities and the four individual NGBs with BMW Group technical expertise. BMW Group will use its experts, deep technology base and facilities to help the Olympic and Para-Olympic Teams improve their training and performance.

An example of this has been the company’s work with BMW ORACLE Racing to improve its performance. BMW Group’s expertise in light weight construction and aerodynamics helped the BMW Oracle Racing Team design a technically advanced yacht that won the America’s Cup sailing competition this year.

“As a company dedicated to joy, performance and efficiency, BMW Group is a fitting partner for the USOC, whose mission of achieving sustained competitive excellence and inspiring Americans dovetails perfectly with our own values,” said Pitney. “It is important to us to add substantive value to a partnership that is more than just a financial sponsorship. We are excited to share our resources, which include some of the world’s leading engineers and technology experts and an enthusiastic owner and dealer community, with U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes over the next six years.”

Pitney revealed that BMW Group will also raise awareness for the Olympic Movement by supporting cause-related efforts to generate additional funds to support the training of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.

“BMW is a premier, powerful brand that is recognized for competitive excellence and dynamic performance, just like our U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams,” said USOC Chief Executive Officer Scott Blackmun. “Joining together these two performance-driven organizations will provide a tremendous asset to America’s top athletes while providing the unique value of investing in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. We thank BMW Group for providing this tremendous funding for our athletes and, through future activation, keeping the Olympic spirit burning bright.”

BMW Group (including BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad) will be the Official Mobility Partner of the USOC, as well as the 2012, 2014 and 2016 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, and the 2011 and 2015 U.S. Pan American and Parapan American Teams. BMW Group will develop exclusive programs to support Team USA and will have a presence at the three Olympic Training Centers. These facilities welcome America’s top athletes to live and train among the nation’s best, including bobsled and skeleton sliders, speedskaters, swimmers, and track & field standouts.

BMW Group will also have a presence at the major events of the four NGBs, beginning with the USA Swimming National Championships August 3-7, 2010, in Irvine, California. BMW Group’s sponsorship of USA Bobsled & Skeleton, US Speedskating, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field will include support for coaching and training programs, as well as increasing awareness of the NGBs and their athletes.

“Sponsors are critical to the success of Team USA,” said Ohno. “What’s truly unique about BMW is their willingness to go beyond financial assistance and make available their engineers and technology experts to work with Team USA athletes and try to enhance their training programs.”

BMW has a long standing commitment — globally and in the U.S. — to performance-driven sports. Within Motorsports, BMW of North America is currently campaigning the M3 GT2 in the American Le Mans Series. BMW of North America is also the title sponsor of the BMW Championship, the third tournament in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the Fed Ex Cup. The BMW ORACLE Racing Team recently won the America’s Cup, bringing the trophy back to American soil for the first time in more than a decade.

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The AAU 17-under Boys Basketball Super Showcase Presented by Champion is part of the AAU National Championship, featuring marquee 17-under club teams from across the country.

The event includes two days of pool play and a single-elimination tournament. The tournament is a breeding ground for future NBA stars; former AAU 17U players-now NBA pros include Amare Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and rookie John Wall.

Class of 2011 and 2012 players ranked in the ESPNU 100 and ESPNU Super 60 will square off in hopes to make it to the championship, of which some games will air live on ESPNU Monday and Tuesday, July 26 and 27.

Top ranked players include Michael Gilchrist and Austin Rivers for the class of 2011 and DeJuan Coleman and L. J. Rose for the class of 2012. Additional AAU basketball games featuring 14U and 15U boys will stream live on ESPN3.com.

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The Official Bank of Major League Baseball, Bank of America the presenting sponsor of the American League and National League Player of the Week Awards, which reflect Bank of America’s long-standing tradition of promoting and recognizing higher standards of accomplishment.

Molina, who was traded from the San Francisco Giants to the Rangers on July 1st, hit .417 with two home runs and six RBI in his three contests at Fenway Park after the 81st All-Star Game, slugging at a 1.167 clip. On Friday night, the Puerto Rico native went 4-for-4 en route to becoming the first backstop to hit for the cycle since Milwaukee’s Chad Moeller accomplished the feat on April 27, 2004.

Molina’s historic night included a fifth inning grand slam as a part of his cycle, the key blow in an 8-4 win for the A.L. West-leading Rangers. The 13-year veteran is just the eighth player since 1900 to have a grand slam as a part of a cycle, and the eldest of Major League Baseball’s three Molina brothers behind the plate became just the fifth player in Rangers history to hit for the cycle. Molina’s prolific series helped Texas take three of four from the Boston Red Sox.

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The “Give and Go” Grand Prize winner will receive round-trip airfare for two to Rio de Janeiro, where they’ll spend four nights in a luxury hotel, attend a professional soccer match, and receive a $1,000 gift card.

Contestants can also win gift cards, autographed jerseys, soccer balls and more. Visit www.soccer.com/giveandgo to learn more about the contest.

American Airlines is the official airline of Major League Soccer, as well as individual clubs including FC Dallas, New England Revolution, D.C. United and Chicago Fire.

Vicente Navarro, Eurosport’s Director of Hispanic Marketing said “Eurosport/SOCCER.COM is excited to work with American Airlines for the third consecutive year. American Airlines is committed to promoting soccer in the United States, and the ‘Give and Go’ Contest is a great way to leverage their sponsorship and connect with Hispanic soccer fans.”

Billy Sanez, American’s advertising and promotions Director said “We see the ‘Give and Go’ Contest as a great opportunity to offer soccer fans the chance to experience a soccer game in one of our 250 American Airlines destinations worldwide. Last year’s winners attended a game in Madrid and we know this year’s winners will have the same great experience in Brazil.”

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My: Moment, the first green-lit special, which offers an inside peek into the mind of Olympic gold medal skier Lindsay Vonn, is already in production and slated to air on EPIX in January 2011.

Co-created by Hecht and Academy Award-nominated directors Sean and Andrea Fine, My: Moment takes an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at what sets a professional athlete apart amidst the intense moments leading up to a major competitive event in her career. My: Moment is also being co-produced with IMG Entertainment, the premier sports representation firm.

“We are very happy to be teaming up with EPIX to bring our specials to television,” said Albie Hecht, CEO and Founder of Worldwide Biggies Inc. “EPIX is building an impressive roster of original programming and we are excited to be a part of their line-up. We see My: Moment as the Unplugged of the sports world, giving viewers something both visually and conceptually unlike anything else out there in sports documentaries.”

Laverne McKinnon, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Development at EPIX, added “Albie is a rare and exceptional producer with a contagious passion and energy. He completely gets EPIX on every platform, and is committed to helping us build our network with unique and wildly entertaining premium events. We’re thrilled to have this commitment with Albie and Worldwide Biggies.”

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The 2010 Walter Payton Award sponsored by Fathead.com, kicked off on Monday, July 12, with The Sports Network’s announcement that seven finalists from last season are part of a stellar 20-player Watch List for the Football Championship Subdivision’s top individual honor.

The 2010 Payton Awards is on its 24th season presented to the FCS national player of the year on Thursday, Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas – the night before the national championship game.

The 2010 Watch List includes three players from the defending FCS champion Villanova Wildcats:
Senior wide receiver/kickoff returner Matt Szczur
Senior quarterback Chris Whitney; and
Senior offensive tackle Ben Italian
Stephen F. Austin senior QB Jeremy Moses (7th) was the highest vote-getter among the returning players. The other returning finalists are Northern Arizona senior QB Michael Herrick (9th); Weber State senior QB Cameron Higgins (10th); Montana senior running back Chase Reynolds (13th); Delaware senior QB Pat Devlin (17th); and Elon senior QB Scott Riddle (23rd) as a write-in candidate.

The Watch List includes 11 quarterbacks. The other five are Prairie View A&M senior K.J. Black; Old Dominion sophomore Thomas DeMarco; South Carolina State senior Malcolm Long; Montana senior Andrew Selle; and Dayton senior Steve Valentino.

Other running backs are Samford senior Chris Evans, Eastern Washington junior Taiwan Jones, South Dakota State senior Kyle Minett, Appalachian State senior Devon Moore and William & Mary junior Jonathan Grimes. Southern Utah senior wide receiver Tysson Poots joins the Watch List as well.

Among the returning players to the Watch List, Moses is coming off a junior season in which he led the FCS in completions per game (29.6), touchdown passes (40) and total passing yards (4,124). Herrick threw for 3,356 yards, including 574 against Eastern Washington. Reynolds helped Montana reach the FCS championship game in each of the past two seasons. Devlin threw for 2,664 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.

Szczur, was the MVP of the Wildcats’ title win over Montana and finished the season with 2,239 all- purpose yards and 15 touchdowns. Riddle enters his senior season with multiple Southern Conference career records.

Updates to the Payton Award Watch List will be announced on Oct. 4 and 25. Ballots will be sent to a panel of approximately 200 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries after the regular season on Nov. 22. Three finalists will be announced on Dec. 1.

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The Jabbawockeez were the first crew is the original champions of Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew. Using their signature white masks, the well-respected dance crew is best known for their creativity, one-of-a-kind choreography, athleticism and intricate synchronization.

With sold-out runs of their inspirational show “Jabbawockeez presents MUS.I.C” already completed in May and June, they will return to MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theatre after UBC for a third run from August 19 to 25. As the Jabbawockeez continue to bring hip-hop dance into a wider mainstream audience, UBC is honored to feature a dance crew of their caliber.

The Ultimate B-Boy Championship will feature the best break-dancers from around the world as they battle for the UBC title and more than $80,000. The eight competing crews will be judged on electrifying dance moves, freestyle flavor, and athletic power stunts. This B-Boy event will be the first of its kind, recognizing and promoting break-dancing on a mainstream, international scale. This first-ever UBC event will now showcase an appearance by the Jabbawockeez at the hip-hop
competition.

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This agreement allows Konami the rights to incorporate official Major League Baseball teams, club marks, and active Major League Baseball player names and likenesses into its MLB Power Pros Touch 2010 App which is now available for iPhone and iPod touch.

MLB Power Pros Touch 2010 App gamers compete as their favorite MLB players for entertaining and authentic baseball gaming. Gamers take control of the action by simply tapping and sliding to pitch, bat and run! Gamers can rearrange batting orders and pitching rotations, move players on and off the roster, and change their team’s name, logo and uniform design.

Joe Morris, Vice President of Mobile Content and Social Networking for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. said “We are thrilled to be launching the finest mobile baseball game available on the broadest array of handsets, with the deepest penetration.”

Mike Amin, Director of Interactive Games and Internet at MLBPA said “We’re pleased to be working with Konami on this officially-licensed app which includes Major League baseball player names, uniforms and numbers, and all 30 MLB teams. Konami has a proven track record of creating great baseball titles for consoles in both Japan and in the U.S., so we’re very excited to help bring the MLB Power Pros Touch 2010 App to iPhone and iPod touch users and include players who fans know and love.”

Kenny Gersh, senior vice president, business development, MLBAM said “Konami has again delivered an exemplary product for the gaming space with the debut of MLB Power Pros Touch 2010 – a great mobile entertainment experience for baseball fans.”

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