M ajor League Baseball opened its regular seasoninternationally for the fourth time in six years, asMLB’s most storied franchise, the New York

Yankees, took on division rival the Tampa Bay Devil Raysin Tokyo, Japan in March.

The two-games of Opening Series 2004 were playedbefore sellout crowds at the Tokyo Dome on March 30 and31 with the Japanese fans making enough noisefor both teams to compare the atmosphere tothat of a tense play-off game. “They’refanatical,” said Yankees first baseman JasonGiambi of the Japanese fans. “It’sunbelievable how much they lovethe game. It’s exciting, and it getsyou excited to play.”

Opening Series 2004 washosted in partnership with long-time MLBpartner Yomiuri and marks the second time thatMajor League Baseball has opened its season inJapan. The first was in 2000 with a two-game seriesbetween the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets which drew110,000 fans. This year’s Opening Series was supported byevent title and teams’ sponsor Ricoh.

Both teams warmed up for the first games of the seasonwith back-to-back exhibition games against two teams fromNippon Professional Baseball, the Yomiuri Giants and theHanshin Tigers. All the games provided compelling baseballaction including a surprising 11-7 win for the Tigers in their

Mexico City PlaysHost to Marlinsand Astros

M ajor League Baseball visitedMexico City for the third timein four seasons when the

defending World Series ChampionFlorida Marlins took on the HoustonAstros in Serie de Primavera 2004,a two-game exhibition series onMarch 13 and 14 at Estadio Foro Sol.

The enthusiastic fans of MexicoCity received a real treat in theseries opener when 300-gamewinner Roger Clemens took themound for the Astros. Clemens, whothrew three innings, allowing tworuns while striking out three, wascheered throughout his performancewith the fans chanting “Rocket!Rocket!” during his pre-gameroutine.

“I felt it as soon as I came out ofthe dugout,” said Clemens during anin-game press conference. “When Ijumped out of the dugout to warmup, the reaction of the fans ... I reallyfelt it at that point. The fans downhere love seeing people who theymight not get an opportunity to seeever again.”

The Marlins stole the show in theend, belting four home runs en routeto a 6-1 victory. Game Two ended ina hard-fought 2-2 tie after nineinnings. Florida’s Korean-born firstbaseman, Hee Seop Choi, smacked agame-tying single in the top of theninth to force an exhibition-game tie.Over the weekend, more than 26,000fans showed up to watch MajorLeague Baseball in Mexico City.

Before Sunday’s game, MajorLeague Baseball and La Asociacionde Ligas Infantiles y Juveniles delDistrito Federal (ABIJDF) conductedthe Mexico City Youth Baseball Clinicat Foro Sol. Over 100 youngstersattended the clinic where they wereinstructed on the fundamentals ofbaseball by members of the Marlinsand Astros. It was truly a great dayat the ballpark for all.

T H E O F F I C I A L I N T E R N A T I O N A L N E W S L E T T E R O F M A J O R L E A G U E B A S E B A L L ★ F I R S T I S S U E 2 0 0 4

Yankees, Devil Rays Open 2004Championship Season in Japan

game against the Yankees as they held off the potent NewYork offense.

While for most of the MLB players it was an excitingintroduction to a brand new culture and style of baseball, forHideki Matsui, the Yankees’ Japanese slugging outfielder, itwas an emotional homecoming. For Matsui, a former star onTokyo’s Yomiuri Giants, it was an opportunity to entertain his

hometown fans again, this time dressed in theworld famous Yankee pinstripes. Matsui did not

disappoint his adoring fans as he launched ahomerun into the right field seats in his first

at-bat back in Japan. Matsuithrilled the fans again as hehomered a second time in theMLB season opener. As herounded the bases the 55,000

strong crowd filled the stadium withchants of “Home run, Matsui! Home run, Matsui!”“It was unbelievable,” said Yankee captain and

shortstop Derek Jeter. “It’s tough enough to hit a homerun in BP, but when you have a whole country expecting you tohit one and you hit one, that’s pretty difficult.”

Matsui finished Opening Series 2004 with three hits,including a double, home run, three RBIs and two runs scored,earning the series Most Valuable Player honor.

At the start of the trip both team’s shook off their jetlag atspecial workout sessions. The day aptly named Kids Day,thanks to the promotional support of MLB presenting sponsors

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Lou Piniella of the Devil Rays and Joe Torre of the Yankeesparticipate in pregame pagentry at the Tokyo Dome.

Presidente Becomes Official Beer of MLB in theDominican Republic

Major League Baseball has signed a new three-year agreement with the Dominican Republic’sleading beer brand Presidente. The new deal provides Presidente with exclusive promotional

rights within the beer category in the Dominican Republic through December 2006. WithDominican-born players now making up almost 10 per cent of MLB team rosters, Presidente is wellset to capitalize on the strength of the MLB brand in its baseball hungry marketplace.

As part of the new deal Presidente will host the 2004 All-Star Balloting program in theDominican Republic with 500,000 paper ballots being distributed in 300 cormados. Cormados aresmall stores that turn into bars at night and hold from 50 - 400 people. In support of theirballoting sponsorship, Presidente will also execute a promotion to send four winners to the All-Star Game in Houston in July. All-Star Balloting in the Dominican Republic is scheduled to begin

on May 15th. All-Star balloting is also available internationally in Japan,Canada and Puerto Rico and to fans visiting Major League Baseball’swebsite, www.MLB.com.

Latin America

Tampa Bay Devil RaysDanys Baez

Rocco BaldelliCarl Crawford

Aubrey HuffTino Martinez

Toronto Blue JaysFrank Catalanotto

Carlos DelgadoEric Hinske

Roy HalladayVernon Wells

Baltimore OriolesJorge JulioJavy Lopez

Melvin MoraRafael Palmeiro

Miguel Tejada

Boston Red SoxNomar Garciaparra

Pedro MartinezDavid Ortiz

Manny RamirezCurt Schilling

New YorkYankees

Jason GiambiDerek Jeter

Hideki MatsuiAlex RodriguezBernie Williams

Players to Watch

American LeagueEastern Division

2 ballpark

MLB Around the World

Canada Votes

RogersCommunications is

the in-stadium sponsor ofAll-Star Fan Balloting inCanada. This marks thethird year of Rogers’participation in the All-Star Balloting Program.Over 1.5 million ballotswill be distributed to fansat all home games at theSkyDome in Toronto andOlympic Stadium inMontreal.

MLB Sponsorship

MLB All-Star Balloting Returns to Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, Pepsi will once again host the 2004 All-Star Balloting program with 500,000paper ballots being distributed in participating Grande Supermarkets and Pizza Hut locations

throughout the island. All-Star Balloting in Puerto Rico is scheduled to begin on May 17th and marksthe sixth year that All-Star Game ballots have been available at retail locations on the island.

This year, All-Star Balloting will also take place in-stadium at the Montreal Expos Puerto Ricanhome-away-from-home, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, in San Juan. Pepsi will present the in-stadiumballoting program in Puerto Rico from May 18th through May 23rd by distributing more than120,000 paper ballots to fans attending the Montreal Expos games against the MilwaukeeBrewers, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.

Japan Opening Series 2004continued from page 1

McDonalds and Mizuno, saw more than 30,000 kids andparents enjoy a schedule of activities, competitions andentertainment built around the workouts of the two teams.Players signed autographs and posed for pictures with kidsin between taking practice swings and fielding drillsthroughout the day. More than 70 lucky prize winners fromthe Kids Day attendees were escorted down onto the field towatch the action up close, meet the MLB stars and go on abehind-the-scenes tour of the team clubhouses. The day’sevents were also supported by New Era, Majestic, SportsAuthority, Wacoal and Upper Deck.

During the trip players from both teams also madeappearances at Camp Zama and Yokosuka military bases tovisit with American and Japanese kids and attended aspecial reception hosted by the US Ambassador to celebrate150 years of US-Japanese relations.

“It has been something special, there’s no question aboutit” said Derek Jeter. “As a player, you should cherish it,because there’s a chance you might never do it again.”

Devil Rays General Manager, Chuck LaMar, also spokehighly of the trip, “It’s been a fabulous experience. I don’tthink any of us could have envisioned the impact it wouldhave on us. People here have been great. And it has beentremendous exposure opening up in front of the world.”

Opening Series 2004 also received comprehensive retailsupport through promotional campaigns at MLB retailpartners Sports Authority, Japan Sports Vision, Xebio andAlpen/Depo. Event and team merchandise was alsoavailable to fans at the Tokyo Dome concession stands andan MLB official souvenir store located in nearby Prism Hall.

Close to 300,000 Japanese fans attended the four days ofexhibition and regular season games in Tokyo and hasfurther cemented the international season opener as aregular fixture in the MLB calendar. Previous internationalopeners have also been held in Monterrey, Mexico in 1999and San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2001.

Clockwise from top: No shortage of Derek Jeter fans inTokyo; Yankees stars Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui greetJapanese youngsters on the field at Kids Day; Matsui hoiststhe Opening Series MVP trophy to the crowd’s delight.

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American LeagueWestern Division

Anaheim AngelsGarret Anderson

Troy GlausVladimir Guerrero

Jose GuillenFrancisco Rodriguez

Texas RangersHank Blalock

Francisco CorderoKenny Rogers

Alfonso SorianoMichael Young

Oakland AthleticsEric Chavez

Jermaine DyeTim Hudson

Mark MulderBarry Zito

Seattle MarinersBret Boone

Freddy GarciaRaul Ibanez

Edgar MartinezIchiro Suzuki

Players to Watch

3

MLB Sponsorship

Meiji Yasuda Leverages MLB Sponsorship toGrow Customer Base

In conjunction with a significant media blitz, Meiji Yasuda conducted severalMLB promotional campaigns to promote their new sponsorship of Major

League Baseball. To encourage potential customers to complete Life PlanProposal questionnaires, Meiji Yasuda offered chances to win MLB goods – aNew York Yankees bandana featuring Hideki Matsui, their officialspokesperson, or a MLB folding bicycle. Anyone who filled out a questionnairewas automatically entered. Winners were selected through a random drawing.In total, over 100,000 prizes were awarded.

To promote customer loyalty, Meiji Yasuda is also running a number ofcampaigns in which they present current members with original New YorkYankees premiums. In the Map 1st Anniversary Present campaign, Meiji gaveeach member who responded to their questionnaire a gift for their loyalty.Premiums included authentic stadium jackets and team jerseys.

Every Vote Counts – am/pm Sponsors Balloting Again

This year’s All-Star Balloting in Japan marks am/pm’s fourth consecutive year as the OfficialSponsor of offline All-Star Fan Balloting. Running from May 14th through June 13th,

Japanese baseball fans can place votes for their favorite Major League Baseball players atparticipating am/pm retail outlets nationwide. This year, am/pm produced 5,000,000 ballots.am/pm also ran an All-Star Balloting Sweepstakes, giving voters the chance to win originalam/pm All-Star Game prizes or products from co-sponsor Lotte. Last year, more than 1.2 millionballots were collected in Japan – almost a 25% return rate – making itone of the most successful international balloting programs ever.

“Hideki Matsui Go! Go! Magnum”

To promote sales of Magnum Dry, Suntory ran a promotion to coincide with their new candesigns featuring Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees. Consumers entered to win by

collecting the required number of application stickers attached to Magnum Dry products atretail outlets throughout Japan. Over 10,000 winners, randomly picked by lottery, received MLB premiums goods, including New York Yankees stadium jackets, sports duffels and baseball caps.

Aeon Begins Season with Focus on MLB

This spring, Aeon conducted two programs to highlight the ongoing partnership between theirstores and Major League Baseball. The first of these campaigns gave customers a chance to win MLB branded

Hello Kitty premium items. Anyone who spent more than 3,000 yen at participating Aeon stores received an entry card.Winners were selected through a random drawing of all entry cards. During the course of the promotion 11,000consumers won exclusive MLB Hello Kitty team dolls and MLB team t-shirts.

In their second spring campaign, Aeon gave consumers the chance to win specially designed MLB t-shirts featuringballparks from around the United States – from Fenway Park in Boston to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Customerswho spent more than 3,000 yen at participating Aeon stores received also an entry card to enter the win in the MLB

Ballpark T-shirt Giveaway campaign. Winners were selected through a randomdrawing – 5,000 consumers received one of six different MLB Ballpark t-shirts.

MLB Signs Four New Sponsors, Renews with Three

Major League Baseball recently announced it has reached agreement with four newsponsors for the Japanese marketplace, while a further three sponsors have

renewed their deals. The new sponsors include Suntory’s Magnum Dry Beer, MeijiYasuda Life Insurance, Kagome Fruit and Vegetable Juice and Shiseido Cosmetics.Renewing agreements with MLB were Japan Airlines, Komatsu (heavy machinery) andSato Pharmaceuticals for its Yunker nutritional beverage.

As part of Opening Series 2004, MLB and Ricoh reached an agreement allowingRicoh to serve as official patch sponsor of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Ricoh, which was titlesponsor for the event, had the right to place a patch on the game uniforms and batting practice jersey of players andcoaches on each team.

Major League Baseball now has sponsor relationships with 16 companies in the Japanese market.

Asia

Burger King DealRenewed inGermany

In Germany, Major LeagueBaseball has renewed its

partnership with Burger King assponsor of its nationwide youthgrassroots initiative, Play Ball!,for the third consecutiveyear. Capitalizing on the successof last year’s promotion, twomillion Play Ball! branded trayliners featuring information on thenationwide program, will appearin over 400 Burger Kingrestaurants in Germany betweenmid-April and mid-May. Thepromotions willalso link into in-store publication,King Magazine,that has areadership ofnearly half amillion. In addition,to help generateinterest and aidrecruitment at thegrassroots level, four Play Ball!events will also be staged inBurger King restaurants in severalcities across the country.

Europe

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National LeagueWestern Division

Los AngelesDodgers

Adrian BeltreEric Gagne

Shawn GreenKazuhisa IshiiPaul Lo Duca

San Diego PadresBrian Giles

Trevor HoffmanRyan Klesko

Phil NevinJake Peavy

San FranciscoGiants

Edgardo AlfonzoBarry Bonds

Marquis GrissomPedro Feliz

Jason Schmidt

Colorado RockiesVinny Castilla

Shawn ChaconTodd Helton

Larry WalkerPreston Wilson

ArizonaDiamondbacks

Steve FinleyDanny Bautista

Luis GonzalezRandy JohnsonBrandon Webb

Players to Watch

4 ballpark

Opening Series 2004 Memorabilia Part ofMajor League Baseball Authentication Program

Major League Baseball authenticated game-used and autographedmemorabilia from the Opening Series 2004 games played in Japan

between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays inconnection with the Major League Baseball Authentication Program.The Major League Baseball Authentication Program combines the servicesof an independent third party authenticator with a state-of-the-arthologram, a serial numbering system and an online verification processthat easily distinguishes authenticated autographs and game-usedmemorabilia from other items on the market. Since its inception in 2001,the Major League Baseball Authentication Program has certified over500,000 pieces of memorabilia as genuine.

During Opening Series 2004, autographed and game-used items,including game-used baseballs, jerseys, bases and line up cards, wereauthenticated by an independent third party authenticator from DeloitteTouche Tohmatsu. Each of these items was affixed with one of two tamper-proof holograms created by OpSec, U.S. to identify its Major LeagueBaseball authenticity. Each item and its unique identification number isprocessed and posted on the official program website – www.MLB.com –for easy reference by consumers guaranteeing Major League Baseball fansthat the items they acquire are 100% authentic.

Asia

MLB Licensing & Retail

Pets in Pinstripes – Three New Licensees in Japan

Mother, Inc., who specializes in pet wear and pet accessories, will develop an MLB dog apparel and accessories line.Mother’s first line will consist of uniform-style shirts available in New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York

Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers designs. These products will be available for purchase through Mother’s four pet lifestylestores located within Tokyo, in Mother’s mail order catalog, as well as at pet stores throughout Japan.

Furukawa Co., Ltd., will introduce a collection of MLB skateboards and scooters using New York Yankees, SeattleMariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and New York Mets designs. These skateboards (retail price 3,980yen) and scooters (retail price 2,9080 yen) will be sold in sports stores throughout Japan beginning in late May.

PC accessories maker, JDC Co., Ltd. will launch a line of computer mouse (retail price 3,000 yen) designed to resembleNew York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers helmets. JDC hopes toeventually expand the collection to feature designs of all thirty MLB clubs. Theseproducts can be found throughout Japan at electrical appliance stores, departmentstores, GMS, ballparks, and variety shops.

Japan Retailers Rally Round Opening Series

Major sports specialty retailers Sports Authority, Xebio, Alpen/Depo and JapanSports Vision lent their marketing support to the Japan Opening Series. By

running in-store sweepstakes programs offering consumers the opportunity to wintickets to the Opening Series, the retailers increased foot traffic and overallmerchandise sales. MLB and major licensees New Era Cap Company and MajesticAthletic provided prizes for consumers as well, including Opening Series event logocaps and tee shirts.

Fujisankei Living Goes Premium

Fujisankei Living Service entered into a premium license agreement in Japan to provide premium products for MLBsponsors and marketing partners. The first issue of their catalog features 13 categories of premium products, ranging in

assortment from household items to business and travel to Japanese-style items. Fujisankei Living is also developing original product to meetindividual sponsors’ needs for unique, appealing premiums.

Kanebo Foods: “Let’s Playgum”

In Spring 2004, licensee Kanebo Foods reintroduced their Playgum brandusing MLB team logos. First launched 40 years ago, Playgum sells for

100 yen and is a best-seller in Japan. American pop imageadvertisements placed in Cool Trance, Street Jack, Smart and other trendpublications help position MLB Playgum as a lifestyle item.

Latin America

Puerto RicoLicensing RightsTransferred to MLBInternational

As part of an internalreorganization, the

management of licensing rightsfor Puerto Rico has beentransferred from Major LeagueBaseball’s domestic licensing toits international licensingdepartment. Since thereorganization, MLB has licensedseveral new licensees in theregion, Dan River, whichmanufactures bedding andquilts, Conair for personalelectric appliances and MaytagCorp. for MLB branded personalrefrigerator units. For furtherinformation on licensingopportunities in Puerto Ricoplease contact LicensingDirector, Deidra Varona at MLBInternational.

National LeagueEastern Division

Players to Watch

Florida MarlinsJosh Beckett

Miguel CabreraMike LowellBrad Penny

Dontrelle Willis

PhiladelphiaPhillies

Bobby AbreuPat Burrell

Kevin MillwoodJim ThomeRandy Wolf

Atlanta BravesJ.D. Drew

Andruw JonesChipper Jones

Russ OrtizJohn Smoltz

New York MetsCliff Floyd

Tom GlavineAl Leiter

Kazuo Matsui Mike Piazza

Montreal ExposOrlando CabreraLivan HernandezTomokazu Ohka

Jose VidroBrad Wilkerson

5

MLB Stationery Set For Strong Sales in Year Two

Major League Baseball’s Dutch based European stationerylicensee, New Edition, has reported strong sales for its second

season. New Edition launched its 2004 collection, featuring NewYork Yankees and LA Dodgers stationery, bags and accessories, inFrankfurt in January targeting school children during this year’sback-to-school period.

New Edition supported the new product line launch with aconsumer promotion in the Netherlands, giving customers of theirschool diary a chance to win MLB clothing. Entrants were asked tosubmit designs for a New York Yankees jersey. The New Editionschool diary, which features school information and fun, informative facts about America and its national pastime,baseball, is an integral part of the MLB collection.

New Era Celebrates Anniversary Year

The hottest cap in Europe continues to be the New Era 59fifty which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2004. New Erawill kick off its year long celebration in Europe with a special offering of Authentic Cooperstown Collection World Series

commemorative caps: 1954-2004. Each month New Era will release a decade of these caps adorned with the World Seriesemblems starting with 1954-1950: New York Giants 1954, Brooklyn Dodgers 1955, New York Yankees 1956, MilwaukeeBraves 1957, New York Yankees 1958, Los Angeles Dodgers 1959 and Pittsburgh Pirates 1960.

New Era’s distributor network continues to expand across the continent, broadening the exposure of MLB brandedheadwear from Portugal to Poland and all points inbetween. New Eraplans to bring the network together in June for their European SalesConference to be held in Barcelona.

New Era caps are set to be advertised across key European territoriesin top youth and music magazine titles. Reflecting the influence of theurban music scene in creating their market, New Era are planning toalign the brand with this demographic with a series of cutting edgeadvertisements over the coming months.

MLB Launches European POS Program

Major League Baseball announced the arrival of its European POSprogram which is available to all licensees and their distributors.

The offer comprises of three images, one Americana and twobaseball-themed under the banner heading American Lifestyle. Twosizes of POS materials are available – A2 poster size and A3 windowdisplay size, as well as informative postcards. Licensees anddistributors should contact Sally Hoque at IMG, MLB’s Europeanlicensing agent, for more information on how to obtain this materialto help promote their MLB product lines to their key retail partnersacross Europe.

Europe

MLB Licensing & Retail

Concept Sports to Provide Mobile Merchandise Unit for MLB Roadshow

Major League Baseball has partnered with world leading event merchandiser, Concept Sports, to provide mobile merchandisingunits for its Australian Roadshow. The new outlets will offer all participants of MLB’s interactive fan Roadshow with the

opportunity to purchase their favorite team’s gear thanks to the extensive range of product that will be featured along with thebenefit of its mobile credit card facilities.

Concept Sports was the official venue retailer for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics and the 2003Rugby World Cup and will be the official venue retailer for this summer’s Athens Olympics.

Australia

Sportchek Features MLB in Sports Concept Shop

The Forzani group, owner of the Canadian sports retail chain, Sportchek, launched a new Sports Concept shop in January atits flagship store in Toronto. The new shop will prominently feature a wide range of Major League Baseball licensed

merchandise including Toronto Blue Jays, Montreal Expos and other MLB team items. Fozani’s new retail initiative isexpected to significantly boost its sales of MLB product. Sportchek currently has 108 stores located throughout Canada.

Canada

Latin America

New MontrealExpos Store atHiram BithornStadium

The Montreal Exposopened the season in

Puerto Rico with a brandnew retail store at HiramBithorn Stadium. MLBthemed graphics areprominent throughoutthe 1,600 square footstore, which alsofeatures a 42” PlasmaTV that broadcasts thegames live in store sofans don’t miss theaction. The vast productoffering includesAuthentic jerseys andcaps. Dynasty Appareland Fifth and Oceancreated event-specificitems that are availableonly at the Expos store.

MLB Broadcast

Global

Television and Radio Agreements on the Rise

During the early part of 2004 Major League Baseball renewed thirteen television and radio agreements and added two newtelevision partners. This group is comprised of 12 broadcasters that reach individual countries, and three Pan Regional partners.Over the years, Major League Baseball has maximized its television and radio exposure to its international fan base by

developing long-term relationships with active media partners. Major League Baseball is very pleased to add Telemax of Hermosillo,Mexico, Solar Sports of the Philippines, and CDN of the Dominican Republic to the growing group of MLB broadcast partners.

Major League Baseball is also very proud to announce a four-year extension of its longest standing media partnershipsworldwide with Television Distribution System (TDS) in Curacao. The agreement with TDS’s parent, United TelecommunicationSystem, assures that MLB fans in Curacao, Bonaire, and St. Maarten will enjoy MLB games through over-the-air broadcasterTeleCuracao, TDS’s Channel 82, and access to the MLB Extra Innings Package.

6 ballpark

This year, more European countries willl have access toMajor League Baseball and live coverage of the All-

Star Game and the World Series. National broadcastersin Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and Denmark will show regular baseball gamesthroughout the season, as well as bring dedicated fans all the news from the Major Leagues with popular weekly shows. Moreover,NASN will continue to bring UK viewers their favorite moments from the archives, with Classic MLB games throughout the year.

Growth in European TV Exposure

American LeagueCentral Division

Minnesota TwinsCorey Koskie

Torii HunterJacque Jones

Brad RadkeShannon Stewart

Chicago White SoxMark BuehrlePaul Konerko

Esteban LoaizaMagglio Ordonez

Frank Thomas

Detroit TigersCarlos Guillen

Bobby HigginsonIvan RodriguezUgueth UrbinaRondell White

Cleveland IndiansJody Gerut

Travis HafnerVictor Martinez

C.C. SabathiaOmar Vizquel

Kansas CityRoyals

Carlos BeltranAngel Berroa

Juan GonzalezJoe Randa

Mike Sweeney

Players to Watch

2004 TV, Radio Renewals and New AgreementsList does not include existing broadcast agreements.

Broadcaster Country(s) Highlights

Cable Onda Panama Regular Season

Canal + Spain, Andorra Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

Canal + N.V. Netherlands, Luxembourg Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

CDN Dominican Republic Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS(also includes Radio Rights)

Channel 5 United Kingdom, Ireland Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

Deportes 13 Puerto Rico Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

ESPN International Pan Africa Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

ESPN International Pan Latin America Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

ESPN International Pan Middle East Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

FOX Sports International Pan Latin America Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

FOX Sports International Pan Middle East Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

NASN United Kingdom, Ireland Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

NOS Netherlands Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

Premiere Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WSLuxembourg, Lichtenstein

Publieventos Radio Mexico Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

Radio / TV Marti Cuba Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS(also includes Radio Rights)

Rogers Sports Net Canada Regular Season, DS, LCS

Rogers Cable Canada MLB Extra Innings Package

Sky Italia Italy, San Marino, Vatican City Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

Solar Sports* Philippines Regular Season

TeleCuracao Curacao Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WSTV Distribution System (also includes Radio Rights)

TeleMax* Mexico Regular Season

Televisora Nacional Panama Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

Viasat Sport Denmark, Norway, Sweden Regular Season, ASG, DS, LCS, WS

Prime MinisterKoizumi and NY’sGiuliani Pitch intoHall of Fame

Former Mayor of New York,Rudolph Giuliani and the

Prime Minister of Japan,Junichiro Koizumi, threw out theceremonial first pitches for GameOne of the MLB Japan OpeningSeries on March 30. The pitchesthrown by Mayor Giuliani andPrime Minister Koizumi werecaught by Timo Perez of theDevil Rays and Hideki Matsui ofthe Yankees, respectively. MayorGiuliani and Prime MinisterKoizumi each signed the baseballthat they tossed and then MayorGiuliani’s baseball was given tothe Baseball Hall of Fame inTokyo, Japan while PrimeMinister Koizumi’s baseball wasgiven to the National BaseballHall of Fame and Museum inCooperstown, NY.

Key:ASG All-Star GameDS Division SeriesLCS League Championship SeriesWS World Series

7

Australia

MLB Market Development

Mexico

Frubes Builds MLB Fan Base in UK

The second year of Major League Baseball’s partnership with popular children’s dessert brand Frubesbrought the game of baseball to a wide new audience. Play Ball! with Frubes is Major League

Baseball’s UK grassroots initiative and last year, with the support of Frubes, the Play Ball! with Frubes FanClub was launched in the UK. Through regular communication including magazines and a monthly E-zine, theFan Club aims to educate children about Major League Baseball, its teams and star players, andencourage participation in the 20 Play Ball! with Frubes Youth Leagues around the UK.

The new Fan Club was promoted on more than 4 million packs of Frubes and supported with an integrated marketing campaignacross children’s print, television and web media. By the end of 2003 more than 21,000 children had signed up. Due to the successof the promotion. Yoplait are continuing to advertise the Fan Club on all 9 and 12-pack Frubes tubes throughout 2004. In addition totheir baseball-branded Frubes pouches, kids can also continue to register via the Play Ball! with Frubes website,www.playballwithfrubes.com.

MLB Introduces Baseball to More Than 50,000 Mexico City Kids

The Pitch, Hit & Run program completed its fourth year in Mexico City this past March with the top 120 kidsparticipating in a skills competition held at the Liga Petrolera baseball complex. This year, the six-week program

was run in 150 public schools in Mexico City for kids 9-12 years of age.The Pitch, Hit & Run program introduces school kids to the basic skills used in baseball and is run by Major League

Baseball in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, Italy and Mexico. Since its inception in 1994 the programhas reached over 3,000,000 kids worldwide.

All program participants are eligible to compete in a series of competitions to determine the top performers in the skills ofpitching, hitting and running. The regional competitions were held at area Little League complexes throughout Mexico City.The winners received a pack of MLB prizes and werepresented their winning trophies by Major Leaguers MiguelCabrera and Mike Gallo in an on-field ceremony prior to thegame at Estadio Foro Sol between the Houston Astros andthe Florida Marlins before more than 15,000 fans. Twelveparticipants in the final competition also were awardedscholarships to area Little Leagues.

The Pitch, Hit & Run program in Mexico City is run incooperation with the Direccion General de Educacion Fisicaand the Secretaria de Educacion Publica. Participatingschools receive a complete set of baseball equipment andteaching resources consisting of training videos, acomprehensive teacher's manual and information guides.

Astros pitcher Mike Gallo and program coordinator GemaFranco present the 1st place trophies to the 11-12 year-oldchampions of the Pitch, Hit & Run skills competition. (Right)

Europe

Kids Trainwith the Pros Down Under

During the MajorLeague Baseball off-

season a dozen ofAustralia’s professionalplayers turned their hand to coaching,providing Queensland, South Australia andNew South Wales kids with a memorable daylearning fundamentals from some of thecountry’s rising stars. Events in Brisbane,Adelaide and Sydney sold-out in advance ashundreds of kids ranging in age from eight totwelve embraced the Training with the Pros opportunity.

The Training with the Pros program plants the seeds for future local clubplayers, develops fan recognition and loyalty toward Australian players andsolidifies the relationship of current Australian players with development efforts.

Visit Our Website

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Australian Player SigningsDouble Due to Academy

Thanks in no small part to the successes of theMajor League Baseball Australian

Academy the number of Australians signed byMLB clubs has doubled in just over three years.

There are now 96 Australians playingprofessional baseball. Four years ago, thecomparitive numbers were 48 pro and 32 collegeplayers. The Major League Baseball AustralianAcademy has developed into a uniquedevelopment program that effectively preparesyoung players for the rigors of professionalbaseball.

To date, 46 Academy alumni have signedcontracts with Major League clubs. Thisrepresents one third of all the players eligible tobe signed at the academy.

National LeagueCentral Division

Players to Watch

Chicago CubsMoises Alou

Mark PriorAramis Ramirez

Sammy SosaKerry Wood

Houston AstrosJeff Bagwell

Lance BerkmanCraig Biggio

Roger ClemensAndy Pettitte

St. Louis CardinalsJim Edmonds

Matt MorrisAlbert Pujols

Edgar RenteriaScott Rolen

Cincinnati RedsSean CaseyAdam Dunn

Danny Graves Ken Griffey, Jr.

Paul Wilson

MilwaukeeBrewers

Danny KolbGeoff Jenkins

Scott PodsednikLyle Overbay

Ben Sheets

Pittsburgh PiratesJayson Bay

Jason KendallOliver PerezJose Mesa

Craig Wilson

Magglio Ordoñez began the 2004 season in much the sameway he had spent the previous six years with the Chicago

White Sox – hitting with the type of consistency that could landhim in Cooperstown one day.

Ordoñez has long been one ofbaseball’s most feared hitters, and itdidn’t take long for him to show that2004 may be the year when thequiet superstar becomes one ofbaseball’s household names. Whenthe White Sox came to New York inthe home-opening series at YankeeStadium, Ordoñez led the visitors toa split by piling up eight RBI in theirtwo wins. He captured the firstAmerican League Player of the Weekhonors of the 2004 season.

For Ordoñez, such productivity istypical. The native of Venezuela hashit higher than .300 for each of thelast five seasons and has postedover 30 home runs and 110 RBIeach year from 1999-2002. He wasone of just five players in baseball tohave four straight years with a .300

stolen base crowns,four Gold Gloves, andwas named thePacific League MVPin 1998. At the ripeage of 24 in 2000, afan poll voted him thegreatest Japaneseshortstop of all-time.

Matsui’s finestseason was 2002,when he led Seibu tothe Japan Series bybecoming only theeighth player since 1950 to hit .300 or better with more than30 homers and 30 steals. He also posted career-highs with119 runs and 46 doubles. That same year, he starred in aseries against a team of Major League All-Stars, batting .440.

Clubs across the Pacific noticed. Following anotherstandout season in 2003 (.305, 33 HR, 84 RBI), Matsuideclared his intention to come to America. “Little Matsui”soon settled on the Mets, making the Big Apple a townfor two Matsuis (Hideki, a.k.a. “Big Matsui,” stars for theYankees; the two are not related).

Kazuo has not disappointed, showcasing his prodigiousskills as well as a style all his own – he’s known for akeen fashion sense and for shading his hair differentcolors. His first at-bat in Atlanta was about as stylish as itgets. Howe compared the start of his new shortstop’scareer to a fairy tale.

“It was more than I ever imagined,” Matsui said of hisdebut.

It’s early, but Matsui has Mets fans imagining even bigger.

Hello, everyone. My name is Kazuo Matsui. I love NewYork.” That’s the way Kaz Matsui introduced himself

to the Big Apple at a press conference in Manhattan onDecember 10, 2003 after agreeing to a three-yearcontract to play for the New York Mets.

After a short period of getting acquainted with New Yorkin the off-season, Matsui wasted no time making a namefor himself at the Major League level once the seasonbegan. On the first pitch he saw as a member of theMets, the flashy shortstop blasted a home run over thecenter field wall at Atlanta’s Turner Field.

Matsui, the first Japanese infielder to sign with a MajorLeague club, didn’t stop there, either. He laced a RBI doubledown the right field line in the second inning, drew a basesloaded walk in the third, and doubled in the fifth. With tworunners aboard in the seventh, the Braves showed thatMatsui had already earned the respect from his newcounterparts. They walked him intentionally to load the bases.

It was a spectacular Major League debut for one of themost decorated players in Japan’s rich baseball history, andit was exactly what the Mets were hoping for when theylured the former Seibu Lion to America with a three-yearcontract. A New York newspaper celebrated his bannerintroduction with the headline, “Fan-KAZ-tic!”

“When he hit that home run, there was electricity in thedugout,” said Mets manager Art Howe. “It was likesomeone plugged us in.”

Originally drafted by Seibu as a pitcher, Matsui’s career inJapan became a testament to power, speed, and durability.The 28-year-old hit 69 home runs over his last two seasonsin Japan, stole more than 25 bases each year from 1996-2002, and assembled a string of 1,143 consecutive gamesplayed. The switch-hitting seven-time All-Star won three

Kazuo Matsui

average, 30 homers, and 100 RBI during that span. The 2002campaign was a monumental one for Ordoñez, who set career-highs in runs scored (116), doubles (47), home runs (38), RBI

(135), batting average (.320), andslugging percentage (.597).

The four-time AL All-Starcontinues to add to a legacy thatmay one day make him arguably thefinest player ever from Venezuela.His .307 batting average and .527slugging percentage (entering 2004)are the highest marks ever amongMLB’s Venezuelan-born players, alist that includes such present starsas Bobby Abreu and Richard Hidalgoto others like Luis Aparicio, DaveyConcepcion, Tony Armas, and AndresGalarraga.

The new manager of White Sox,Ozzie Guillen, has made a mark ina different way – he’s the firstVenezuelan native to manage in theMajors. With Ordoñez in place,Guillen has quite a foundation tobuild on.

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Kazuo Matsui

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Magglio Ordoñez

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Kazuo Matsui