Zac Brown Band Scheduled To Play At 2012 Home Run Derby

Major League Baseball has announced that the Zac Brown Band is scheduled to play at the 2012 MLB Home Run Derby, held on July 9. The two-time Grammy Award-winning band will hold an on-field performance to start the event.

The performance is scheduled to begin at 6:55 p.m., when the band will perform “America The Beautiful,” “Chicken Friend” and the band’s latest single, “The Wind.” MLB Network will carry the coverage of the performances before the Home Run Derby coverage is picked up by ESPN at 7:00 p.m.

The 2012 Home Run Derby will be captained by the American League’s Robinson Cano (last year’s winner) and the National League’s Matt Kemp. Cano and Kemp will choose three other players from their leagues to participate in the in the derby. State Farm and Major League Baseball will donate $150,000 to the winning captain’s charity, $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of America and $25,000 to the losing captain’s charity.

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Chiefs Start Minicamp Without Dwayne Bowe

Kansas City started its mandatory three-day minicamp yesterday with one glaring absence: All-Pro wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. The Chiefs’ wide out has yet to sign his franchise tender, which means he is currently not under contract and is not required to participate in these drills.

Bowe is coming off his second consecutive productive season, catching 81 passes last year for 1,159 yards and five touchdowns. Bowe was able to produce despite injuries and inconsistency in the Chiefs’ QB rotation, and he is obviously a huge part of Kansas City’s offense.

There are several troubling factors to Bowe’s current holdout. First, there is no guarantee of when the WR will join his teammates. Bowe could be on the practice field when training camp starts in a little over a month or the day before the Chiefs first game – there is no current time table. Also, Kansas City is installing a new offense under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, which many Chiefs players have deemed as being somewhat complex. Hopefully Bowe will be able to join the team soon and have enough time to pick up the new offense. Kansas City cannot afford a repeat of last year, when the Chiefs had an absolutely dreadful start to the regular season, and needs all its players on the same page.

One silver lining of Bowe’s absence is that second year Jonathan Baldwin has been able to receive more reps. Baldwin, last year’s first round draft pick, missed last offseason due to the NFL lock out, and has reportedly made some big strides in training camp.

Several other Kansas City players also missed the minicamp due to injuries. Eric Berry, Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki all sat out due while they recover from injuries sustained last season, while rookie WR Devon Wylie missed practice due to an injured hamstring.

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MLB Announces Themes For 2012 All Star FanFest

MLB has announced that it will be hosting theme days as part of the 2012 MLB FanFest, which will take place July 6-10 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Bartle Hall. Attendees will also be eligible for several prizes, as FanFest ticket holders will be given special giveaways that correspond with that day’s theme. The themes are listed below.

Friday, July 6 – Military Appreciation Day

Saturday, July 7 – Kids’ Day

Sunday, July 8 – Kansas City Tribute Day

Monday, July 9 – Legacy Day

Tuesday, July 10 – All Star Legends Day

Entering its 22nd year, the MLB FanFest is an interactive baseball theme park that features activities for baseball fans of all ages. With the All-Star game coming to Kansas City, this year’s FanFest will feature free autograph sessions with legendary Royals players, as well as rare Royals memorabilia.

The FanFest activities last for five days, starting on Friday, July 6 and ending on Tuesday, July 10. The events start at 9:00 a.m. each day and last until 8:00 p.m. on every day except Tuesday, in which the event ends at 6:00 p.m. A full list of the events and their times and date can be found here.

Tickets are currently on sale, and an adult ticket is only $30. All existing Royals Season Ticket Holders will have the opportunity to purchase a strip ticket for all MLB All-Star events held at Kauffman Stadium. Each strip includes one ticket to each All-Star Week event at the ballpark and two MLB All-Star FanFest tickets.

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2012 MLB All Star Game Billed Most Social Event In Baseball History

The 2012 MLB All Star game is being billed as the “most social event in baseball history.” The league has recently announced that several new social media platforms will be introduced to the game, making it more social than ever before. One key introduction will be the usage of computer stations at each clubhouse, which will allow teams to interact on social media when they are not in the game.

This year, MLB will use this platform in both the Home Run Derby and the actual All Star game, and if past stats are any indication, this truly could be the most social event in baseball history, if not sports history.

This new development is similar to what the MLB did last year during the 2011 Home Run Derby. Several computers were set up, which allowed players to go online and use social media platforms while the Derby was taking place. There was some incentive for players to tweet during the Home Run Derby as well: players who tweeted during the competition saw their follower list increase by 17% in the hours following the event, and the home run derby generated what was at the time the 7th-highest tweet per second mark in Twitter history.

The TV networks are in on the social aspect as well, as ESPN and FOX will both heavily incorporate social media into their television broadcasts of the events, creating a fully integrated social TV experience for fans. With several celebrities on hand, this could also be a way to entice non-baseball fans as well.

The 2012 Home Run Derby takes place on Monday, July 9 at 7:00 p.m., while the 2012 MLB All Star game will take place on Tuesday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m.

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Royals Place Felipe Paulino On Disabled List

The Royals' pitching staff has already been hit hard by injuries this season, and it appears as if things are getting even worse. Kansas City has now placed Felipe Paulino on the 15 day disabled list.

Paulino has pitched incredibly well for the Royals in his brief stint in the rotation this year, compiling a 3-1 record and an impressive 1.67 ERA. Paulino has a strained groin, and joins a long list of Kansas City pitchers who have gotten hurt this season.

Kansas City has called up Nate Adcock from Triple A Omaha, who already has seen significant major league experience this season. The Royals will also move Luis Mendoza back into the rotation after his recent stint in the bullpen.

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