Rocket launch pushed back for TV
June 3, 2006 - Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) - Officials from the Fox Sports Network (FSN) and the Corpus Christi Hooks announced today that Roger Clemens' June 11th start with the Corpus Christi Hooks will be televised live on FSN. To accommodate FSN's broadcast schedule, the start time for the game has been pushed back one hour to 7:05 pm.
"This thing is getting bigger everyday," said Hooks' President J.J. Gottsch. "We've got a great relationship with FSN and the Astros obviously do as well, so it was a natural fit for them to do the game. I would like to thank Jon Heidtke for making this possible."
Heidtke, a Vice President for FSN, negotiated the deal with Ryan-Sanders Baseball CEO Reid Ryan on Thursday and Friday. Ryan-Sanders Baseball is the parent company for both the Hooks and for the Round Rock Express, the Astros' Triple-A affiliate located just north of Austin (Tx).
The game will mark the second time the Hooks have appeared on FSN in their brief two-year existence. Last year's June 16th game versus the Frisco RoughRiders was also televised, and was ultimately picked up by three different FSN outlets reaching almost 20 million households.
FSN is a national broadcast company with several regional outlets. In addition to live regional and national sports broadcasts, FSN offers a variety of national prime time programming such as the Fox Sports National Sports Report and The Best Damn Sports Show Period.
Clemens' start will mark the fifth time an Astros player has made an appearance with the Hooks. Last year Astros legend Jeff Bagwell played in three games with the Hooks while rehabbing along with World Series game four starter, Brandon Backe, who made two rehab starts in Corpus Christi. Astros' catcher Humberto Quintero and pitcher Wandy Rodriguez also spent time in a Hooks' uniform in 2005.
ROCKET BOOSTERS - The Hooks Ticket Office sold out of tickets for the game within four hours of the announcement on Wednesday. However, several tickets have made their way to eBay and currently a set of four reserved seats are going for as much as $356. General admission tickets are also available, one set of 20 tickets is now being offered for $405.
Hooks' catcher J.R. House has willingly surrendered his number 22 jersey so Clemens can bear his Astros number when with the Hooks. House's new number for June 11th has not been announced.
Clemens' June 11th start will be his second of three minor league appearances this season. Clemens will make starts with the Astros' Class-A affiliate Lexington Legends on June 6th and with Triple-A Round Rock June 16th.
Texas League Stories from June 3, 2006
- Travs Hold On Late To End Losing Streak - Arkansas Travelers
- Drillers Edge Hooks 3-1 - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Drillers, Jimenez win again - Tulsa Drillers
- Cards Get Complete Game Win - Springfield Cardinals
- Rocket launch pushed back for TV - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Wranglers weekend - Wichita Wranglers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
