ESPN’s 2013 Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour will begin its journey through MLB Spring Training sites in Arizona and Florida on Monday, Feb. 11, with a visit to the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz. Each visit includes player and manager interviews, in-depth perspective on the team’s camp and discussion of off-season storylines in advance of the 2013 MLB season. Tour content will be featured in Baseball Tonight, which airs weekdays generally at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and via WatchESPN with additional SportsCenter segments each day.*
Veteran ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian will anchor the four-week tour with ESPN MLB commentators John Kruk, Curt Schilling, Rick Sutcliffe, Aaron Boone, Buster Olney and Karl Ravech joining the tour for various segments.
“The tour will provide an insightful look into MLB’s top storylines and biggest superstars heading into the 2013 season,” said Kurkjian. “All of the excitement and intrigue of the season begins in spring training – my favorite time of year.”
The Cactus League portion of the tour will highlight the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox.
The Grapefruit League schedule begins on Monday, Feb. 25, with the new-look Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. followed by visits to the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers.
Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour Schedule – Cactus League:
| Date | Time (ET) | Team | Site (Ariz.) | Commentators |
| Mon, Feb 11 | 2:30 p.m. | San Francisco Giants | Scottsdale | Karl Ravech, Tim Kurkjian, Curt Schilling, Rick Sutcliffe |
| Tues, Feb 12 | 3 p.m. | L.A. Dodgers | Glendale | Ravech, Kurkjian, Schilling, Sutcliffe |
| Wed, Feb 13 | 3 p.m. | L.A. Angels | Tempe | Ravech, Kurkjian, Schilling |
| Thurs, Feb 14 | 3 p.m. | Texas Rangers | Surprise | Ravech, Kurkjian, Schilling, Sutcliffe |
| Fri, Feb 15 | 3 p.m. | Oakland Athletics | Phoenix | Ravech, Kurkjian, Schilling |
| Mon, Feb 18 | 3 p.m. | Cleveland Indians | Goodyear | Kurkjian, Aaron Boone |
| Tues, Feb 19 | 3 p.m. | Cincinnati Reds | Goodyear | Kurkjian, Boone |
| Wed, Feb 20 | 3 p.m. | Milwaukee Brewers | Maryvale | Kurkjian, Boone |
| Thurs, Feb 21 | 2:30 p.m. | Arizona Diamondbacks | Scottsdale | Kurkjian, Boone |
| Fri, Feb 22 | 3 p.m. | Chicago White Sox | Glendale | Kurkjian, Boone |
Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour Schedule – Grapefruit League:
| Date | Time (ET) | Team | Site (Fla.) | Commentators |
| Mon, Feb 25 | 2:30 p.m. | Toronto Blue Jays | Dunedin | Kurkjian, John Kruk |
| Tues, Feb 26 | 3 p.m. | Philadelphia Phillies | Clearwater | Kurkjian, Kruk |
| Wed, Feb 27 | 3 p.m. | Baltimore Orioles | Sarasota | Kurkjian, Kruk |
| Thurs, Feb 28 | 3 p.m. | Tampa Bay Rays | Port Charlotte | Kurkjian, Kruk |
| Fri, March 1 | 3 p.m. | Boston Red Sox | Fort Myers | Kurkjian, Kruk |
| Mon, March 4 | 2:30 p.m. | St. Louis Cardinals | Jupiter | Kurkjian, Schilling |
| Tues, March 5 | 3 p.m. | Washington Nationals | Viera | Kurkjian, Schilling |
| Wed, March 6 | 3 p.m. | N.Y. Yankees | Tampa | Kurkjian, Schilling |
| Thurs, March 7 | 3 p.m. | Atlanta Braves | Lake Buena Vista | Kurkjian, Schilling |
| Fri, March 8 | 3 p.m. | Detroit Tigers | Lakeland | Kurkjian, Schilling |
ESPN.com will have comprehensive spring training coverage from Jayson Stark, Jerry Crasnick, Jim Caple and David Schoenfield on site in Florida and Arizona. ESPN.com will also feature a countdown clock to Opening Day, videos from the Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour and a spring training blog with daily posts.
On Twitter:
@ESPN_BBTN; @Kurkjian_ESPN; @JohnKruk_ESPN; @gehrig38; @Buster_ESPN; @AaronBoone_ESPN; @Sut_ESPN; @karlravechespn; @jaysonst; @jcrasnick; @jimcaple; @dschoenfield.
*Baseball Tonight will air four times at 2:30 p.m. throughout the tour.
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photo credit: espn images
