New "Play Ball!" channel on XM Satellite Radio

To celebrate the start of Major League Baseball, XM is launching a special channel called Play Ball!, featuring a mix of music and vintage audio that "captures the spirit" of Opening Day. Play Ball! will start next Friday, March 30th and air to April 2nd on XM Channel 200.  

For Play Ball! XM is digging deep into their musical library for gems like Ruth Brown’s R&B stomp "Baseball Boogie" and Steve Goodman’s folk novelty record "A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request," as well as favorites like Terry Cashman’s "Talkin’ Baseball" and John Fogerty’s "Centerfield."

Listeners will also hear spoken-word treasures like Abbott & Costello’s "Who’s on First," James Earl Jones’ dramatic reading of "Casey at the Bat," and archival recordings of classic baseball calls.

The channel will play the baseball-themed episode of Bob Dylan’s XM show "Theme Time Radio Hour," (which in 2006 was added to the archive of the National Baseball Hall of Fame) as well as XM’s "Baseball Confidential," featuring candid conversations with legends of the game.  
 
XM's Chief Creative Officer Lee Abrams describes the channel like this:

"Play Ball! is a potpourri of sound so baseball-centric that you will smell the fresh-cut grass through the speakers.  It’s a ‘theater of the mind’ celebration of the national pastime. You’ll hear a seamless collection of music and spoken-word content with ‘announcements’ from a P.A. system to give you the sonic feel of the ball park."