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Comcast Hometown Network to Televise 44 Live Minor League Baseball Games from the California League and the Pacific Coast League

LIVERMORE, Calif., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast Hometown Network (http://comcasthometown.com), Comcast's regional cable network covering Northern and Central California, today announced that it will televise 44 LIVE minor league baseball games in 2011, adding Fresno Grizzlies (www.fresnogrizzlies.com) contests to its baseball telecast schedule for the first time. The games, from the California League (www.californialeague.com) and the Pacific Coast League (www.pclbaseball.com), will be available on Channel 104 to all Comcast digital cable customers throughout Northern and Central California.

The telecasts will begin on Thursday, April 7th at 7:00 p.m. when the Fresno Grizzlies host the Las Vegas 51s (see complete schedule below). All of the Comcast Hometown Network games will originate LIVE from either from Chukchansi Park (home of the Fresno Grizzlies), San Jose Municipal Stadium (home of the San Jose Giants http://sjgiants.com/) or Banner Island Ballpark (home of the Stockton Ports www.stocktonports.com).

"Comcast Hometown Network has expanded our baseball coverage every year and we're excited in 2011 to add telecasts from the Fresno Grizzlies, Triple-A affiliate of the World Champion San Francisco Giants," said Jeff Giles, Director of Comcast Hometown Network. "The addition of Pacific Coast League games to our current California League contests means that Northern and Central California viewers will be able to watch all of the top baseball prospects on the West Coast."

Play-by-play duties for the games originating from Stockton's Banner Island Ballpark will be handled by Stockton Ports radio announcer Zack Bayrouty. For games originating from San Jose Municipal Stadium, San Jose Giants radio announcer Joe Ritzo will handle play-by-play. Dan Dibley of sports radio station KNBR 680-AM will provide analysis for all California League games.

The LIVE games will be replayed several times on Comcast Hometown Network (Channel 104), and will also be available any time of the day or night via Comcast's popular ON DEMAND platform, which is free to Comcast digital customers. To view minor league baseball games ON DEMAND, Comcast Digital Cable customers can tune to Channel 1 on their Digital Cable lineup or press the ON DEMAND button on their remote control, then click on the "Get Local" section, then click on "Comcast Hometown Network."

The California League is a Class A Advanced minor baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Comprised of 10 teams that are affiliated with Major League Baseball teams such as the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, the California League is divided into a Northern Division and a Southern Division. The Southern Division features five teams from the sprawling metropolitan areas of Southern California, and the Northern Division features four teams in California's growing Central Valley as well the San Jose Giants in the Bay Area.

The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Triple-A minor baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. The PCL consists of the American Conference (featuring the Albuquerque Isotopes, Iowa Cubs, Memphis Redbirds, Nashville Sounds, New Orleans Zephyrs, Oklahoma City RedHawks, Omaha Storm Chasers, and the Round Rock Express) and the Pacific Conference (featuring the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Fresno Grizzlies, Las Vegas 51s, Reno Aces, Sacramento River Cats, Salt Lake Bees, Tacoma Rainiers and the Tucson Padres).

Following is Comcast Hometown Network's tentative 2011 California League baseball telecast schedule:

    DATE                   TIME                     TEAMS
    ----                   ----                     -----
    Thursday, April 7     7:00 PM     Las Vegas 51s @ Fresno Grizzlies
    Friday, April 8       7:00 PM     Las Vegas 51s @ Fresno Grizzlies
    Thursday, April 14    7:00 PM    Visalia Rawhide @ San Jose Giants
    Friday, April 15      7:00 PM    Visalia Rawhide @ San Jose Giants
    Wednesday, April
     20                   7:00 PM     Visalia Rawhide @ Stockton Ports
    Wednesday, April                    Lake Elsinore Storm @ Stockton
     27                   7:00 PM                   Ports
    Friday, April 29      7:00 PM    Bakersfield Blaze @ Stockton Ports
    Saturday, April 30    7:00 PM    Bakersfield Blaze @ Stockton Ports
    Sunday, May  1        2:00 PM    Bakersfield Blaze @ Stockton Ports
                                        Lancaster JetHawks @ San Jose
    Wednesday, May 11     7:00 PM                   Giants
                                        Lancaster JetHawks @ San Jose
    Friday, May 13        7:00 PM                   Giants
    Saturday, May 21      7:00 PM     San Jose Giants @ Stockton Ports
    Sunday, May 22        2:00 PM     San Jose Giants @ Stockton Ports
    Wednesday, June 1     7:00 PM    Visalia Rawhide @ San Jose Giants
    Friday, June 3        7:00 PM    Visalia Rawhide @ San Jose Giants
    Sunday, June 5        2:00 PM     San Jose Giants @ Stockton Ports
    Monday, June 6        7:00 PM     San Jose Giants @ Stockton Ports
    Friday, June 17       7:00 PM      Modesto Nuts @ San Jose Giants
    Tuesday, June 21      7:00 PM    Salt Lake Bees @ Fresno Grizzlies
    Wednesday, June 22    7:00 PM    Salt Lake Bees @ Fresno Grizzlies
    Friday, June 24       7:00 PM     Stockton Ports @ San Jose Giants
    Saturday, June 25     6:00 PM     Stockton Ports @ San Jose Giants
    Monday, June 27       7:00 PM    Bakersfield Blaze @ Stockton Ports
    Wednesday, June 29    7:00 PM    Bakersfield Blaze @ Stockton Ports
    Friday, July 1        7:00 PM     San Jose Giants @ Stockton Ports
    Monday, July 4        6:30 PM      Modesto Nuts @ San Jose Giants
    Wednesday, July 6     7:00 PM      Modesto Nuts @ San Jose Giants
    Saturday, July 16     7:00 PM     Visalia Rawhide @ Stockton Ports
    Sunday, July 17       6:00 PM     Visalia Rawhide @ Stockton Ports
    Monday, July 18       7:00 PM     Visalia Rawhide @ Stockton Ports
    Saturday, July 23     6:00 PM     Visalia Rawhide @ San Jose Giants
    Monday, July 25       7:00 PM    Visalia Rawhide @ San Jose Giants
                                        Lancaster JetHawks @ San Jose
    Wednesday, July 27    7:00 PM                   Giants
                                        Lancaster JetHawks @ San Jose
    Friday, July 29       7:00 PM                   Giants
    Wednesday, August
     3                    7:00 PM     Visalia Rawhide @ Stockton Ports
    Friday, August 5      7:00 PM     Visalia Rawhide @ Stockton Ports
                                         Bakersfield Blaze @ San Jose
    Sunday, August 7      5:00 PM                   Giants
                                         Bakersfield Blaze @ San Jose
    Monday, August 8      7:00 PM                   Giants
                                        Lancaster JetHawks @ San Jose
    Friday, August 19     7:00 PM                   Giants
    Saturday, August                    Lancaster JetHawks @ San Jose
     20                   6:00 PM                   Giants
                                        Inland Empire 66ers @ Stockton
    Friday, August 26     7:00 PM                   Ports
    Saturday, August                    Inland Empire 66ers @ Stockton
     27                   7:00 PM                   Ports
    Wednesday, August
     31                   7:00 PM       Modesto Nuts @ Stockton Ports
    -----------------     -------       -----------------------------
    Friday, September                Rancho Cucamonga Quakes @ San Jose
     2                    7:00 PM                   Giants
    -----------------     -------    -----------------------------------

SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

About Comcast Hometown Network

Comcast Hometown Network (CHN) is a regional cable network produced by Comcast and available in the San Francisco Bay Area and Central California on Digital Channel 104. Available to almost 2 million homes in Northern and Central California as a part of Comcast's commitment to the communities that it serves, Comcast Hometown Network is a 24/7 channel that includes original regional programming, Comcast Hometown Sports (CHS), and unique local content that you can't get anywhere else.

About Comcast

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential and business customers. Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks.

Comcast's California Region, based in Livermore, California, serves more than 2.3 million customers in Northern and Central California. Comcast employs more than 7,000 local residents across the region.

SOURCE Comcast