The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 117

BEST AVAILABLE COPY Friday August 16 1996 The Kansas City Star BASEBALL BASEBALL SCENE Royals agree to 80-game TV package We have a winner in the television sweepstakes The fan The Royals have accepted a three-year proposal from Liberty MediaPrime Sports to distribute as many as 80 telecasts on cable and over-the-air television beginning in 1997 The 80 telecasts will be the most in Royals history surpassing the 65 that were carried by KSMO-TV (Channel 62) in 1993 Channel 62 has SPORTSCASTS Matt season over GIANTS THIRD BASEMAN UNDERGOES SURGERY: Third baseman Matt Williams will have season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Saturday the San Francisco Giants announced Thursday Williams was placed on the disabled list Aug 5 because of inflammation in the shoulder Williams is hitting 302 in 105 games with 22 tnme runs and 85 RBIs ANGELS PLACE LANGSTON ON DL: The California Angels placed pitcher Mark Langston on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right knee Langston has posted a 6-5 record with a 482 ERA and two complete games in 18 starts this season HOFFMAN AGREES TO NEW CONTRACT Reliever Trevor Hoffman and the San Diego Padres agreed to an $84 million three-year contract extension through the 1999 season Hoffman la 7-4 with a 210 ERA and 28 saves MARLINS 8K3N TOP PICK: Former collegiate player of the war Mark Kotsay agreed to a minor-league contract with the Florida Martins that includes a signing bonus worth $1 125000 Kotaay the ninth overall pick of last draft out of Cal State Futierton will report Thursday to the Marlins' Class-A farm team at Kane County III PUCKETT BECOMES ANALYST Kirby Puckett will join ABC Sports and ESPN as an analyst for the Little League World Series ABC announced FORMER PITCHER SENTENCED T012 YEARS: Former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Julio Machado has been convicted of murder and sentenced to 12 years in prison in Caracas Vanezuela authorities said Thursday of games for Royals fans and excited about the marketing aspect" Cryder said fill a hole for them in the Midwest and they're going to be aggressive in marketing in the The one problem with this deal in the Kansas City area Prime is available only to TCI of Overland Park and Western Tech subscribers American Cablevision and Jones Intercable which have plans for expanding their capacity cite lack of channel space for not carrying ESPN2 or Prime The Prime Sports Regional Net- works and fX will be carrying Big 12 football games on Saturday night thB fall They are all part of News Corporation Liberty Media and Tele-Communications Inc and this fall the alliance will be renamed Fox Sports Net American Cablevision and Jones Intertable will have a tough time coviiic- ing subscribers not room for Big 1 2 football and the Royals ly added Wiz telecasts to the lineup will be an eager candidate KSHB-TV (Channel 41 an NBC affiliate is now managing Channel 38 through a local marketing agreement Channel 38 went on the air this week as an independent KMBC-TV (Channel 9) an ABC affiliate is scheduled to begin operating Channel 32 through a local marketing agreement ana like Channel 41 may be interested in putting games on each of its stations could be multiple stations carrying Royals baseball as there are in some other Cryder said A key factor in selecting Prime said Cryder was that it has a track record of televising baseball and other major-league sports through its regional systems including St Louis to the east where it carries the Cardinals and Denver to the west where it carries Denver Nuggets basketball and Colorado Avalanche hockey exciting thing is the inventory telecasts of any team in the major leagues A formal contract has yet to be signed and terms were not available but Dennis Cryder Royals vice-presi-dentadministration and development said Thursday that the club has notified LibertyPrime Sports' regional office in Denver of its decision No decision has been made on the makeup of the announcing teams how the new network will take shape: Prime will air about 30 games on its cable system and will establish a Royals Television Network affiliate for about 50 over-the-air telecasts in Kansas City as well as other markets in the area such as Tbpeka Wichita Springfield Des Moines and Tulsa The competition in Kansas City will be keen especially among the independent stations that are looking for programing Prospective new ownership of KYFC-TV (Channel 50) which recent held the rights to Royals telecasts for the last four years but the ballclub had until Oct 1 to exercise its option Because of growing commitments to the UPN network Channel 62 reduced its telecasts to 53 this season giving the Royals the second-fewest just lor feet Swingman Men's Ladies NsS Basketball Regf7495B-Grade Ullfcon Asst Styles Kid's Crosstraining B-GRADE aabcfk Rachey Ladles Tennis W486 Ladies Running Gstaad Agressur Men's Tennis 95 00911 34-S Princess Ladies Aerobic Reg $4695 ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST Regf5795 1 8-styie wmwBt CMX 355 Men's 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