2009 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

MLB Network will televise the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony live Sunday, July 26, from Cooperstown. Coverage of the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. EDT with MLB Tonight: Hall of Fame Edition, a pre-ceremony show from MLB Network's studios in Secaucus, N.J. Hosted by Greg Amsinger and MLB Network Baseball Insiders and Hall of Fame voters Jon Heyman and Ken Rosenthal, the pre-ceremony show will feature profiles on this year's inductees: Joe Gordon, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice. Live coverage of the ceremony, including each inductee's acceptance speech, will begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT and will feature on-site reporting from MLB Network's Harold Reynolds and Victor Rojas. MLB.com will simulcast MLB Network's coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

MLB Network was launched on Jan. 1, 2009, as the largest debut in cable-television history and is currently available in approximately 53 million cable and satellite homes. MLB Network is available in the Cooperstown area on channel 118 on Time Warner Cable and nationally on DirecTV channel 213.

"The National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies are a perfect fit to air on the MLB Network," said Jeff Idelson, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. "We are excited about this collaboration and the opportunity to extend our marquee event to baseball fans across the country through the Network's tremendous reach."

The Hall of Fame and MLB Network already teamed up this year for the announcement of the Baseball Writers' Association of America election results on Jan. 12. The results were announced live from MLB Network's studios and aired exclusively on MLB Network and online at MLB.com. The live program on MLB Network marked the first time the announcement was made on television.

"MLB Network was created to be a home for baseball events that fans care about, whether it's a live game or a front seat at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony," said Tony Petitti, president and chief executive officer of MLB Network. "We're excited to exclusively showcase the Induction Ceremony -- one of the sport's most important events -- on a national stage."

Sunday's Induction Ceremony is just part of an action-packed Hall of Fame Weekend at the Baseball Hall of Fame, highlighted by the inductions of Gordon, Henderson and Rice as the Class of 2009 at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 26. Admission to the Induction Ceremony is free.

The 2009 Induction Ceremony will be held on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown unless severe weather forces the event to be canceled. Seating is unlimited.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week. The Museum observes offseason hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. Ticket prices are $16.50 for adults (13 and over), $11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.