Rose’s star rises in All-Star pregame

Chris Rose, who was the funny and sassy host of “The Best Damn Sports Show Period,” will be part of Fox’s Major League Baseball All-Star game coverage Tuesday from St. Louis, serving as host of the pregame show.

The 38-year-old Rose is considered a rising star at Fox, or so says Fox Sports President Ed Goren.

“You know, it’s not like I even found Chris,” Goren said. “But whoever hired him had a crystal ball working because he has matured and evolved as a broadcaster. What he does that I like so much is that Chris lets athletes have fun. What the ‘Best Damn Sports Show’ did was give him entree to lots of athletes across all sports and learn how to get them to relax and be themselves. When Chris is with them it’s as if the camera isn’t there.”

Rose said his aim Tuesday is the same, to have fun and help the audience enjoy what he says is “the best All-Star game around.”

Last year’s game was seen by more than 33 million viewers and this year’s game has more star power.

President Obama is going to throw out the first pitch and there will be video messages from the other four living former presidents -- Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Depending on Secret Service requirements, Goren said it was possible that Obama would consent to an interview. Rose doesn’t expect to conduct that -- such a job would go to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

Rose will stick with baseball beyond Tuesday’s game and handle play-by-play chores for Fox through the rest of the season. After that, he will do NFL work, Goren said.

Fox isn’t the only network offering All-Star game coverage, of course.

ESPN will have its usual overwhelming package and will be the exclusive place for the home run derby on Monday at 5 p.m. PDT.

For this, ESPN is debuting something called “Ball Track” technology. It will use Doppler radar (yes, the stuff KABC’s Dallas Raines uses to tell us whether it will be sunny or sunnier out tomorrow). We will know the real-time distance the home run traveled, “from point of impact to the final resting point,” the path of the ball and projection of the path of the ball mid-flight by way of a changing color pattern so that even before the ball reaches its final resting place we will know whether it is a home run.

Oh, and there will be 20 cameras and “Ultra Mo,” a replay device that can capture action at 1,000 frames per second. Plus Chris Berman, Joe Morgan, Steve Phillips and Erin Andrews.

Not enough baseball?

The MLB Network will have “MLB Tonight: All-Star Batting Practice” beginning at 2 p.m. PDT on Monday. On Tuesday MLB will offer the “MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Show” beginning at 1 p.m. followed by more batting practice. Bob Costas, Greg Amsinger, Barry Larkin, Al Leiter, Joe Magrane, Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian will all host while Trenni Kusnierek, Hazel Mae and Reynolds will report. On what? Maybe on how to fit all these announcers into the stadium.

Athletes are coming to town

ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards broadcast will be taped Wednesday at the Nokia Theater. The host for this year is actor Samuel L. Jackson. The show will be broadcast July 19 and the lucky nominees get to attend a sports lounge/gifting suite on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Don’t be surprised to see Michael Phelps or Venus Williams or Nastia Liukin wandering around town.

Parker promos ‘SportsCenter’

She filmed it last November before anyone knew she was pregnant, but now that Candace Parker is back on the court, ESPN is unveiling her “This Is SportsCenter” ad. Female athletes don’t usually get a chance at these flashy, popular commercials.

Good to watch Friday

Take a look at Versus’ coverage of the Tour de France. It’s in HD and at 5 a.m. today (rebroadcast at 5 p.m.). Lance Armstrong will take aim at the yellow jersey in the first mountain stage. At 7 p.m. on FS West, the Yankees are in town to play the Angels.

Good to watch Saturday

U.S. Open women’s golf is happening on Channel 4 at noon. No Tiger Woods though. The Angels and Yankees go to 71% of the country, including here on Channel 11, with Dick Stockton and Eric Karros on the call.

Good to watch Sunday

At 11 a.m. the Dodgers are at Milwaukee on Channel 9, final game before the All-Star break. Channel 4 has coverage of the U.S. national swimming championships where Phelps is competing and setting world records.

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