Lance Berkman to be Guest on Astroline Thursday
Astroline broadcasts final show from Pluckers Wing Bar in Houston; returns to ESPN Club at Disney next week
HOUSTON, TX - Astros legend Lance Berkman will be the guest on Astroline this Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. CT at Pluckers Wing Bar for the 12th installment of the offseason radio program. Astros radio play-by-play commentator Robert Ford will serve as the host.
Thursday's Astroline, which is presented by Karbach Brewing Co., will air on KBME SportsTalk 790 AM and will stream online at Astros.com/Astroline. All shows are scheduled to broadcast on KBME SportsTalk 790, but are subject to change due to scheduling conflicts. Astroline broadcasts live, weekly from 7-8 p.m. CT during the offseason. For the second consecutive season, Astroline is airing from Pluckers Wing Bar, which is located at 1400 Shepherd Dr., Houston, Texas, 77007.
Starting next Thursday, March 5, Astroline will return to the ESPN Club Restaurant on Disney's BoardWalk for the final four broadcasts from Florida during Spring Training. Astroline runs through March (16 segments overall). On-site locations for Astroline are open to the public with no admission charge.
Fans can submit questions to the show via Twitter using the hashtag #Astroline, before and during the show. Fans may also post questions on the Astros Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Astros. As always, fans will also have the option to call the show with questions at 713-212-5790.
Berkman spent 12 of his 15 Major League seasons in an Astros uniform after being the club's first pick in the 1997 June Draft out of Rice University. For his career, he hit .293 in 1,879 games with 366 home runs and 1,234 RBI with a .406 on-base pct. and a .537 slugging pct. On the Astros all-time lists, Berkman currently ranks in the top five in several offensive categories, including games (1,592-4th); home runs (326-2nd); RBI (1,090-3rd) walks (1,040-3rd), runs (1,008-3rd) and slugging (.549-1st). Berkman was also one of the best switch-hitters in ML history, ranking near the top in several offensive categories, ranking second in slugging percentage (.537) and OPS (.943), behind only Mickey Mantle, third in on-base percentage (.406) and fourth in home runs (366). This season, the Astros will be recognizing the 10th Anniversary of the 2005 World Series squad during Astros Legends Weekend, which Berkman will participate in.
Ford enters his third season as the Astros radio play-by-play commentator after being named to the post on Feb. 13, 2013. Prior to joining the Astros radio broadcast team, Ford spent four seasons as the pre-and postgame host for the Kansas City Royals radio broadcasts on 610 AM KCSP, the Royals flagship station. The 2001 graduate of Syracuse University spent seven years broadcasting minor league baseball, calling more than 800 games during his stints with the Binghamton Mets, Kalamazoo Kings and Yakima Bears. Ford was twice named Frontier League Broadcaster of the Year (2003 and 2004).
*Media Note- Media wishing to interview Lance Berkman are asked to arrive by 6:45 p.m.
Astroline preliminary schedule (subject to change).
Day Date Station
Thu. Feb. 26 KBME
Thu. Mar. 5 KBME
Tues. Mar. 10 KBME
Wed. Mar. 18 KBME
Thu. Mar. 26 KBME
-ASTROS-