MLB Network offers wall-to-wall coverage of Opening Day 2014

March 27, 2014 - MLB Network's coverage of Opening Day begins earlier than ever this year, with 17 live hours of studio programming starting at 9:00 a.m. ET on Monday, March 31. MLB Network's coverage of Opening Week from March 31-April 6 is presented by Dick's Sporting Goods.

Lauren Shehadi and Matt Yallof lead off the day alongside Peter Gammons and Al Leiter on The Rundown and set the scene for the day's 13-game schedule, followed by the one-hour regular season edition of Intentional Talk with Chris Rose and Kevin Millar live from MLB Network's Studio 42 at 11:00 a.m. ET.

MLB Network's newest daily studio show for 2014, High Heat with Christopher Russo, premieres at 12:00 p.m. ET as longtime sports radio voice Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo is joined by MLB Network's Kristina (Akra) Fitzpatrick for his first-ever TV talk show. Russo will bring his signature energetic delivery and passionate opinions to MLB Network for a one-hour live program every weekday with discussion on all 30 MLB clubs and interviews with players and club personnel.

At 1:00 p.m. ET, MLB Network's Emmy Award-winning flagship program MLB Tonight begins 12 consecutive hours of live look-ins at games in progress, plus news and analysis from Greg Amsinger, Sean Casey, Brian Kenny, Al Leiter, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds, Bill Ripken, Ken Rosenthal, Paul Severino, Matt Vasgersian, Tom Verducci and Mitch Williams. Closing out Opening Day is the return of Quick Pitch with Heidi Watney at 1:00 a.m. ET.

The following day, April 1, MLB Now debuts at 4:00 p.m. ET with a new look for the 2014 season. Brian Kenny returns to host a one-hour live daily panel discussion that will cover breaking news and the most recent trends in the game with perspectives from baseball journalists, current and former players and managers, sabermetricians and broadcasters. Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon and MLB Network's Ken Rosenthal and Mitch Williams will join Kenny for the premiere episode.

MLB Network will televise nine games during Opening Week from April 1 through April 6, including the World Series champion Boston Red Sox's home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on MLB Network Showcase on Friday, April 4 at 2:00 p.m. ET with Bob Costas, Jim Kaat and Sam Ryan on the call. The next day, the 2013 National League champion St. Louis Cardinals will face the Pittsburgh Pirates in a rematch of the 2013 NLDS on Saturday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. ET. MLB Network will begin a new slate of Sunday matinee games for the first half of the season as the Baltimore Orioles travel to Detroit to face the Tigers on April 6 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

An array of popular music will serve as the soundtrack for MLB Network's programming next week and throughout the regular season. Grammy nominated DJ/producer Avicii's "Wake Me Up" will be featured in the opening for The Rundown throughout the 2014 season. "Wake Me Up," off the groundbreaking album True, was the fastest selling single of 2013, hit #1 in 84 countries, 10 million copies in single sales, and has had over 500 million combined video views.

"The Walker," the new single from Fitz and the Tantrums' latest album More Than Just a Dream, will serve as the theme for High Heat with Christopher Russo all season long. The song, already a multi-radio format hit, just went to Top 40 radio and its music video has more than 1.3 million views.

To coincide with their headlining tour running through mid-April, recording group Young the Giant's latest single "It's About Time" will be featured in all studio programming on MLB Network throughout Opening Week. The track is off the group's sophomore album Mind Over Matter, which debuted in the top 10 of the SoundScan/Billboard 200 and was recently hailed by the New York Times  as a "sharp, electric album." A behind-the-scenes look at exclusive video of the band recently shot by MLB Network is available here.

MLB Network 2014 Weekday Schedule:

1:00 p.m. ET: High Heat

2:00 p.m. ET: The Rundown

4:00 p.m. ET: MLB Now

5:00 p.m. ET: Intentional Talk

6:00 p.m. ET: MLB Tonight

1:00 a.m. ET: Quick Pitch 

About MLB Network:

MLB Network is the ultimate television destination for baseball fans, featuring the multiple Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight, live regular season and Postseason game telecasts, original programming, highlights, and insights and analysis from the best in the business, including Bob Costas, Peter Gammons, Jim Kaat, Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds. MLB Network debuted on January 1, 2009 in a record-setting 50 million homes and is currently distributed in approximately 70 million homes throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information and to find MLB Network in your area, go to www.MLBNetwork.com.