(CHICAGO) – The 2003 Chicago Cubs, led by National League home run champion Sammy Sosa (49 HR, 108 RBI in '02), along with three of the NL's top starting pitchers in Kerry Wood (217 K's in '02), Matt Clement (215 K's in '02) and rookie sensation Mark Prior (147 K's in '02), are set to begin another exciting season of Cubs baseball on Fox Sports Net. This season, fans can look forward to 74 Cubs telecasts (two spring training and 72 regular season), featuring seven battles against the defending NL Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals, three games against the NL champion San Francisco Giants, plus – the only local, non-network game against the New York Yankees live from Wrigley Field.
The first of 72 live, regular season Cub games gets underway with the season opener on Monday, March 31 at 12 noon (replay at 7:00 PM) when Sammy Sosa tries for career home run #500 as the Cubs and new manager Dusty Baker visit the New York Mets. An expanded edition of Mike's Hard Lemonade Cubs PRE begins at 11:00 AM and the game will be immediately followed by a half-hour edition of Fifth Third Bank Cubs POST (NOTE: All Cub games on FSN will be preceded by a pre/post-game show).
Prior to the start of the regular season, Fox Sports Net will bring Cub fans two spring training games from Arizona starting off with a match-up against the World Series champion Anaheim Angels on Wednesday, March 26 at 2:00 PM followed by the Cubs facing the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, March 29 at 2:30 PM. Half-hour editions of Mike's Hard Lemonade Cubs PRE and Fifth Third Bank Cubs POST will precede/ follow both games.
Plus, before the regular season starts up, Fox Sports Net will give Cub fans an inside look at this year's team with the 2003 Cubs Season Preview Special premiering Sunday, March 23 at 12 noon. The one-hour preview of the 2003 season includes player profiles, analysis of off-season changes, spring training developments and interviews with a number of Cub players, including one-on-one interviews with Sammy Sosa and manager Dusty Baker. This special will be repeated on March 29 at 1:00 PM and March 30 at 5:00 PM.
After a two-year absence, veteran Cubs game analyst Steve Stone returns to the announcing booth, joining play-by-play announcer Chip Caray for all Fox Sports Net telecasts this season. FSN's pre and post-game shows this year will be hosted by Gail Fischer and features former MLB pitcher and veteran baseball analyst Dave Otto.
"As we begin another exciting season of covering this storied franchise, we're committed to giving die-hard Cub fans the type of coverage they expect from our network," said James J. Corno, Fox Sports Net Chicago's Senior Vice President/General Manager. "With the return of Steve Stone to our game telecasts, along with Dave Otto returning to our pre/post-game shows, fans can look forward to another great season of comprehensive Cubs coverage and analysis on Fox Sports Net."
Cub fans will be treated to the very best match-ups on this year's schedule, including an interleague match-up against the Chicago White Sox on Friday, June 20 at 2:20 PM from Wrigley Field (an expanded edition of Mike's Hard Lemonade Cubs PRE begins at 1:30 PM). Plus, as part of the White Sox season schedule on FSN, fans will also be able to watch two additional Cubs-White Sox regular season battles on Friday, June 27 and Sunday, June 29 at 1:00 PM live from U.S. Cellular Field.
Also, for the first time since the 1938 World Series, the New York Yankees visit "The Friendly Confines" and Fox Sports Net will provide viewers with the only local, non-network game of the series. FSN will have live coverage of the first game of the Cubs-Yankees series on Friday, June 6 at 2:20 PM (an expanded edition of Mike's Hard Lemonade Cubs PRE begins at 1:30 PM).
This summer's Cubs schedule on Fox Sports Net will encompass 35 home games and 37 road contests during the regular season. Highlights include 37 key match-ups against teams in NL Central Division featuring seven big games against the defending division champion St. Louis Cardinals (May 9-10, 19; Aug. 26-27; Sept. 2 & 4). FSN will also carry games against the National League's very best teams including three games against Dusty Baker's former team and the reigning NL champion San Francisco Giants (April 30; July 30-31), a pair of contests against the NL East champion Atlanta Braves (July 11 & 21), a home game against the NL West champion Arizona Diamondbacks (Aug. 1) and three games against Jim Thome and the improved Philadelphia Phillies (June 30; July 2 & 23).
The Cubs will appear in 35 day games and 37 night contests this season on Fox Sports Net, including a pair of games against the Montreal Expos live from San Juan, Puerto Rico (Sept. 10-11). Plus, FSN will carry five more Cub interleague games against the American League East with match-ups against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (June 3-4), Baltimore Orioles (June 10-11) and Toronto Blue Jays (June 13).
Eight regular season games are currently scheduled to be telecast on Fox Sports Net Plus (see attached schedule). Fox Sports Net Plus (FSN+) telecasts are provided to Fox Sports Net affiliates and distributed to viewers when two live events are scheduled simultaneously. Through a cooperative agreement with CLTV, inner market cable operators are given the opportunity to place FSN+ games on CLTV. Cable operators who do not carry CLTV will place FSN+ telecasts on a to-be-determined channel.
2003 Chicago Cubs Schedule
| Spring Training: | |||
| Wed, March 26 | vs. Anaheim Angels | 2:00 pm | |
| Sat, March 29 | @ Arizona Diamondbacks | 2:30 pm | |
| Regular Season: | |||
| Mon, March 31 | @ New York Mets | 12:00 pm | |
| Wed, April 2 | @ New York Mets | 6:00 pm | |
| Sat, April 5 | @ Cincinnati | 12:00 pm | |
| Wed, April 9 | vs. Montreal | 1:20 pm | |
| Thu, April 10 | vs. Montreal | 1:20 pm | |
| Sat, April 12 | vs. Pittsburgh | 1:20 pm | |
| Tue, April 15 | vs. Cincinnati | 1:20 pm | |
| Wed, April 16 | vs. Cincinnati | 1:20 pm | |
| Fri, April 18 | @ Pittsburgh | 6:00 pm | |
| Thu, April 24 | vs. San Diego | 1:20 pm | |
| Fri, April 25 | @ Colorado | 8:00 pm | FSN+ |
| Sat, April 26 | @ Colorado | 2:00 pm | |
| Wed, April 30 | @ San Francisco | 9:00 pm | FSN+ |
| Fri, May 2 | vs. Colorado | 2:20 pm | |
| Sat, May 3 | vs. Colorado | 1:20 pm | |
| Mon, May 5 | vs. Milwaukee | 7:00 pm | |
| Wed, May 7 | vs. Milwaukee | 1:20 pm | |
| Fri, May 9 | vs. St. Louis | 2:20 pm | |
| Sat, May 10 | vs. St. Louis | 1:20 pm | |
| Tue, May 13 | @ Milwaukee | 7:00 pm | |
| Wed, May 14 | @ Milwaukee | 7:00 pm | |
| Mon, May 19 | @ St. Louis | 12:00 pm | |
| Tue, May 20 | @ Pittsburgh | 6:00 pm | |
| Wed, May 21 | @ Pittsburgh | 6:00 pm | |
| Fri, May 23 | @ Houston | 7:00 pm | |
| Wed, May 28 | vs. Pittsburgh | 1:20 pm | |
| Fri, May 30 | vs. Houston | 2:20 pm | |
| Tue, June 3 | vs. Tampa Bay (IL) | 7:00 pm | |
| Wed, June 4 | vs. Tampa Bay (IL) | 7:00 pm | |
| Fri, June 6 | vs. New York Yankees (IL) | 2:20 pm | |
| Tue, June 10 | @ Baltimore (IL) | 6:00 pm | |
| Wed, June 11 | @ Baltimore (IL) | 6:00 pm | FSN+ |
| Fri, June 13 | @ Toronto (IL) | 6:00 pm | |
| Mon, June 16 | @ Cincinnati | 6:00 pm | |
| Wed, June 18 | @ Cincinnati | 6:00 pm | FSN+ |
| Thu, June 19 | @ Cincinnati | 11:30 am | |
| Fri, June 20 | vs. WHITE SOX | 2:20 pm | |
| Tue, June 24 | vs. Milwaukee | 7:00 pm | |
| Mon, June 30 | @ Philadelphia | 6:00 pm | |
| Wed, July 2 | @ Philadelphia | 6:00 pm | FSN+ |
| Mon, July 7 | vs. Florida | 7:00 pm | |
| Tue, July 8 | vs. Florida | 1:20 pm | |
| Fri, July 11 | vs. Atlanta | 2:20 pm | |
| Fri, July 18 | @ Florida | 6:30 pm | |
| Mon, July 21 | @ Atlanta | 6:30 pm | |
| Wed, July 23 | vs. Philadelphia | 7:00 pm | |
| Wed, July 30 | vs. San Francisco | 1:20 pm | |
| Thu, July 31 | vs. San Francisco | 1:20 pm | |
| Fri, August 1 | vs. Arizona | 2:20 pm | |
| Wed, August 6 | @ San Diego | 9:00 pm | |
| Thu, August 7 | @ San Diego | 4:00 pm | |
| Fri, August 8 | @ Los Angeles | 9:00 pm | |
| Sun, August 10 | @ Los Angeles | 3:00 pm | |
| Mon, August 11 | vs. Houston | 7:00 pm | |
| Wed, August 13 | vs. Houston | 1:20 pm | |
| Tue, August 19 | @ Houston | 7:00 pm | |
| Wed, August 20 | @ Houston | 7:00 pm | FSN+ |
| Tue, August 26 | @ St. Louis | 7:00 pm | |
| Wed, August 27 | @ St. Louis | 7:00 pm | FSN+ |
| Sat, August 30 | vs. Milwaukee | 3:00 pm | |
| Tue, Sept. 2 | vs. St. Louis | 7:00 pm | |
| Thu, Sept. 4 | vs. St. Louis | 1:20 pm | |
| Sun, Sept. 7 | @ Milwaukee | 1:00 pm | |
| Wed, Sept. 10 | @ Montreal (Puerto Rico) | 6:00 pm | FSN+ |
| Thu, Sept. 11 | @ Montreal (Puerto Rico) | 12:30 pm | |
| Sun, Sept. 14 | vs. Cincinnati | 1:20 pm | |
| Mon, Sept. 15 | vs. New York Mets | 7:00 pm | |
| Fri, Sept. 19 | @ Pittsburgh | 6:00 pm | |
| Tue, Sept. 23 | @ Cincinnati | 6:00 pm | |
| Wed, Sept. 24 | @ Cincinnati | 6:00 pm | |
| Fri, Sept. 26 | vs. Pittsburgh | 2:20 pm | |
| Sat, Sept. 27 | vs. Pittsburgh | 3:00 pm | |
Regular season games – 35 home, 37 road
Total 74 games
All Times Central Time
Schedule Subject to Change
PLEASE NOTE: FSN+ telecasts may be found on CLTV or call 1-877-655-PLUS for channel number
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