BseBall goes online

Diamond Bar, California - Jan 08, 2007 Ultimate Baseball Online, the world’s only massively multiplayer online sports game (MMOSG) for baseball, today officially launched its year-long competition to determine the team that will be considered the “Best of UBO 2007.” The Best of UBO 2007 is a global event open to UBO players worldwide.

64 teams consisting of five to nine players will qualify during the year to compete in the tournament, which will run from November 26 to December 21, 2007. Each round will be a best-of-three series, and the championship round will be a best-of-five series.A team may qualify for a berth in the Best of UBO 2007 Tournament in any one of three ways:
Winning a UBO league (season) - There are four seasons in 2007, and three levels of play for teams (Minor, Major and Elite);

Winning a UBO Pay-to-Play Tournament – These are entry-fee events, held throughout the year, for each of the three skill levels above;
Power Ranking – To fill out the 64 team field, the remaining teams will be chosen from those that have accumulated the most Power Ranking Points (PRP) based on UBO event participation. Win or lose, playing in UBO events will earn each team PRPs that accumulate throughout the calendar year. Participation in free and pay-to-play events earn teams the valuable points necessary to receive their “Best of UBO 2007” invitation.

Members of the winning team in the Best of UBO 2007 Tournament will split a $4,500 cash prize. The second place team will take home $2,250, and third place will receive $1,125. Additional cash prizes will be paid to teams finishing through eighth place.

The Most Valuable Player of the Best of UBO 2007 tournament series will be selected by popular vote of all UBO members, and will receive a $200 cash award plus a virtual trophy for that player’s Trophy Room.

About Ultimate Baseball Online 2007

UBO is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online sports game (MMOSG) where baseball enthusiasts and gamers compete in virtual stadiums. With stunning graphics and surround-sound audio reactions from the crowd, participants control customized characters for each position and compete together against other UBO gamers from around the world. Players create their own avatar to bat, pitch, field, run, and perform other baseball actions.

Participants can play individually, or join a team and participate in a variety of competitive events. Gamers create their own characters and build their skill level (player stats) through successful play on the field against other real human players. Unlike current video games that aim to simulate professional sports, UBO delivers a first-person perspective of a character, created and developed by the player, interacting online in real-time with teammates and opponents.

Darrell Evans, a two-time Major League All-Star ('73 & '83) and World Series champion (1984), serves as UBO’s Baseball Ambassador. "Ultimate Baseball Online really does capture the feeling of being a member of a team,” said Evans. “Video games are usually a solitary experience. UBO gives players a great appreciation for the nuances of each position, as well as an understanding of the teamwork that is involved in playing the sport of baseball successfully. And best of all, as an online game with four virtual seasons per year, you can play competitive baseball year round.”

For more information about Ultimate Baseball Online visit www.ultimatebaseballonline.com
Website: http://www.ultimatebaseballonline.com

About Netamin

Netamin Communication Corporation, a pioneer in Massively Multiplayer Online Sports Games (MMOSG), is headquartered in Diamond Bar, California with additional operations in Korea. The company has launched its first MMOSG title, Ultimate Baseball Online, with subsequent titles planned in the team sports genre. Founded in 1998, Netamin is a privately-held corporation aiming to provide an online virtual playing field for all major sports. For more information, please visit www.Netamin.com.

Website: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=zix9n8bab.0.e5ixnzbab.d6g8hybab.3037&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.netamin.com

News Release - New Canidates

2007 Hall of Fame Ballot Announced

Gwynn, McGwire, Ripken among 17 first-time eligibles

(COOPERSTOWN, NY): Eight-time batting champion Tony Gwynn, four-time home run leader Mark McGwire and two-time Most Valuable Player Cal Ripken, Jr., are among 17 first-year candidates on the 2007 Hall of Fame ballot that will be mailed out later this week to approximately 575 voting members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America





They join 15 holdovers from the 2006 balloting in which Bruce Sutter was elected. Outfielder Jim Rice, the American League MVP in 1978, was 53 votes shy of the total required for election last year. One vote behind Rice was two-time Fireman of the Year relief pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage.Candidates must be named on 75 percent of ballots cast to gain entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Rice was listed on 64.8 percent and Gossage on 64.6 percent of the record 520 ballots submitted last year.



The only other players named on at least half the ballots were former National League MVP Andre Dawson (61.0) and 287-game winner Bert Blyleven (53.3).Gwynn played his entire major-league career (20 seasons) with the San Diego Padres. The 15-time All-Star had a .338 career batting average, the 20th highest in history, with 3,141 hits (18th), of which 2,378 were singles (9th). Gwynn hit over .300 every season except his rookie year of 1982 when he hit .289. His career-high .394 average in 1994 is the highest in the majors in the 65 years since Ted Williams was the last player to bat over .400 (.406). In addition to winning eight NL batting crowns, Gwynn had five 200-hit seasons, led the league in hits seven times, batted .371 in his two World Series and earned five Gold Gloves for fielding his position in right field to go with his seven Silver Slugger Awards for offense.McGwire led each league in home runs twice, and another year (1997) led the majors dividing his time between Oakland (34 home runs) and St. Louis (24). The first baseman's career-high 70 homers in 1998 broke Roger Maris' 37-year-old record of 61 for a season but were eclipsed three years later by Barry Bonds' 73. McGwire, who hit a first-year record of 49 home runs during his AL Rookie of the Year season in 1987, finished with 583, the seventh highest total in history.Ripken holds one of the most prestigious records, playing in 2,632 consecutive games, a streak that included a stretch of 8,243 straight innings from 1982 to 1987. He spent all 21 of his seasons in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles, mostly at shortstop and later at third base. Ripken was a 19-time All-Star, played in a record 16 consecutive All-Star Games, twice the game's MVP and is the all-time All-Star vote leader with more than 36 million votes. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1982 and the MVP the following year when Baltimore won its last World Series. Ripken won a second MVP Award in 1991 by which time he was well on his way to such career numbers as 3,184 hits (14th), 603 doubles (13th), 431 home runs (35th), 1,695 RBI (20th), 3,001 games (8th), 11,551 at-bats (4th) and 127 sacrifice flies (2nd). He was a two-time Gold Glove winner, an eight-time Silver Slugger and batted .338 in 28 postseason games.Two-time Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen and former MVPs Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco are also on the ballot for the first time, with pitcher Bobby Witt, first baseman Wally Joyner, third baseman Scott Brosius, shortstop Tony Fernandez. third baseman-outfielder Bobby Bonilla and outfielders Dante Bichette, Jay Buhner, Eric Davis, Paul O'Neill and Devon White.Writers with 10 or more consecutive years' experience make up the electorate, which must return ballots by a Dec. 31 postmark. Votes are counted jointly by the BBWAA's Jack O'Connell and Ernst & Young partner Michael Di Lecce. Results will be announced Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007, on the Websites of the Hall of Fame (http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/) and the BBWAA (http://www.baseballwriters.org/).

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