Press Release: Independent Filmmaking Meets Independent Minor League Baseball

May 1, 2008 - Independent documentary filmmaker John Fitzgerald's new TV series about minor league baseball is set to debut on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. "Playing for Peanuts" will premiere on Sunday, May 11 at 7:00 PM CDT.

Filming began in April 2007 and concluded at the end of the 2007 season. Staying true to his independent roots, Fitzgerald produced the show with the help of a small crew of friends and a wallet full of credit cards.

"The plan was to start filming with a small amount of cash until the show got picked up by a major TV producer," explains Fitzgerald. "Unfortunately, that never happened and I was left with a choice - give up on the project or continue to film by using my credit cards. I chose the credit cards."

"Playing for Peanuts" gives viewers an inside look at the lives of players and coaches of the minor league South Georgia Peanuts during the 2007 season. Cameras followed players in the clubhouse, dugout and on the field during a tumultuous season that included financial problems, drug suspensions, resignations and a bench clearing brawl.

"The show is about a bunch of guys from all over the country who wind up together at the lowest level of pro baseball," explains producer/director John Fitzgerald. "None of the players wanted to be stuck there - they all wanted to get to get back into affiliated baseball as soon as possible. But at the same time, there is a bond that grows out of their shared experience during a crazy season. It was the personal nature of the story that convinced me to keep going even after I had run out of money."

The South Georgia Peanuts won the South Coast League Championship in the league's inaugural season. Following the end of the season, the league announced it was suspending operations.

"I set out to make a TV show that celebrated independent minor league baseball, but I ended up with an incredible story about a championship team in a failing baseball league," explains producer/director John Fitzgerald. "It was sad to see the league suspend operations, but if it had to happen, I'm glad I was able to witness the only season of the South Coast League. And now baseball fans across the country can see it too."

"Playing for Peanuts" is Fitzgerald's second baseball-themed project. In 2006, he directed "The Emerald Diamond" - a documentary about the Irish National Baseball Team. The film was screened in 30 US cities and it won the Critic's Choice Award at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

For more information about "Playing for Peanuts," visit http://www.PlayingforPeanuts.com or contact producer/director John Fitzgerald at playingforpeanuts@gmail.com or 914-316-2056.

Comcast SportsNet operates 10 sports networks that cover more than 2,400 live sporting events annually and deliver comprehensive sports news and analysis to 40 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast SportsNetâ s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Comcast SportsNet West, SNY, The Mtn. â " Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS. These networks provide live game coverage 18 professional teams, as well as college, minor league and other sports. For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.

Playing for Peanuts is a new TV series about minor league baseball. For further information, visit http://www.PlayingforPeanuts.com or email John Fitzgerald at playingforpeanuts@gmail.com