The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that the New York Yankees are on the verge of not participating in the 2008 Major League Baseball posteason.  After thirteen consecutive playoff appearances — a run which included ten division titles, seven World Series appearances, and four World Series championships — the Yankees are currently in fourth place in the AL East, nine games behind the divison leading Tampa Bay Rays and nine games behind the Boston Red Sox for the AL Wildcard with only 12 games remaining in their season.  Though they have yet to be officially eliminated from the playoff hunt, most projection systems give the Yankees less than a one percent chance of playing into October.

Despite this unfortunate  turn of events, MLB and their broadcast partners are pouring their efforts into making sure that this year’s "There’s Only One October" features the timeless and treasured presence of the 26-time World Series champion Yankees.  This initiative includes the following:

• Negotiations are nearly complete with various Yankee players, not including Philip Hughes, to employ blogging (a popular digital trend, as noted in a previous press release) to express their thoughts and analysis regarding postseasons past and present. 
• Various Yankee players (to be determined) will be attending both AL and NL playoff games in very visible seating locations, and will be available for "in the crowd" celebrity montages, pre-game sketches, and mid-game interviews. 
• All TBS, ESPN, and Fox Sports playoff-game broadcasters will be wearing commemorative lapel pins honoring the end of the old Yankee Stadium and the construction of the new Yankee Stadium.
• An hour-long special on the history of Yankee Stadium, produced in conjunction with the YES Network’s Emmy-award winning Yankeeography producers and narrated by Sopranos star / Denny’s spokesperson Tony "Paulie Walnuts" Sirico, will be broadcast before and after every playoff game. 
• MLB Productions will be producing a series of 30-second promos titled, "What Would Derek Jeter Do?"   These promos, similar to the NFL’s "You Make The Call" campaign, will feature pivotal plays from past playoff games — ranging from the ball through Bill Buckner’s legs in 1986 to Aaron Boone’s ALCS-ending home run in 2003 — and commentary from Yankee great Derek Jeter on what he would do in these situations. 
• All Tampa Bay Rays home playoff games will be played in the new, unfinished Yankee Stadium; official ground rules will be released prior to Game 1 of the ALDS.
• Yankee radio broadcaster John Sterling ("The Voice of the New York Yankees") will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the 1st and 4th games of the NLCS.  His broadcaster partner, Suzyn Waldman, will throw out the first pich for Games 2 and 3, as well as sing "The Star-Spangled Banner," "God Bless America," and "Cotton-Eyed Joe."
• Yankee outfielder Bobby Abreu will be a guest contestant on Fox’s newest gameshow smash hit, Hole In The Wall, paired up with former major leaguers Jose Canseco and Rodney McCray.
• A new pinstripe-intensive "hip-hop" clothing line from Robinson Cano, simply called ROBBD-U, will be premiered during Game 1 of the ALDS.
• Fox Sports baseball analyst Eric Karros will officially change his name to Tino Martinez.
• All umpires will be wearing Yankee caps and undergarments during all playoff contests.
• Yankee manager Joe Girardi will guest star in an upcoming episode of TBS’ award-winning Tyler Perry’s House of Payne as a racist policeman who learns the error of his bigoted ways thanks to the Payne family and a package of uncooked Ballpark Franks.
• An upcoming episode of the critically-acclaimed FX Network sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia features a character defecating into an old Yankee hat.

New promotional spots for this campaign will be distributed to all of Major League Baseball’s international broadcast partners in English speaking countries as well as locally within broadcasts of the 30 MLB Clubs.  In conjunction with this initiative, all MLB broadcast partners are strongly encouraged to continue running old postseason promos that prominently feature footage of Yankee players up to and beyond the conclusion of the regular season.