• by Wayne Friedman , July 10, 2007

Major League Baseball will use the big ratings from its All-Star game tonight to boost its post-season games.

The campaign--"There's Only One October"--features comedian Dane Cook. This is the earliest launch ever for baseball in marketing its October games. The effort will highlight some of the game's most dramatic post-season moments.

Among those will be Willie Mays' catch in the 1954 World Series, Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run in the 1988 World Series and Curt Schilling's bloody sock in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS.

"The start of our "There's Only One October" campaign leverages this huge All-Star week audience and points them to our payoff month" said Tim Brosnan, executive vice president of business for Major League Baseball, in a release.

Major League Baseball says that for the first time, its post-season broadcast partners Fox and TBS will work together in airing the campaign. Spots will be tailored to each network. The campaign will also have online, in-game and out-of-game components, as well as exposure on CNN, ESPN, FX and TNT.

Sports Illustrated and USA Today will be the major print vehicles of the campaign. Radio spots will air in select major markets, including on XM Satellite Radio and ESPN Radio.

Major League Baseball will also get into the user-generated video game, which it says is a first for a major professional sports league. The site, called, actober.com, will give fans access to baseball footage to create their own video. Fans can enter to win tickets to the 2007 World Series.

McCann Erickson created the TV spots, in conjunction with MLB Productions.