Philadelphia All-Star Shortstop Jimmy Rollins Launches Balls Over Downtown Philly With Souped Up Bat

PHILADELPHIA, PA, Apr 06 (MARKET WIRE) --
No ballpark in the world can hold him, so All-Star and World Series
champion Jimmy Rollins will be knocking baseballs over Benjamin Franklin
Parkway on Tuesday, April 13 for Red Bull Ball Park Cranks. But we're not
just talking home runs here... Rollins is aiming beyond the typical
stadium distance and looking to hit a massive 550-foot bomb -- or the
distance of almost two football fields.

Not stopping there, Rollins will also attempt to break the current
Guinness World Record for 'Longest Batted Ball,' which currently stands
at 576 feet. The record is for the greatest distance one individual can
hit a batted baseball in a legal manner with no restriction on equipment.

"As a kid, I've always dreamed of hitting a ball further than the eye can
see. Impossible? Not with the team I have backing me. Red Bull Ball Park
Cranks is a huge leap for the possibilities that lie ahead for sports,
and I'm excited to be a part of it," said Jimmy Rollins.

Fusing science and sport, Rollins, along with Red Bull, is pushing the
limits of the combination of a bat and ball. Forming a partnership with
two esteemed university sports science and physics professors and using
state-of-the-art equipment, Rollins will be able to reach his full
power-hitting potential. Testing the weight of the ball, the speed of the
bat, measuring air resistance and bat manipulation are just some of the
factors that will be put into play for this aerodynamic feat.

Popular Science Magazine, the nation's largest publication of science and
technology news, has also thrown their support behind Red Bull Ball Park
Cranks. Jake Ward, deputy editor, states: "In effect, the bats and balls
that professional players use haven't changed since the 1950s. This is a
rare opportunity to see what happens when you throw the latest technology
into the mix. The team on this project has done an impressive job
determining the exact factors necessary to make the impossible become
reality. We've got a world-class athlete using tools developed by
brilliant sports scientists, so I think we're in for a record-setting
day."

Dr. Lloyd V. Smith of the Washington State University School of
Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Dr. Alan Nathan of the
University of Illinois Physics Department both have over 10 years in the
sports science industry. They have been testing bats for little leagues
and college-level teams but have never had the opportunity to push the
regulation limits or had a player of Jimmy Rollins' stature involved and
excited.

"In all the years I've been in the sports science area, it's the first
time we've had a professional player willing and able to test the limits
of hitting a baseball. We're extremely excited to see what valuable
information we can gather from this merging of science and sport," said
Dr. Lloyd V. Smith.

Red Bull Ball Park Cranks is providing the freedom to both the professors
and Jimmy Rollins to push the limits of sport and see how far a ball, hit
by a bat, can go. The Philadelphia Museum of Art will be the backdrop as
Benjamin Franklin Parkway is shut down from noon to two in the afternoon.
Rollins is encouraging his fellow Philadelphians to stop by to witness
the science, the technology, the talent, the strength, or to just see
their favorite professional athlete really hit it out of the park... and
over a highway.

For more information about the event, please visit
www.redbullballparkcranks.com.
For photos of Jimmy, please visit
www.redbull-photofiles.com.
For b-roll of Jimmy, please visit
www.redbullcontentpool.com.
For more information on Jimmy,
www.facebook.com/jimmyrollins11.

For media inquiries, please contact Libby Tierney, 347-558-5691,
libby.tierney@us.redbull.com or Kerri Holt, 347-952-5367,
kerri.holt@us.redbull.com.

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