06/29/2007 10:51 AM ETMajor League Baseball Properties announces State Farm as "Official Insurance Company of Major League Baseball"State Farm® becomes the title sponsor of the MLB Home Run DerbyMajor League Baseball Properties (MLBP) today announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement to make State Farm the "Official Insurance Company of Major League Baseball". The deal includes exclusive category rights and title sponsorships for the State Farm Home Run Derby and the State Farm Mascot Home Run Derby at Major League Baseball All-Star Week.The State Farm Home Run Derby competition is the highest rated sporting event of the summer on ESPN. The competition pits eight Major League Baseball sluggers against each other in three head-to-head elimination rounds in which each batter receives 10 outs to hit as many home runs as possible. Any swing of the bat that does not result in a home run is considered an out. The 2007 State Farm Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio on Monday, July 9 at 8 p.m. EDT from San Francisco's AT&T Park.A Gold Ball platform will be included in the State Farm Home Run Derby competition. For every home run that State Farm Home Run Derby participants hit during the competition after their ninth out, Major League Baseball and State Farm will combine to donate $17,000 to charity. The $17,000 represents the 17,000 State Farm agents in neighborhoods across the U.S. and Canada. Proceeds from the Gold Ball platform will benefit the official charity of Major League Baseball, Boys and Girls Clubs of America."We are very pleased to partner with such a well-respected brand as State Farm and welcome them as the title sponsor of the Home Run Derby," said Tim Brosnan, Executive Vice President, Business, Major League Baseball. "The Home Run Derby is one of the most recognizable and exciting event properties during the Major League Baseball season, and it is fitting that a brand of State Farm's stature will now become linked with it.""Baseball is one of the greatest sports in the world and we are proud to be the official insurance sponsor of MLB," said Mark Gibson, Assistant Vice President, Advertising for State Farm. "MLB and its properties are a natural choice for State Farm, the nation's number one auto insurer, and together we will reach a growing audience in new and exciting ways."As a participating sponsor at DHL All-Star FanFest, the interactive baseball theme park that is the cornerstone of Major League Baseball All-Star Week, State Farm will sponsor the State Farm Home Run Derby attraction and the State Farm Mascot Home Run Derby.As part of the agreement, State Farm will make significant media commitments to national Major League Baseball television rightsholders. State Farm also continues to maintain partnerships with 24 Major League Clubs: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox,Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays.About Major League Baseball PropertiesThe Major League Baseball Clubs formed Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) in 1966 as the Club's agent for marketing and trademark licensing and protection. Major League Baseball Properties is responsible for managing consumer licensing activities, developing national advertising campaigns, cultivating sponsorship opportunities with major consumer brands and corporations, growing the game and the business of baseball outside the United States and creating national marketing programs in conjunction with Clubs, broadcast rights holders and national sponsors. MLBP also operates a full-service video and audio production unit (Major League Baseball Productions), a publishing division and stock photo licensing agency, and manages logistics for the All-Star Game and World Series as well as allother special events. For more information on Major League Baseball, log on to www.MLB.com.About State FarmState Farm® insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.6 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.