DHL Named Exclusive Express Delivery And Logistics Provider For The National Baseball Hall Of Fame And Museum

PLANTATION, FL -- November 23, 2005, DHL Delivers Ballots for Selection of 2006 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees.

DHL, the world’s leading express delivery and logistics company and the Official Express Delivery and Logistics Provider of Major League Baseball, today announced a three-year sponsorship agreement with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum that names DHL the “Official Express Delivery and Logistics Provider of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.”

As part of the partnership, DHL will provide the Hall of Fame with a comprehensive range of services to meet its express shipping and logistics needs. In addition, DHL will support the Hall of Fame with special deliveries to its headquarters in Cooperstown, NY throughout the year, ensuring that artifacts of historical relevance to the sport find a new home at the Hall of Fame.

“DHL’s relationship with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, an organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on American culture, demonstrates DHL’s continued commitment to delivering America’s pastime on time,” said Karen Jones, vice president of brand, advertising and promotions for DHL. “DHL’s array of express and logistics services will contribute to the development of an organization and a collection of artifacts that preserves our national pastime’s history.”

In its role as the Official Express Delivery and Logistics Provider of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, DHL will also play a key role in the distribution of the ballots for the selection of the 2006 Hall of Fame inductees, sending the ballots directly to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), the organization which has been responsible for the selection of the inductees since 1936. On November 21, DHL transported 600 printed ballots from Cooperstown, NY, to the BBWAA in the New York City area.

Voting for the 2006 Hall of Fame inductees takes place during the month of December. Each writer may cast votes for zero to 10 candidates on his or her ballot. The current ballot lists approximately 30 names to be considered for induction in 2006 -- among them baseball legends such as Jim Rice of the Boston Red Sox, Bruce Sutter of the St. Louis Cardinals, Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees, and Orel Hershiser of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The ballot contains the names of new candidates, selected by the BBWAA from a list of those who played at least 10 seasons in the major leagues and been retired since 2000, plus candidates returning from previous years elections, who earned votes on at least 5% of ballots cast in each past year. The full list of Hall of Fame nominees will be made public at baseballhalloffame.org and baseballwriters.org on November 29 at 2 p.m. ET. Completed ballots will be returned to the BBWAA for tabulation, in consultation with Ernst & Young. Any players to receive votes on at least 75% of ballots cast will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 20, 2006 in Cooperstown. The announcement of any electees will come on January 10, 2006.

“DHL’s support of the Baseball Hall of Fame organization as a whole is critical to our mission of hosting the definitive repository of baseball’s treasures and of serving as a symbol of the most profound individual honor bestowed on an athlete,” said Sean Gahagan, vice president of marketing for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Since 1876, only 195 of 16,000 major league baseball players have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This season, DHL has helped deliver some of the most treasured mementos in Major League Baseball to fans across America. Last month, DHL closed out the first season of its support for America’s pastime by delivering the World Series Trophy to Houston, Texas in anticipation of the definitive fourth game of the 2005 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox. Earlier this year, a convoy of DHL trucks entered Boston’s Fenway Park in front of the fabled Green Monster to deliver the 2004 World Series championship rings to the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day. DHL also delivered the World Series Trophy, the World Series Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet, and the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award to the 2005 John Hancock All-Star FanFest in Detroit, Michigan.

DHL’s multi-year agreement with Major League Baseball, announced in March 2005, designates DHL as the “Official Express Delivery and Logistics Provider” of Major League Baseball and MLB Advanced Media. The agreement includes two new Major League Baseball-sanctioned awards (“DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award” and “DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award”) and a comprehensive MLB-themed advertising campaign.

About DHL
At DHL, Customer Service is back in shipping. Our mission is to provide the most flexible, personable and enjoyable experience in the shipping industry for our customers.

With annual revenues over $32 billion in 2004, DHL is the global market leader of the international express and logistics industry, specializing in providing innovative and customized solutions from a single source.

DHL offers expertise in express, air and ocean freight, overland transport and logistics solutions, combined with worldwide coverage and an in-depth understanding of local markets. Over 170,000 employees are dedicated to providing fast and reliable services that exceed customers’ expectations. Founded in San Francisco in 1969, DHL’s international network links more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. For more information on DHL, please visit www.dhl.com.

About the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an independent not-for-profit educational institution, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime.

The Museum is open seven days a week the year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. For information please visit the Hall of Fame at baseballhalloffame.org, or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME.

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