AT 5 PM ET today 2K Sports held a conference call with members of the media to discuss Major League Baseball 2K9. Questions were submitted days in advance and we (the media) listened to the team members answer them while being placed on mute. No yelling was allowed -- although I guess you could yell, but no one would hear us. On the call were Erick Boenisch (Lead Features Designer) and Jonathan Rivera (Gameplay Producer). The transcript below is my live updates via my Twitter feed . This should give you a good idea of what went down.

OK we're off.

Visual Concepts is designing this version. You prolly knew that.

Want to "Make it more accessible." Yikes. Was 2K8 too hard?

Ok questions: What's the big selling point over 2K8

Basic answer -- better franchise, better FPS..etc

"Our aim is authenticity" and then he goes into Walk Off animations. I guess that is a type of authenticity.

What separates you from Sony? "We offer control and variety and not just pressing a button to see what happens" -- a slap at The Show? Wow.

A steroid scandal question? Really?

Presentation Q: "It has grown since 2K5" Seamless presentation, like watching a TV broadcast. I've heard this before. Speaking of that -- Five bucks says the term built from the ground up is said at least once.

Cover athlete question -- seriously people, come on.

Any interactivity with Front Office Manager? Answer: basically no.

Franchise mode: Built from the ground up (ding); new sim engine; real stats; new progression system based on playing time and nor a preset curve. I like that.

Graphics question: Basically they say it looks great. Again back to like watching a TV broadcast.

Pressure on the dev team? Answer: no. He calls it "excitement." I'd say when you are developing a game like that, it's pressure, but I'm just a guy who plays these things.

"There is only so much tech you can add each year." You got that right.

PC question: "Trying to grow the market." Easy to do, exciting for PC users, add new fans, etc.

Took the 360 version and ported it to the PC and added some custom control options.

NO online version on the PC. PC is $20.

A signarure animation of coaches getting ejected? Who is asking these questions?

Most proud of the new accessibility of pitching and hitting and this is the best franchise mode we have had in years (let's hope..)

Live Rosters:Similar to the 2K9 system.

Stuttering problems have been fixed -- running at 60 FPS.

Pitching controls: took out release timing now a simple 2 step phase, press and hold, release the stick at any point -- old system is there if you want to use it.

Hitting controls: They like the swing stick feature because it feels more natural. (Ok, that's not true. You still are holding a gamepad...)

Fewer robbed home runs. Ha.

More hit variety due to hitting influence, timing, location, etc. Again this was exactly what was said last year. We will see.

Will CPU hitters swing at bad pitches? "Inside Edge" data is what he goes to. How often do players chase, etc. Sounds good on paper. I like that use of that tech.

"This year's game has a significantly easier learning curve "

You know, you never hear anyone during these calls say "No, we really screwed this part up."

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