BOBBY VALENTINE STARS IN ONE WORLD SPORTS’
INTERSITIAL SERIES SHOWCASING JAPANESE BASEBALL
Famed Manager in MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball to Become
Newest ‘Face’ of Global Sports Network
NEW YORK – May 29, 2013 – ONE World Sports, the English-language sports network with world-class competitions from around the globe, today announced that famed baseball manager Bobby Valentine will star in a new interstitial series spotlighting Japanese baseball.
Valentine is well known for his managerial tenures with Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox. He was also was the proud winner of the Japan Series in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2005 as the manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines. Valentine earned the distinction as the only foreign-born manager to lead a NPB team to the championship.
During his seven years in Japan, Valentine embraced its culture and came to greatly admire Japanese baseball —becoming a beloved local hero in the process. In ONE World Sports’ interstitial series, Valentine takes on the role of engaging storyteller, sharing his observations and opinions about Japanese baseball and its unique traditions, fans and ethos. Fascinating insights are revealed.
For example, in Japan:
- Bullpens are hidden from sight so not to reveal to the opposing team the incoming relief pitcher.
- Japanese professional players are noticeably better than MLB players in certain skills, especially involving bunting or catching.
- During the seventh-inning stretch at Hiroshima Carp’s stadium, 32,000 fans blow up balloons to produce as many as 100,000 airborne balloons in the enclosed stadium.
Meanwhile, ONE World Sports has expanded its coverage of Japanese baseball. In addition to the 72 home games of the Yomiuri Giants of its 2013 season, ONE World Sports recently exclusively licensed 15 additional games featuring the top teams of the NPB Pacific League, including six games of Valentine’s former team, Chiba Lotte Marines games.
The first interstitials will premiere at ONE World Sports’ booth at the NCTA: The Cable Show. To help introduce the series and promote the network’s coverage of Japanese baseball, Valentine will be at Booth #1742 at NCTA from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, June 10, in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
“We are beyond delighted to have Bobby take on the role as the ambassador of Japanese baseball on our air and at our booth for ONE World Sports,” said Alexander “Sandy” Brown, president and CEO of ONE World Sports. “Bobby’s contributions will be invaluable in opening the eyes of American fans to the caliber and intrigue of Japanese baseball. And baseball fans will enjoy visiting with Bobby in our booth at The Cable Show.”
The Yomiuri Giants topped the 11 other teams in Nippon Professional Baseball last season and will try to repeat as league champions this year. Known as “the New York Yankees of Japan,” the Giants are the NPB’s oldest and most decorated team with 22 Japan Series’ titles.
“I love baseball, I admire the Yomiuri Giants and I am thrilled that ONE World Sports is enabling American viewers to see this top level of professional baseball from Japan,” said Valentine, who today is the athletic director at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.
Before launching his managerial career, Valentine played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, the Mets and the Seattle Mariners. He went on to manage the Rangers, from 1985 to 1992, and the Mets, from 1996 to 2002.
Valentine had two subsequent stints managing the Chiba Lotte Marines, culminating in their 2005 championship season. Most recently, he managed the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball’s 2012 season.
About ONE World Sports
ONE World Sports is an English-language global sports network delivering exclusive, live world-class competitions from around the globe. ONE World Sports fulfills U.S. sports fans’ passion for premier match-ups of their favorite sports with more than 2,400 hours of unduplicated sports programming annually. Programming includes live and same day action of league, championship and qualification competitions in soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, table tennis, badminton and more. The network is available on The Dish Network, Optimum TV from Cablevision System Corporation and Mediacom Communications.
ONE World Sports is headquartered in New York City. Its corporate parent, ONEMedia Corp., also owns and operates: ONE CONNXT, a global HD/SD broadcast video transport services provider; America ONE Television, a general entertainment and sports broadcast network; and America ONE Sports, a leading provider of live broadband sports.
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