Sports

Bobby Valentine Stars in ONE World Sports Japanese Baseball Showcase

Famed major league baseball manager is new face of sports network

ONE World Sports announced on May 29th that Stamford native and famed major league baseball player and manager Bobby Valentine will host a new series on their network, talking baseball – Japanese baseball, that is.

Valentine, known as former manager of the New York Mets, Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox, also managed the  Chiba Lotte Marines when that team won the Japan Series in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2005. 

Valentine, who was made athletic director at Sacred Heart University in February, joins ONE World Sports in the role of storyteller, sharing his observations and opinions about Japanese baseball and its unique traditions, fans and ethos.

During his seven years in Japan, Valentine embraced its culture and came to greatly admire Japanese baseball.  The new series spotlighting Japanese baseball will give Valentine a chance to explain differences in the way the sport is played in that country. For example, bullpens are hidden from sight so not to reveal to the opposing team the incoming relief pitcher. Also, according to the network's release, Japanese professional players are noticeably better than MLB players in certain skills, especially involving bunting or catching.  

In its expanded coverage of Japanese baseball, ONE World Sports adds 15 additional games featuring the top teams of the NPB Pacific League to the 72 home games of the Yomiuri Giants of its 2013 season.

“We are beyond delighted to have Bobby take on the role as the ambassador of Japanese baseball,” said Alexander “Sandy” Brown, president and CEO of ONE World Sports in the release. “Bobby’s contributions will be invaluable in opening the eyes of American fans to the caliber and intrigue of Japanese baseball.”  

The first of Valentine's series will premiere at ONE World Sports’ booth at the NCTA: The Cable Show. Valentine will be at Booth #1742 at NCTA from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 10, in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. 

Headquartered in New York City, 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 ONE World Sports 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. 


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