THE OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL # FALL 2006 International Stars Lead Way ALDO NOTARI In Race for October 1932-2006 HE INTERNATIONAL T baseball community lost a great member this year when Aldo Notari, President of WANG SANTANA LOAIZA the International Baseball Feder- ation (IBAF), passed away on Tuesday, July 25 in Parma, Italy. Notari began his baseball career as a second baseman and outfielder for the Tanara Parma club. In the early 1970’s, he made the transition from player to baseball executive and won his first Italian League Championship BELTRAN PUJOLS SAITO in 1976 as president of the Germal Parma club. Elected President of both the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation (FIBS) and the Euro- pean Baseball Confederation (CEB), in 1993 he became the first European elected President of the IBAF, a post he NCE AGAIN THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Minnesota’s ace left-hander Johan Santana is running held until his death. (MLB) race for October is frantic, with less away with the strikeout crown; shortstop Carlos Guillen Aldo Notari worked tirelessly than a month of the 2006 regular season re- and right fielder Magglio Ordonez are providing the clutch for the development of baseball O maining, more than half the teams were in hits for Detroit; and manager Ozzie Guillen has his White throughout the world, most contention for a postseason birth. More than ever, base- Sox in the middle of things once again. recently in the organization of ball’s international superstars have been key players The Oakland Athletics continue to lead the AL West, the inaugural World Baseball in this intense competition. The following is a glimpse with Mexico-native Esteban Loaiza posting a 1.48 ERA and Classic. His presence will be at the stars and their teams fighting to notching four wins in the month of August. sorely missed, but his legacy to make the postseason: The veteran Loaiza joins Barry Zito, Dan the game will remain as baseball The New York Yankees, anchored of- Haren and Joe Blanton to form one of the continues to become a truly fensively by captain Derek Jeter and on best pitching rotations in the AL. global sport. the mound by pitchers Chien-Ming Wang The New York Mets have one of their and Mariano Rivera, are headed to their best teams in club history, sending a fran- twelfth straight postseason appearance. chise-record six players to the All-Star Born in Taiwan, Wang has emerged as one Game this year: Carlos Beltran, Paul Lo of the game’s best pitchers this season, consistently Duca, Jose Reyes, David Wright and pitchers Tom Glavine among the league leaders in wins. A future Hall-of- and Pedro Martínez. Beltran (Puerto Rico), Reyes and Famer from Panama, Rivera continues to shine for the Martinez (both of the Dominican Republic) were three Yankees, racking up his 400th career save in 2006. of 24 foreign-born All-Stars in 2006. Beltran and Reyes, The Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and defending near the top of the league in almost every offensive cat- World Series Champion Chicago White Sox are in a heated egory, are strong candidates for National League MVP. race for dominance in the AL Central. All-Stars from Despite an injury-plagued season, the St. Louis Car- Venezuela are driving all three teams in their quests. dinals have managed to hold onto the lead in the NL Cen- NOTARI GETTY IMAGES (7) Continued on Page 2 1 MLB Around the World Continued from cover FROM EAST TO tral. The Cards are led by Albert Pujols and portunities. A four-time All-Star in Japan, the WEST, FANS SEE Scott Rolen at the plate and 2005 Cy Young 36-year-old rookie has fulfilled a life-long dream ‘CLASSIC’ DISPLAYS Award winner Chris Carpenter on the mound. of playing in America. The Dodgers are seek- With his sixth-straight 30-home run, 100- ing their first NL pennant in nearly 20 years, RBI season, the Dominican-born Pujols is while the Padres are looking for a repeat of their in contention for his second NL MVP award. 2005 division crown. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego With so many teams in contention, base- Padres are in an exciting race for the NL ball fans across the world are in for an excit- West. Los Angeles has held the lead for the ing finish. majority of the second half, with closer The 2006 Commissioner’s Trophy will be presented to Takashi Saito almost perfect in save op- the new World Champions in late October. TOKYO GAME RETAILERS FEATURE ALL-STAR THE HIGH LEVEL OF COMPETI- ETAILERS THROUGHOUT JAPAN AND TAIWAN TOOK ADVANTAGE tion throughout the World of the excitement surrounding Major League Baseball’s 77th annual Mid- Baseball Classic demonstrated R summer Classic with giveaway promotions leading up to the event. how global the game has Sports Authority continued their tradition of supporting the All-Star Game become. Nowhere is this more by giving two lucky baseball fans the prize of a lifetime: a trip to Pittsburgh and apparent than in Japan, home tickets to all of the All-Star festivities. In addition, five stadium shops in Japan of the Champion Team of the as well as Prospark, a sports specialty retailer, gave customers the opportuni- inaugural tournament and the ty to enter a special campaign to win such prizes as Majestic event T-shirts, Baseball Hall of Fame and Wincraft pennants, and Aminco key chains. Museum in Tokyo, where atten- Pegasus, MLB’s apparel licensee in Taiwan, held retail promotions through- dance soared over 40,000 this out the country to augment growing fan interest in MLB, including a game where consumers matched players March and April, an unheard of with their current teams in an effort to introduce all 30 MLB clubs and their star players to the Taiwan public. number and, according to the Secretary General of the muse- um Fujio Kobayashi, “solely due MLB All-Stars cross the Pacific to the World Baseball Classic.” HIS NOVEMBER, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, Roger Clemens and Sadaharu Nippon Professional Baseball and Yomiuri Shim- Oh shake hands T bun will once again host the AEON MLB All- after the 2004 Star Series (AEON Nichibei Yakyu) in Tokyo, Osaka and All-Star Series. Fukuoka. Japanese players Tadahito Iguchi and Kenji Johjima have already signed on to represent MLB’s All- Star squad. Joining them are Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, Minnesota Twin Johan San- tana, New York Mets David Wright and Jose Reyes, and Atlanta Brave Andruw Jones, among others. Japan’s COOPERSTOWN squad will be selected by both the fans and team man- ager, Katsuya Nomura, similar to the way that MLB’s In addition, the National All-Star rosters are determined each summer. Baseball Hall of Fame and : COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL FAME LIBRARY, COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK. Coming on the heels of Japan’s win in the inaugu- 2006 JAPAN ALL-STAR SERIES Museum in Cooperstown, New ral World Baseball Classic, AEON Nichibei Yakyu prom- NOV 2 MLB All-Stars vs. Yomiuri Giants York is currently displaying an NOV 3 MLB All-Stars vs. NPB All-Stars ises to be even more competitive this year. “[MLB exhibit on the history of interna- NOV 4 MLB All-Stars vs. NPB All-Stars PLANET BASEBALL players] did not like the fact that Japan won the first tional baseball called Planet NOV 5 MLB All-Stars vs. NPB All-Stars World Baseball Classic,” said Jim Small, Managing Di- NOV 7 MLB All-Stars vs. NPB All-Stars Baseball, prominently featuring rector of MLB Japan. “We intend to show that MLB is NOV 8 MLB All-Stars vs. NPB All-Stars treasures from the inaugural still the best baseball in the world.” tournament. OH: GETTY IMAGES; PLAYER NATIONALITIES ARIZONA ATLANTA BRAVES BALTIMORE BOSTON CHICAGO CUBS DIAMONDBACKS Australia, Canada, ORIOLES RED SOX Canada, Cuba, Dominican Colombia, Cuba, Canada, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Curacao, Dominican Dominican Republic, Puerto United States, Dominican Rep., Republic, Mexico, Republic, Puerto Rico, South Venezuela Mexico, United Panama, United Rico, United Korea, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela States, States, 2 States, Venezuela Venezuela Venezuela MLB Sponsorship PRESIDENTE TESTS FANS’ SKILLS Bungee Baseball by Pepsi Takes Off! PRESIDENTE, THE OFFICIAL beer of Major League Baseball in XTENDING THEIR LONGTIME MARKETING PARTNERSHIP the Dominican Republic, will once in Latin America and the Caribbean through the 2008 again be sending MLB fans on an E season, Pepsi will continue to be the official soft drink all-expense paid trip to the 2006 of Major League Baseball in the region. To leverage this rela- World Series as part of a tionship, Pepsi has created a pan-regional advertising cam- nationwide baseball skills paign focusing on three of MLB’s most recognizable Latin competition. Presidente will American stars: Bobby Abreu of the New York Yankees, Carlos travel to various restaurants and Delgado of the New York Mets (pictured right) and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. These players will act as the centerpiece supermarkets in branded trucks for MLB-Pepsi promotions and will appear on Pepsi products and trailers to tests fans’ abilities. and their own television commercials. Participants will be eligible to win a trip for two to the World Series, MLB PLAYS BALL WITH CHICKEN LITTLE MLB team uniforms and t-shirts and Presidente products. The THIS SUMMER, MLB, BASEBALLSOFTBALLUK AND DISNEY PARTNERED promotion will run for one month up to help launch the DVD version of the animated feature Chicken Little. The throughout the country leading up partnership included five innovative MLB Roadshow events and a public relations to the 2006 World Series.