THE OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBAL L H 2007 SEASON-IN-REVIEW WORLD CHAMPS TO OPEN 2008 SEASON IN JAPAN Canadian Jeff Francis INTERNATIONAL STARS LEAD CLUBS IN THE POSTSEASON International stars played a larger role in this year’s postseason than ever before. A record number (16) of foreign-born players were on World Series rosters for the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Boston Red Sox Hideki Okajima Rockies, fitting in a season (left) and Daisuke Matsuzaka show S when a record-high 246 E off their World Series Championship G A foreign-born players were on M trophy after dousing each other I Y T MLB Club rosters (as of T with champagne in celebration. E G Opening Day). The World Series Champion HE WORLD SERIES CHAMPION BOSTON RED scheduled for March 22 and 23. Red Sox teamed rookies like Sox will face the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo, This will mark the first MLB season opener in Japan Daisuke Matsuzaka (Japan) TJapan to open the 2008 MLB Champi - since the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays and Jacoby Ellsbury (United Lonship Season this March. played in front of sell-out crowds at the States) with veterans David Japan Opening Series 2008 fea - Tokyo Dome in 2004. Over the past Ortiz (Dominican Republic) tures the Red Sox beginning their decade, eight MLB Clubs have ex - and World Series MVP Mike World Series title defense in a two- perienced international openers. Lowell (Puerto Rico) to earn their rings. National League game set versus the nine-time World Overall, nearly 700,000 fans have at - Champion Colorado utilized Series Champion Athletics on March 25 and tended 15 MLB Opening Series games in staff ace Jeff Francis 26 at the Tokyo Dome. The games will mark Monterrey, Mexico (Coloroado Rockies vs. (Canada), closer Manny the third time MLB has opened its season in Tokyo. San Diego Padres - 1999); Tokyo, Japan (New York Corpas (Panama) and As part of Japan Opening Series 2008 , both MLB Mets vs. Chicago Cubs - 2000 and Yankees vs. Rays backstop Yorvit Torrealba Clubs will also compete against Nippon Professional - 2004); and San Juan, Puerto Rico (Texas Rangers (Venezuela) to win an Baseball (NPB) teams in day/night doubleheaders vs. Toronto Blue Jays - 2001). incredible 21 out of their final 22 games to make it to the SCHEDULE OF EVENTS - JAPAN OPENING SERIES 2008 Fall Classic for the first time in franchise history. DATE GAME VENUE Overall, the 2007 postseason Saturday, March 22 Boston Red Sox vs. NPB Club Tokyo Dome featured 65 foreign-born Saturday, March 22 Oakland Athletics vs. NPB Club Tokyo Dome players representing 10 Sunday, March 23 Boston Red Sox vs. NPB Club Tokyo Dome different countries and Sunday, March 23 Oakland Athletics vs. NPB Club Tokyo Dome territories, including Canada, Tuesday, March 25 Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics Tokyo Dome Colombia, Cuba, the Wednesday, March 26 Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics Tokyo Dome Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Taiwan and Venezuela. MLB IN CHINA MARKETING EXPANSION OF MLB MLB Director of Game Development in China, Rick Dell, MLBI INVITES STUDENTS TO SHOPS CONTINUES instructs at the inaugural Academy in Wuxi this August. PLAY BALL! ACROSS CHINA THROUGHOUT CHINA LBI LAUNCHED ITS GRASSROOTS YOUTH ajor League Baseball Interna - baseball program, Play Ball!, in five cities Mtional continues to aggressively M open Major League Baseball- across China this September. The program is now incorporated into the physical education cur - branded shops in China. Since April riculum for students aged eight-to-12 in 120 ele - 2007, a total of 30 MLB shops opened mentary schools in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, in more than 16 cities across the coun - Tianjin and Wuxi. try, including five in capital city Bei - Play Ball! China will reach more than 100,000 el - jing, six in the commercial center of ementary school students in 2007 alone. Partici - Shanghai and three in baseball-crazy pating students will be introduced to the rules of Tianjin. These stores are managed by the game and instructed on developing their base - Chinese master licensee, Eversports ball skills as part of their in-school physical edu - Marketing Limited. The stores exclu - cation programs. sively sell MLB products, prominently Nagase Kenko Corporation serves as an official featuring casual sportswear as well YOUTH BASEBALL ACADEMY supplier of Play Ball! China. The world-renowned as fashion apparel and accessories. OPENS IN CHINA THIS AUGUST Kenko Air Safety Baseballs, combining the per - Plans are currently underway to open formance of a real baseball with greater safety and a 120-square-meter MLB flagship store AJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL INTERNATIONAL durability, are the only baseballs used in the pro - in Beijing at Wangfujin Commercial M(MLBI) and the China Baseball Association (CBA) gram. Area by the end of 2007. conducted the first-ever China Baseball Acad - In preparation for the first emy in Wuxi, China this past August. The Academy pro - season of Play Ball! in vided professional instruction to elite young baseball China, MLBI con - talent from across the country at the Jiangsu Provincial ducted coaching Baseball Field in Wuxi from August 7 to 26. clinics, led by top- The MLBI China Baseball Academy features a train - level American ing schedule aimed at improving all facets of the game coaches, for more for 60 of China’s top-rated 12-to-15-year-old baseball than 400 physical players. MLBI and the CBA selected this year’s Academy education teachers participants from existing provincial baseball organiza - in Beijing, tions in Beijing, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Tianjin and Wuxi. Shanghai this summer. MLBI SIGNS LANDMARK TV DEAL IN CHINA LBI AND SHANGHAI MEDIA GROUP (SMG) ball in China” that highlight the most important ele - reached a groundbreaking, three-year agree - ments of the game and provide viewers with in-depth The MLB Shops in Tianjin (above) and M Shanghai (below) have been heavily ment this season that significantly increased coverage of the local baseball scene. The World Series, trafficked by baseball fans in China exposure for MLB in the People’s Republic of China. MLB All-Star Game and “This Week in Baseball,” will looking to show off their team pride! This deal was a first-of-its-kind endeavor for MLB with air on Great Sports through 2009. a local Chinese television partner, and will bring the MLB All-Star Game and World Series, along with a unique version of “This Week in Baseball,” to Great Sports – China’s leading cable sports channel – for the next three seasons. The agreement was launched in July with coverage of the 2007 All-Star Game and has continued through - out the second half of the 2007 Championship Season on a weekly basis with a China-specific edition of “This Week in Baseball.” Produced and aired by SMG, the show includes a weekly recap of MLB action and features segments entitled “Baseball Basics” and “Base - 2007 STAR PLAYERS ARIZONA ATLANTA BALTIMORE BOSTON CHICAGO DIAMONDBACKS BRAVES ORIOLES RED SOX CUBS Eric Byrnes Jeff Francoeur Erik Bedard Josh Beckett Rich Hill Stephen Drew Tim Hudson Daniel Cabrera David Ortiz Derrek Lee Orlando Hudson Chipper Jones Nick Markakis Jonathan Papelbon Aramis Ramirez Brandon Webb John Smoltz Brian Roberts Dustin Pedroia Alfonso Soriano Chris B. Young Mark Teixeira Miguel Tejada Manny Ramirez Carlos Zambrano 22 MARKETING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WANTS FANS TO ‘Dream BIG’ IN JAPAN AJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL INTERNATIONAL’S LAUNCH of Mthe Dream BIG campaign in Japan this season proved to be an effective marketing tool. Resonating with fans and consumers while demonstrating the position of MLB at the pinna - cle of the sport of baseball, the Dream BIG campaign was heavily utilized by all partners in the SHOGAKUKAN CAMPAIGN country, including licensees, re - Shogakukan featured a unique Dream tailers, broadcasters and sponsors. Focusing on the drive and per - BIG promotion this August for children severance necessary to reach dreams, the campaign featured positive in grades one through six. Their sweep - directives, such as “practice,” “work hard” and “have confidence.” stakes asked kids to design their “Dream MLB superstars from Chase Utley to Miguel Cabrera to David Wright Ballpark” or “Dream Uniform” and en - appeared in print advertisements throughout the duration of the ter to win a trip to Seattle, WA to watch campaign as a representation of how they have achieved their dreams the Chicago White Sox take on the Seat - of making it to the major leagues. tle Mariners. Six winners – one from each The Dream BIG campaign captured the emotional, intellectual and grade – received a dream trip that in - physical aspects of the game of baseball, as well as many other pur - suits in life. This campaign’s clear and achievable call to action ap - cluded a tour of SAFECO Field, an inter - peals to everyone who has ever had the chance to “dream big.” view with Ichiro Suzuki’s translators and photos with the Mariners Moose. The winners also watched batting practice on-field where they met MLB stars Jose Guillen and Ichiro Suzuki! CELEBRATING A DECADE The 2007 MLB season marked the 10th The Dream BIG-themed train anniversary of the MLB brand’s pres - featured worldwide superstars like Derek Jeter, Daisuke Matsuzaka, ence in the Korean apparel market via Hideki Matsui and Albert Pujols. master licensee F&F. The logos of Ma - jor League Baseball and the 30 MLB ALL ABOARD THE DREAM BIG TRAIN Clubs are now easily recognizable on high-end fashion apparel. Korean celebri - ties can be seen on television and in LBI HIGHLIGHTED THE DREAM BIG vertising (pictured above), licensed consumer campaign in an extensive advertisement product photos and retail information for more magazines wearing MLB products, mak - M ing the apparel a must-have among program on one of Japan Railway’s most than 60 Major League Baseball partners.