Play Ball! Bridging Cultures with Baseball February 28, 2009

To coincide with the beginning of the second World Baseball Classic, the JICC will celebrate the unique relationship Japan and the U.S. have developed through their passion for baseball with Play Ball! Bridging Cultures with Baseball.

This special event will begin with a screening of The Zen of Bobby V. (86 min.), a 2008 ESPN documentary detailing the unique experiences of Bobby Valentine. Since leading the New York Mets to the World Series as a manager in 2000, Mr. Valentine has taken the same position with Japan's Pacific Coast League's Chiba Lotte Marines, transforming the slumping ball club into a successful contender and champion. As the first foreign manager to win the Nippon Series he has become one of the highest-paid baseball managers in the world.

Hall of Fame Manager and Global Ambassador for the World Baseball Classic Tommy Lasorda will join us at the Freer & Sackler Galleries’ Meyer Auditorium to talk about his role in the globalization of baseball, his experiences in Japan and the contribution baseball has made to the further development of Japan-U.S. relations.Mr.Lasorda, who has now been with the Dodgers organization for 60 years, has worked throughout his career to promote baseball around the world, playing or managing in 14 countries. He was named the “Most Influential Person in Sports in the 20th Century” by ESPN SportsCentury, and on December 2, 2008 he was honored by the Emperor of Japan with the 'Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette' for his contribution to the development of Japanese baseball and his work to build a bridge between American and Japanese baseball for parts of five decades.

Official Website: http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/jicc/index.htm