Press Releases
January 20, 2009
For Immediate Release
Matt DeMargel
(919) 687-6516
DURHAM BULLS ALUMNI PEPPER WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC ROSTERS
Major League Baseball released today their provisional rosters for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Several former Bulls were listed, including pitcher Grant Balfour (Australia), J.P. Howell (USA) and Evan Longoria (USA). Provisional rosters allow Federations to list up to 45 players from which the final 28-man rosters will be selected. Each Federation must submit its final roster, including a minimum of 13 pitchers and two catchers, by February 24th.
Other Durham Bulls to make the provisional rosters were Damian Moss (Australia), Pierre-Luc (Pete) LaForest (Canada), Jose Veras (Dominican Republic), Jose Guillen (Dominican Republic), Tony Fiore (Italy), Jae Seo (Korea), Jorge Cantu (Mexico), Randall Simon (Netherlands), Mark DeRosa (USA), Chipper Jones (USA), and Victor Zambrano (Venezuela).
About the World Baseball Classic...
The World Baseball Classic is the premier international baseball tournament, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, and features the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories. In March 2006, 486 players - 235 of them from MLB organizations - representing 16 teams from across the globe competed in the inaugural event. More than 740,000 fans from 48 states and 15 countries attended games - 16 of which sold out - and millions more watched on TV as Team Japan was crowned the first-ever World Baseball Classic Champion.
Broadcast by 48 media outlets in 10 languages to 205 countries and territories around the world, the inaugural tournament had 50 official sponsors and 21 official licensees. Media members representing 25 different nations attended the 39 games in seven host venues across three countries/territories. The next tournament will be held in March 2009 and will again feature 16 of the greatest baseball-playing nations in the world. The tournament will be held every four years thereafter, with plans in place to expand the participant field beginning in 2013.
