Bobby V Backs NYU Rookies
Bobby V Backs NYU Rookies
Helps Finance Filmmakers First Full Length Documentrary on Dominican Baseball System
Helps Finance Filmmakers First Full Length Documentrary on Dominican Baseball System
By: Jeffrey Valfer
TeenNewsNet Editor
Bobby Valentine has helped develop many careers as a manager in the states (Texas Rangers, 1985-92 and NY Mets, 1996-2002) and Japan (Chiba Lotte Marines, 1994, 2002-2009). Additionally, he has been named to one of the better managing posts in Major League Baseball, having signed a multi-year contract to lead the Boston RedSox as their skipper.
As popular as Valentine was managing the Mets and Rangers he became an iconic figure in Japan managing the Marines. On October 17, 2005 Valentine led the Marines to their first Pacific League Pennant in thirty one years. Nine days later on October 26, the Marines won the Japan Series in a four game sweep of the Hanshin Tigers for the first time since 1974.
In 2007 Valentine’s persona as a big league manager was documented by budding filmmaker Andrew J. Muscato. “Managing the Chiba Lotte Marines I was approached by a teenager to do a film about me,” reflects Valentine. “By the time they became twenty they were seniors at NYU and talked ESPN into giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars to do a film about me in Japan,” he continues. “They did it.” The film “The Zen of Bobby V” directed by Muscato, followed the manager and his Chiba Lotte Marines team during their 2007 season. Valentine not only was a success in the big leagues, but on the big screen as well as the documentary was an official selection at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.
Because of the success of this film, Muscato and Valentine created Mukhari Media. Three years later Muscato informed Valentine of a project his friends, Ross Finkel, John Paley and Trevor Martin, from NYU were doing in the Dominican Republic. The three, who are avid baseball fans, were fascinated how some of baseball’s biggest stars were from there. “We noticed a trend of more Dominicans in the league and represented at the All Star Games and at the top of the stat sheets,” Finkel remarked. “It started as where do these guys come from”? To answer this question Finkel, Paley and Martin lived in the Dominican Republic for nine months researching and filming the path their players take to get to Major League Baseball.
“[We] discovered a system that was a lot more nuance, complex and institutionalized than we could ever imagined,” explains Finkel of the experience. “General media gives us images of these kids playing baseball with milk cartons and sticks in the streets and somehow they have become a Major League ballplayer at Yankee Stadium. But, we discovered a system that bridges that gap and takes these young kids and turns them into these professional ballplayers.”
Becoming impressed with Muscato’s friends, Valentine formed a collaboration of Mukahart Media and Finkel’s company Guagua Productions to produce a full length documentary “Pelotero" (Spanish for ballplayer.) The film had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October receiving very positive audience feedback. “Pelotero” explores a system in the Dominican Republic where players starting at the age of sixteen can be signed by Major League teams. Players can negotiate and sign with clubs starting every July 2nd. Currently, in a country that is 2% of the US population, Major League Baseball rosters combine to have 20% Dominican ballplayers on them. This is why all thirty teams have academies there and MLB has invested hundreds and millions of dollars in further building their presence in the country. However, with all this attention and money spent the system is still flawed, which this film brilliantly uncovers following around two of the country’s biggest shortstop prospects, Miguel Angel Santo and Jean Carlos Batista, as they approach their first opportunity to be signed.
With top Dominican players receiving signing bonuses in the millions it is a ticket out of severe poverty for them and their families. If a player is to be signed that is older than sixteen their value significantly drops. Therefore, in a country where most records are written there are players who present forged birth certificates and school documents so they are believed to be younger, more appealing and get a bigger signing bonus.
“Pelotero” also unravels manipulative behavior by a MLB scout and MLB to entice a star player to sign with a small market team that may not have the capital to compete with the larger markets for that player.
As a big baseball fan I feel “Pelotero” hits a 'homerun' as one of the better documentaries recently released on the sport. It is shot extremely well, highly intelligent and intriguing from beginning to end.
“They’ll [audience] will see things they never seen before,” stresses Valentine. “They’ll understand the system is flawed and needs to get better.” For more information on “Pelotero” please go to www.peloterothemovie.com.
TeenNewsNet Editor
Bobby Valentine has helped develop many careers as a manager in the states (Texas Rangers, 1985-92 and NY Mets, 1996-2002) and Japan (Chiba Lotte Marines, 1994, 2002-2009). Additionally, he has been named to one of the better managing posts in Major League Baseball, having signed a multi-year contract to lead the Boston RedSox as their skipper.
As popular as Valentine was managing the Mets and Rangers he became an iconic figure in Japan managing the Marines. On October 17, 2005 Valentine led the Marines to their first Pacific League Pennant in thirty one years. Nine days later on October 26, the Marines won the Japan Series in a four game sweep of the Hanshin Tigers for the first time since 1974.
In 2007 Valentine’s persona as a big league manager was documented by budding filmmaker Andrew J. Muscato. “Managing the Chiba Lotte Marines I was approached by a teenager to do a film about me,” reflects Valentine. “By the time they became twenty they were seniors at NYU and talked ESPN into giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars to do a film about me in Japan,” he continues. “They did it.” The film “The Zen of Bobby V” directed by Muscato, followed the manager and his Chiba Lotte Marines team during their 2007 season. Valentine not only was a success in the big leagues, but on the big screen as well as the documentary was an official selection at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.
Because of the success of this film, Muscato and Valentine created Mukhari Media. Three years later Muscato informed Valentine of a project his friends, Ross Finkel, John Paley and Trevor Martin, from NYU were doing in the Dominican Republic. The three, who are avid baseball fans, were fascinated how some of baseball’s biggest stars were from there. “We noticed a trend of more Dominicans in the league and represented at the All Star Games and at the top of the stat sheets,” Finkel remarked. “It started as where do these guys come from”? To answer this question Finkel, Paley and Martin lived in the Dominican Republic for nine months researching and filming the path their players take to get to Major League Baseball. “[We] discovered a system that was a lot more nuance, complex and institutionalized than we could ever imagined,” explains Finkel of the experience. “General media gives us images of these kids playing baseball with milk cartons and sticks in the streets and somehow they have become a Major League ballplayer at Yankee Stadium. But, we discovered a system that bridges that gap and takes these young kids and turns them into these professional ballplayers.”
Becoming impressed with Muscato’s friends, Valentine formed a collaboration of Mukahart Media and Finkel’s company Guagua Productions to produce a full length documentary “Pelotero" (Spanish for ballplayer.) The film had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October receiving very positive audience feedback. “Pelotero” explores a system in the Dominican Republic where players starting at the age of sixteen can be signed by Major League teams. Players can negotiate and sign with clubs starting every July 2nd. Currently, in a country that is 2% of the US population, Major League Baseball rosters combine to have 20% Dominican ballplayers on them. This is why all thirty teams have academies there and MLB has invested hundreds and millions of dollars in further building their presence in the country. However, with all this attention and money spent the system is still flawed, which this film brilliantly uncovers following around two of the country’s biggest shortstop prospects, Miguel Angel Santo and Jean Carlos Batista, as they approach their first opportunity to be signed.
With top Dominican players receiving signing bonuses in the millions it is a ticket out of severe poverty for them and their families. If a player is to be signed that is older than sixteen their value significantly drops. Therefore, in a country where most records are written there are players who present forged birth certificates and school documents so they are believed to be younger, more appealing and get a bigger signing bonus.
“Pelotero” also unravels manipulative behavior by a MLB scout and MLB to entice a star player to sign with a small market team that may not have the capital to compete with the larger markets for that player.
As a big baseball fan I feel “Pelotero” hits a 'homerun' as one of the better documentaries recently released on the sport. It is shot extremely well, highly intelligent and intriguing from beginning to end.
“They’ll [audience] will see things they never seen before,” stresses Valentine. “They’ll understand the system is flawed and needs to get better.” For more information on “Pelotero” please go to www.peloterothemovie.com.
