Out of Left Field

I want to let you know about “Out of Left Field: The Making of the Chinese Olympic Baseball Team” which originally aired on most PBS stations on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 10 p.m. PBS will periodically re-run this show.  Avnet partnered with PBS to support the production of Out of Left Field, a documentary on the creation of the Chinese Olympic baseball team.

My boss, Al Maag championed this cause.  “We thought it was a charming story of China organizing its first baseball team,” says Al Maag, Avnet’s chief communications officer. “Our business has grown so much in China; it’s just one small way to show our community support for the Olympics there. It also is a great opportunity to support the filmmaker, Mr. Jennings, and PBS, which plays an integral role in promoting education and global cultural enhancement.”

The Chinese team trained in Arizona and was coached by Jim Lefebvre, a former major league baseball manager, and Bruce Hurst, a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

For more information, visit the Out of Left Field Web site at http://www.azpbs.org/leftfield/.