Buck Martinez is USA Baseball's New General

Dec. 5, 2005

Dallas, TX - USA Baseball announced today that Buck Martinez has been named the Field Manager for the United States team that will compete in the first ever World Baseball Classic in March, 2006. This will be Martinez's first managerial or coaching stint with USA Baseball.

"We are thrilled to have such a knowledgeable leader as Buck Martinez guiding our team into this exciting event next spring," said USA Baseball General Manager of Professional Baseball Operations Bob Watson. "His experience analyzing many of the Major League players that will be participating in the World Baseball Classic - both on the American roster and from the competing countries - should give him a great perspective."

Martinez managed the Toronto Blue Jays in 2001-02, but currently serves as analyst on ESPN's Wednesday night national telecasts of Major League Baseball. He previously worked for ESPN from 1992-2000, following a 17-year career as a Major League catcher. He also calls 60 games a season as analyst for the Baltimore Orioles on Comcast SportsNet.

For the past 10 years, Martinez has been involved in the Rookie Career Development Program, jointly sponsored by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. His radio experience as a color commentator for Telemedia Radio Network (1982-88) includes the World Series, the American League Championship Series and the All-Star Game. He has also served as post-game analyst for Telemedia's regular season Major League Baseball coverage.

During his Major League playing career, Martinez compiled a .225 career batting average with 58 home runs in 1,049 games with Toronto (1981-86), Milwaukee (1978-81) and Kansas City (1969-77).

USA Baseball also announced four members of its on-field coaching staff that will assist Manager Buck Martinez with the United States team competing in the first ever World Baseball Classic in March, 2006. The coaches include:
 
Davey Johnson: Serving on his third consecutive professional USA Baseball coaching staff, following a pair of stints as the Team USA manager at both the 2005 IBAF World Cup, and the 2005 CONCEBE Regional Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Phoenix, AZ, where he led the Americans to a perfect 5-0 record. Johnson has a career record of 1,148-888 (.564) in 14 Major League seasons as a manager with the New York Mets (1984-90), Cincinnati Reds (1993-95), Baltimore Orioles (1996-97) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2000). He was named the 1997 American League Manager of the Year after leading the Orioles to the A.L. East Division title. As a player, he collected three Gold Glove Awards and was a four-time All-Star second baseman over 13 seasons with the Orioles, Braves, Phillies, and Cubs.

Reggie Smith: Returns to USA Baseball for his third tour of duty. He was the hitting coach for both the 1999 USA Baseball Pan Am Team (Silver medal) in Winnipeg, Canada, and the 2000 USA Baseball Olympic Team (Gold medal) in Sydney, Australia. Smith played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues and was a seven-time All-Star with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Giants.

Marcel Lachemann: Returns for his third stint with USA Baseball as well. He was the pitching coach for the 1999 USA Baseball Pan Am Team (Silver medal) in Winnipeg, Canada, and recently held the same position for the 2005 USA Baseball CONCEBE Regional Olympic Qualifying Team, under Johnson. He is currently a Special Assistant to the GM with the Colorado Rockies.

Ken Griffey Sr.: Currently a Special Consultant to the GM for the Cincinnati Reds. A lifetime .296 hitter over 19 Major League seasons with the Reds, Yankees, Braves & Mariners. He was a three-time All-Star and the MVP of the 1980 All-Star Game. This will be his first USA Baseball coaching experience.

THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

The World Baseball Classic, a 16-team tournament sanctioned by the International BAseball Federation (IBAF), will feature many of the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories for the first time ever in March 2006. The 16 teams invited to participate in the event have been divided into four pools of four teams for the first round of play. They include: Pool A - China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea; Pool B - Canada, Mexico, South Africa, United States; Pool C - Cuba, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico; Pool D - Australia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Venezuela.

The four Round 1 pools are scheduled to be played in Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. Round 2 will feature two pools of four teams each and is scheduled to be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Anaheim, California. The Semi-Finals and Final will be played at PETCO Park in San Diego.