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BASEBALL’S ICONIC ‘SHOT HEARD
‘ROUND THE WORLD’ LANDS ON VELOCITY THIS FALL WITH THE DOCUMENTARY MIRACLE BALL
--The Definitive Documentary on the Fate of Bobby Thomson’s Legendary
1951 Home Run Ball Premieres Saturday,
September 29 at 8PM ET/PT with an Anniversary Encore on Wednesday, October 3 at
6:30PM ET/PT only on VELOCITY
(Silver
Spring, Md.) –On October 3rd, 1951 New York Giants third baseman Bobby Thomson
hit “The Shot Heard Round the World” - the walk-off home run against Brooklyn
Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca clinching the National League pennant and achieving
one of the most dramatic moments in baseball and American sports history. But
the central artifact of the game - the home run ball - landed in the grandstand
and vanished without a trace. For more
than half a century, its fate became a tall tale of baseball lore to historians,
collectors and fans alike. This fall, VELOCITY is officially revealing one of
sports’ greatest mysteries with the definitive documentary on the subject. The world television premiere of the
award-winning baseball documentary MIRACLE BALL, by
director Brian Biegel, will air Saturday, September 29 at
8pm ET/PT with a special encore anniversary presentation on Wednesday, October 3 at 6:30PM ET/PT only on VELOCITY.
MIRACLE BALL,
documents one man’s journey to search for sports history’s biggest treasure, on
a quest that takes him back through time.
Follow director Biegel on his exploration to differentiate myth from
fact and legend from truth. After his father, Jack, finds a baseball at a thrift
store with clues dating back to 1951, he believes it could possibly be the most
coveted artifact in sports history. Biegel becomes a man with a mission to
prove its authenticity. Working with NYPD detectives, scientists, journalists,
baseball historians and actual fans present at the game, no stone is left
unturned in this ultimate hunt in the quest for the truth. Implementing forensic science, photographic
evidence, and eyewitness accounts, the world will finally learn who walked out
of the stadium with the legendary baseball and where it has been hiding for
over six decades.
The search for the Thomson home run ball is the greatest
historical conundrum in sports; but, this
documentary is more than a story about baseball, it’s about dreaming the
impossible. It’s a story between father
and son and history versus legend.”, said Robert Scanlon, Senior Vice President
of Velocity. “Velocity is the perfect place
for MIRACLE BALL because our viewers are extremely
knowledgeable – they’re curators and collectors with an acute appreciation of history.”
"Having the opportunity to tell the story of Miracle Ball was
truly a life-changing experience both as a filmmaker and as a person.
Uncovering all the shocking clues and piecing together the unlikely evidence
indeed was a first-hand look into the notion that truth is stranger than
fiction," said director and author Brian Biegel.
MIRACLE
BALL is produced for VELOCITY by Odyssey Entertainment.
Brian Biegel is director and executive producer. Robert Scanlon is
Senior Vice President of Velocity and David Lee is Director of Production for
Velocity.
About Odyssey Entertainment
Odyssey
Entertainment was founded by director/executive producer Brian Biegel,
specializes in developing and producing original non-fiction content including
feature documentaries, documentary shorts and docu-series. The company's
feature documentary "Miracle Ball: The Hunt for the Shot Heard Around the
World" won Best Documentary at the 2012 Garden State Film Festival, 2011
Big Apple Film Festival and the 2010 Long Island International Film Festival.
Projects in development include a feature documentary starring a Hall of Fame
baseball icon, a reality series about a diamond/jewel expert and a
treasure-hunting docu-series. For more information please visit
www.odysseyentertainment.tv
About Velocity:
Velocity, a division of Discovery
Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), is the upscale men’s cable
network that provides thrilling HD programming for its viewers. Velocity programming is diverse, intelligent
and engaging, with series and specials representing the best of the automotive,
sports and leisure, adventure and travel genres. Formerly HD Theater, the fully HD network is
available in approximately 40 million homes.
For more information on Velocity, please visit Velocity.tv,
on Facebook at facebook.com/VelocityTV or on
Twitter @VelocityTV1
About Discovery Communications:
Discovery
Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s number one
nonfiction media company, reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers
in over 180 countries. Discovery
empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through
100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet,
Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Planet Green and HD Theater, as well
as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified
portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
# # #
"Called Shot"
_________Presented byBaseball HistorianBill Jenkinson
