Talkin’ Baseball! With Valentine, White, Leyritz Plus ‘69 Amazin’ Mets Kranepool, Swoboda, Shamsky To Appear Via Wizard World

Talkin’ Baseball! With Valentine, White, Leyritz Plus ‘69 Amazin’ Mets Kranepool, Swoboda, Shamsky To Appear Via Wizard World Virtual Experiences July 15-16; Free Video Q&A Streamed Live On Twitch, YouTube, Facebook

Fans Can Purchase Live Video Chats, Recorded Videos, Signed Photos During Events, Accessible Via Dedicated Website, Social Platforms For Fans Across The Globe

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2020 – As baseball prepares for its return to Yankee Stadium and Citi Field this month, some of the standouts from years past take the virtual stage when former Mets Subway Series manager Bobby Valentine, currently A.D. at Sacred Heart University, former Yankees hard-hitting outfielder Roy White, Yankees postseason standout Jim Leyritz, and Amazin’ 1969 Mets World Series champions Ed Kranepool, Ron Swoboda and Art Shamsky appear in a pair of FREE live moderated video Q&A sessions via Wizard World Virtual Experiences (www.wizardworldvirtual.com). Fans can catch Valentine, White and Leyritz on Wednesday, July 15, at 7 p.m. ET, while the ‘69 Mets are live on Thursday, July 16, at 4 p.m. ET.

As part of the events, fans across the globe can:

• Submit questions via chat during the free 45-minute panels (open to everyone, no entry fee to watch or submit). Panels available for viewing live or on demand via Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/wizardworldvirtual; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wizardworld; and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wizardworld/

• Participate in a personal, exclusive two-minute live video chat with each celebrity (paid, with 8”x10” autographed photo included!)

• Purchase a recorded video from each star specifying the message if desired (autograph also included)

Pricing for the individual chat, video and autograph packages vary by item and star, available on the Website.

About Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD)

Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, tech, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming and entertainment takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World Virtual Experiences powers a content-rich channel that provides fans with the opportunity to enjoy programming and to directly connect with celebrities via a variety of video platforms. Additional initiatives may soon include an augmented touring schedule of Wizard World shows, fixed-site installations, curated e-commerce, and the production and distribution of content both in the U.S. and internationally. Fans can interact with Wizard Entertainment at www.wizardworld.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services. Additionally, Wizard Entertainment owns a minority interest in Cinedigm’s ( NASDAQ:CIDM) ConTv.

The 2020 Wizard World convention schedule is available at: http://www.wizardworld.com/comiccon.

About Ron Swoboda: Most famous for his ninth-inning diving catch to help preserve the Mets’ 1969 World Series Game 4 victory, Swoboda also drove in the clinching run in Game 5 as a highlight of his nine-year MLB career, six with the Mets and parts of three with the Yankees. “Rocky” also authored Here’s the Catch: A Memoir of the Miracle Mets and More, chronicling the moments and memories of his time in baseball and beyond. He has also been a TV sportscaster in N.Y., Milwaukee and New Orleans.

About Ed Kranepool: Bronx-born Kranepool, an original Met in the 1962 season, was a major contributor in the Gil Hodges platoon at first base and spot-duty in the outfield on the memorable 1969 World Series Champion Mets. The James Monroe High School product signed with the Mets straight out of high school, and spent his entire 18-year career in blue and orange. Krane’s resume includes 1,418 hits, 118 home runs, an All-Star appearance in 1965, and a pair of .300 seasons. Later in his career, he became a pinch-hitter deluxe, and batting .486 (17-for-35) in the role in 1974 is still the major league single-season pinch hit batting average record. Enshrined in the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990, Kranepool works with the Diabetes Association and promotes organ donations. His well-documented search for a kidney donor was complete with a successful kidney transplant. 

About Art Shamsky: Shamsky was an integral member of the beloved 1969 World Series Champion Amazin’ Mets. The lefty slugger was part of Gil Hodges’ potent right field platoon with Ron Swoboda. The native of St. Louis, MO, began his career with the Cincinnati Reds, but has remained a New Yorker for the five decades since winning the world championship. Sham hit .300 with 14 home runs (both second on the team), and batted .538 in the post-season while hitting cleanup. He started all three games of the NLCS, where he batted .538 batting cleanup, leading all hitters in the series. Shamsky is the author of two books, the recently published After the Miracle: The Lasting Brotherhood of the '69 Mets, and The Magnificent Seasons: How the Jets, Mets, and Knicks Made Sports History and Uplifted a City and the Country, with Barry Zeman (Thomas Dunne Books). 

About Bobby Valentine: Currently the Director of Athletics at Sacred Heart University, Valentine played 10 years in the major leagues and served as manager for 16 years, including seven with the Mets, leading them to the 2000 National League pennant and 536 victories. 

About Jim Leyritz: In addition to hitting one of the most dramatic home runs in New York Yankees history in the 1996 World Series--and several other postseason heroics, for which he earned three World Series rings, Leyritz hit 90 career regular season blasts in 11 years, nine with the Yankees.

About Roy White: Among the short list of greatest left fielders in Yankees history, White was a key contributor to the 1977 and 1978 champions, capping a solid 15-year major league career, all in the Bronx. White blasted 160 home runs and stole 233 bases in Pinstripes.