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Fernando Valenzuela Documentary On ESPN Oct. 26

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A few months back, at Dodger Stadium, I saw several crew members in the press box who were working on a documentary for ESPN. When I heard it was a documentary on Fernando Valenzuela, I got excited. Then, I heard it might not air until maybe 2011, and it shifted to the back of my mind.

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Well, yesterday came word from ESPN that its "30 for 30" documentary on Valenzuela, titled "Fernando Nation," is set to air on Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. PDT, the day before the World Series.

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So how was it that a pudgy 20-year-old, Mexican, left-handed pitcher from a remote village in the Sonoran desert, unable to speak a word of English, could sell out stadiums across America and become a rock star overnight?  In Fernando Nation, Mexican-born and Los Angeles-raised director Cruz Angeles traces the history of a community that was torn apart when Dodger Stadium was built in Chavez Ravine and then revitalized by one of the most captivating pitching phenoms baseball has ever seen.

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The film will actually air first on ESPN Deportes, on Oct. 24, at 6 p.m PDT. Be sure to set those DVRs, as this is two hours not to be missed.

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Image courtesy of Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images