06-26-2008

Printable Version

The “Tecate Premios Deportes” nominees were selected by a distinguished panel of current and former professional athletes and sports writers, including famed boxer Oscar de la Hoya; legendary Mexican soccer goalie Jorge Campos; retired NFL player Tony Casillas; NFL Hall of Fame recipient Anthony Muñoz; former Mexican soccer coach Jesus Bracamontes; and Enrique Borja, legendary Mexican forward and team president of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) Tigres.

The judging criteria for the awards included the athletes’ statistical excellence, participation in a televised professional sport in the United States during 2007, cumulative impact on their team and in the sport, and their reputation as a role model for the Hispanic community.

“The Academy went through an arduous selection process to identify the nominees. We wanted to ensure this event recognized athletes based on their merit and not popularity,” said Oscar de la Hoya, executive member of the “Tecate Premios Deportes” Academy. “We are confident the list encompasses the best Hispanic athletes and look forward to honoring our colleagues at the event airing nationwide on July 20th on Univision.”

Sports fans have voted for four of these awards at Univision.com (keyword: Tecate Premios Deportes): Atleta Masculino del Año (Male Athlete of the Year), Atleta Femenina del Año (Female Athlete of the Year), Equipo All Star de Béisbol (Baseball All-Star Team) & Equipo All Star de Fútbol (Soccer All-Star Team).  In addition, a live, dedicated mini-site provides exclusive coverage of the event and video highlights of the nominees in their finest sports moments.  “Tecate Premios Deportes” is the first-ever awards event of its kind, showcasing a seamless merger of sports and entertainment that will reach countless online fans.

In an effort to bring sports aficionados even closer to their heroes, Univision and cerveza Tecate will open the doors to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and invite them to attend the show, with proceeds of ticket sales going to charity.

Nominees in each category include:

North American Soccer Player of the Year (Mexican and American Leagues)
1. Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chicago Fire
2. Omar Bravo, Club Deportivo Guadalajara
3. Guillermo Ochoa, Club América

Boxer of the Year
1. Ivan Calderón
2. Miguel Cotto
3. Juan Manuel Márquez

Baseball Hispanic Player of the Year
1. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
2. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

Basketball Hispanic Player of the Year
1. Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
2. Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
3. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs

American Football Hispanic Player of the Year
1. Luis Castillo, San Diego Chargers
2. Tony Gonzales, Kansas City Chiefs
3. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

Auto Racer of the Year
1. Juan Pablo Montoya, NASCAR
2. Helio Castroneves, IndyCar
3. Milka Duno, IndyCar

Additionally, fans were invited to nominate their favorite athletes at Univision.com in the following four categories:

Best Hispanic Female Athlete of the Year
1. Maribel Domínguez
2. Milka Duno
3. Paola Espinoza
4. Ana Guevara
5. Lorena Ochoa
6. Vivian Villarreal

Best Hispanic Male Athlete of the Year
1. Omar Bravo
2. Cuauhtémoc Blanco
3. Manu Ginobili
4. Rafael Nadal
5. Alex Rodriguez
6. Tony Romo

All-Star Soccer Team of the Year
Goal keeper:
1. Guillermo Ochoa, Club América
2. Federico Vilar, Atlante
3. Darío Sala, F.C. Dallas

Right Defense: 
1. Israel Castro, UNAM
2. Ivan Estrada, Santos
3. Gonzalo Segares, Chicago Fire

Right Center Defense:
1. Jonny Magallón, Chivas
2. Paulo Da Silva, Toluca
3. Claudio Suárez, Chivas USA

Left Center Defense:
1. Javier Muñoz Mustafa, Atlante
2. Felipe Baloy, Monterrey
3. Facundo Erpen, Colorado Rapids

Left Defense: 
1. Oscar Rojas, Club América
2. Fausto Pinto, Pachuca
3. Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USA

Defensive Midfielder:
1. Gerardo Torrado, Cruz Azul
2. Jaime Correa, Pachuca
3. Pablo Ricchetti, F.C. Dallas

Midfielder:
1. Ramón Morales, Chivas
2. Antonio Naelson Zinha, Toluca
3. Juan Carlos Toja, F.C. Dallas

Offensive Midfielder:
1. Emmanuel Ludueña, Santos
2. Gabriel Pereyra, Atlante
3. Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chicago Fire

Forward 1:
1. Esteban Solari, UNAM
2. Omar Bravo, Chivas
3. Luciano Emilio, D.C. United

Forward 2:
1. Giancarlo Maldonado, Atlante
2. Salvador Cabañas, Club América
3. Juan Pablo Angel, New York Red Bull

Forward 3:
1. Vicente Sánchez, Toluca
2. Juan Carlos Cacho, Pachuca
3. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew

All-Star Baseball Team of the Year
Relievers:
1. Rafael Betancourt, Cleveland Indians
2. JC Romero, Philadelphia Phillies
3. Manny Corpas, Colorado Rockies

Managers:
1. Ozzie Guillén, Chicago White Sox
2. Fredi González, Florida Marlins,
3. Manny Acta, Washington Nationals

Closers:
1. Francisco Rodríguez, Los Angeles Angels
2. Jose Valverde, Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee Brewers 

Pitchers:
1. Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians
2. Johan Santana, New York Mets
3. Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs

Catchers:
1. Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians
2. Ivan Rodríguez, Detroit Tigers
3. Jorge Posada, New York Yankees

Designated Hitters:
1. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
2. Jose Vidro, Seattle Mariners
3. Sammy Sosa, Texas Rangers

First base:
1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays
3. Adrian González, San Diego Padres

Second base:
1. Placido Polanco, Detroit Tigers
2. Freddy Sánchez, Pittsburgh Pirates
3. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

Third base:
1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
2. Alex Rodríguez, New York Yankees
3. Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox

Shortstop:
1. Hanley Ramírez, Florida Marlins
2. Jose Reyes, New York Mets
3. Orlando Cabrera, Chicago White Sox

Outfielders:
1. Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles Angels
2. Alexis Rios, Toronto Blue Jays
3. Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs
4. Raul Ibañez, Seattle Mariners
5. Carlos Beltran, New York Mets
6. Maglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers
7. Manny Ramírez, Boston Red Sox
8. Bobby Abreu, New York Yankees
9. Carlos Lee, Houston Astros

About Univision Communications Inc.

Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States.  Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 97% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 85% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 63 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 70 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S. located at http://www.univision.com Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.

For more information, please visit www.univision.net.

About FEMSA/Heineken USA

In 2004, Heineken USA and FEMSA Cerveza reached an agreement that made Heineken USA the sole and exclusive importer, marketer and seller of FEMSA’s beer brands in the United States. Under the terms of the agreement, Heineken USA assumed responsibility for the marketing, sales and distribution of the beer brands Dos Equis, Tecate, Sol, Carta Blanca, Bohemia and the new Tecate Light, across the United States. In April 2007, an extended ten-year agreement was finalized between Heineken USA and FEMSA, which became effective January 1, 2008.

Headquartered in White Plains, New York, Heineken USA Inc., the nation’s premiere beer importer is a subsidiary of Heineken International B.V. (Netherlands), which is the world’s most international brewer. Besides the FEMSA portfolio, Heineken USA imports Heineken Lager, the world’s most international beer brand; Heineken Premium Light; Heineken Dark Lager; Amstel Light, a leading imported light beer brand; and Buckler non-alcoholic brew. Please visit www.EnjoyHeinekenResponsibly.com.

Founded in 1890, FEMSA is the largest integrated beverage company in Latin America with a portfolio of leading beer and soft drink brands. Its subsidiary FEMSA Cerveza is one of the leading brewers in Mexico with brands that include Tecate, Dos Equis and Sol. Its subsidiary Coca-Cola FEMSA is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in Latin America and the second largest in the world. FEMSA sells its products through approximately two million points of sale, which serve a population of over 170 million people in nine countries, including some of the most populous metropolitan areas in Latin America, such as Mexico City, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. FEMSA’s manufacturing and distribution capabilities are enhanced by its retail and packaging operations; it operates Oxxo, the largest convenience store chain in Mexico, with over 3,000 stores as of June 2004. For more information on FEMSA, go to www.femsa.com.