Mitch Williams, Major League Baseball's "Wild Thing," presides over the Opening Bell.

About Mitch Williams:

After being drafted in the 7th round by the San Diego Padres out of high school in 1982, Mitch Williams played three years in the Padres Minor League system before being traded to the Texas Rangers in 1985.

After advancing to the Major Leagues in 1986, Mitch played three years with the Rangers, before being traded in 1989 to the Chicago Cubs, the same year he would find himself playing in the National League All Star game.

In 1991, Mitch was traded to The Philadelphia Phillies, where he would play until 1993, helping his team advance to the 1993 World Series with his 43 saves that year and his 2 wins and 2 saves in the six game NLCS series against the Atlanta Braves.

In 1994, Mitch was traded to the Houston Astros and retired with the Kansas City Royals in 1997.

Mitch has an impressive record of 192 career saves.

Known for his unorthodox release of the ball, Mitch is popularly remembered as the 'Wild Thing,' a nickname he acquired while playing with the Cubs, and has even described himself as pitching as though his 'hair was on fire.'

In 1993, Mitch hit a game-winning double at 4:40 in the morning during the latest ending game in Major League Baseball history. Mitch's bat was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Currently Mitch is the owner and operator of a food company called Wild Thing 99 Foods, which manufactures and distributes Mitch's own recipes to supermarkets and restaurants across the country. For more information on the company, please visit the website at www.wildthingsalsa.com.

In addition to his ownership of his company, Mitch is featured on TBS's game of the week Sunday Pre-Game shows, is the Phillies Post Game Analyst on Comcast Sportsnet's Phillies Post Game Live, serves as a weekly contributor and baseball expert on 610-WIP's Angelo Cataldi morning show in Philadelphia, and hosts his own radio show, "The Wild Pitch," on the Phillies Broadcast Station 1210-WPHT in Philadelphia.

For more information on Mitch, or to set up an interview, please call Ellen Barkann at 215-510-6608, or via e-mail at ebarkann@wildthingsalsa.com.

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© 2008, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

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