October 25, 2007

2007 HOTTEST 25 PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY

José Mota
Voice of the Angels

Bilingual TV and radio broadcaster, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
AGE: 42
RESIDENCE: Glendora
FAMILY: Married, 2 children

The son of legendary pinch-hitter Manny Mota, José Mota spent much of his childhood at Dodger Stadium. The other half of his life was with his extended family in the Dominican Republic, but he knew by age 6 that he wanted to live in the U.S.

He fulfilled that dream and so much more. He recently won an Emmy for voiceover on “Before the Bigs: Vladimir Guerrero,” called his 1st national play-by-play for FOX and is the resident go-to guy for interviewing and translating for the Spanish-speaking players on the Angels.

Like his father and many other Dominicans, Mota had a passion and talent for baseball. When it came to choosing a college, he received encouragement from his dad’s boss, Tommy Lasorda, a Fullerton resident. Mota decided on Cal State Fullerton and played 2nd base for the CSUF team that won the College Wold Series while majoring in Communications. In 2001, 10 years after his Major League debut as a player, he did his first national broadcast for FOX and has been an integral part of the Angels organization ever since.

Once a year his family returns to the Dominican Republic to help with his father’s nonprofit foundation to provide food, clothing, blankets, pre-natal vitamins, etc., to families. Asked why there is such Dominican dominance in baseball, he says, “There is such passion there – it’s unbelievable; they live and die for baseball.”

—Susan Belknapp