You might not realize it from the USA's roster, but many countries think the World Baseball Classic is important. One of those is Taiwan, which is expecting big things. After failing to get out of a group of death in the 2009 tournament, they enter this year's WBC ranked fifth in the world—just a spot behind 2009 runners-up South Korea. Taiwan is hosting its regional, beginning a week from Saturday, and one thing stands in its way—poolmates South Korea.(NESN)
The Chinese Professional Baseball League — the governing body of Taiwan’s baseball endeavors — apologized via email to the Korean Baseball Organization according to a report from the Yonhap News Agency. Four scouts from Taiwan posed as umpires and gained access to a South Korean scrimmage at Douliu Baseball Stadium.A Korean paper reported that...
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The scouts gained access to the umpire’s locker room by saying they were trainees. However, they aroused suspicions when they began timing the deliveries of the Korean pitchers, and were swiftly ejected from the stadium.
Once inside the umpires' room, the scouts began timing the delivery of the national team's pitchers, which drew the suspicions of KBO officials.Earth's clumsiest espionage agents. According to the paper, Taiwanese scouts also tried to sneak into the stadium previously to watch the S Korean team.
"We had our suspicions because there seemed to be too many people in the umpires' room," one KBO official said. "They kept saying they were umpire trainees. But we later learned that they were really scouts and we ejected them from the stadium (in the fourth inning)."
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Daily Links:
- BOBALIFE: music video about Boba (lit: "large breasts") pearl milk tea. English and Mandarin
- China Briefing on the Chinese Conundrum: Leave or Stay? and the growing realization that Chinese firms rip off the countries they do work for. Who could have predicted that?
- Grad student protest potential rise in university fees
- Tussle over nuclear future continues. Too bad no one is talking about getting rid of Taiwan's dirty, destructive coal plants. See also Cabinet demotes nuclear safety body
- From Brian Benedictus: interesting paper on ROC army, opium trade, and Burma.
- Defensenews: New aircraft to begin entering Taiwan's military inventories this year. Yay!
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