Taiwanese Posing as Scouts to Spy on....Korean Baseball team

Haha. Winning is everything... From Deadspin:

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.

....

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.

A Korean paper reported that...

Once inside the umpires' room, the scouts began timing the delivery of the national team's pitchers, which drew the suspicions of KBO officials.

"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)."

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.
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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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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums! Delenda est, baby.

Paper on Parade: Taiwan: Baseball, Colonialism, and Nationalism

Baseball in Taiwan is growing in international stature. Several of the major league teams have scouts here, and Taiwan is now regularly sending players to the major leagues. If you haven't been to a local baseball game, you're missing an important part of Taiwan culture.

But where did it all come from? Andrew Morris' excellent book chapter, Taiwan: Baseball, Colonialism, and Nationalism, provides an engaging discussion of the history of baseball in Taiwan, and its connection to the various nationalisms and colonialisms that have shaped the history of Taiwan...

President Chen’s attention to the game marks only the latest chapter in the history of Taiwanese baseball, a game that has become much more than just a sport. It is a colonial legacy that was planted and sunk deep roots during the fifty-year Japanese occupation of the island from 1895 to 1945. The professional version of the game in Taiwan is a reminder of the profound influence of transnational capitalism on Taiwan.

Taiwan’s complicated history has given rise Taiwan’s complicated history has given rise to the need to present and understand Taiwan as part of the world community in its own right, not as part of the People’s Republic of China (prc). Much of contemporary Taiwanese culture, thus, emphasizes both the global and the local, and the blending of the two. Professional baseball in Taiwan is a perfect example of this self-conscious, ideological combination of the cosmopolitan and the provincial, the international and the Taiwanese. The history of professional baseball in Taiwan, in many ways, is nothing more or less than the history of the effort to create a “baseball culture” that could speak to both of these striking and complementary aspects of Taiwanese life.

Baseball began, of course, in the Japanese colonial era. The game was already established in Japan by the 1890s, and was imported to Taiwan as early as 1897. By 1915 there were 15 all-Japanese teams on the island. In the early 1910s, however, locals were already being encouraged to participate. In the 1925 a team composed entirely of Amis went to Japan and gained great fame, winning 4 of 9 games against Japanese school teams. Then came the Chiayi years....

The most famous of all Taiwanese baseball traditions was that born at the Jiayi Agriculture and Forestry Institute (abbreviated Kanô) in the late 1920s. Under the guidance of Manager Kondô Hyôtarô, a former standout player who had toured the United States with his high school team, Kanô dominated Taiwan baseball in the decade before the Pacific War. What made the Kanô team special was its tri-ethnic composition; in 1931 its starting nine was made up of two Han Taiwanese, four Taiwan aborigines, and three Japanese players. Kanô won the Taiwan championship, earning the right to play in the hallowed Ko¯shien High School Baseball Tournament, held near Osaka, five times between 1931 and 193 . The best of these, the 1931 squad, was the first team ever to qualify for Ko¯shien with Taiwanese (aborigine or Han) players on its roster. Kanô placed second in the twenty-three-team tournament that year, their skills and intensity winning the hearts of the Japanese public, and remaining a popular nostalgic symbol even today in Japan. This team of Han, Aboriginal, and Japanese players “proved” to nationally minded Japanese the colonial myth of “assimilation” (dôka)—that both Han and aborigine Taiwanese were willing and able to take part alongside Japanese in the cultural rituals of the Japanese state. Of course, the irony is that the six Taiwanese players on the starting roster probably also saw their victories as a statement of Taiwanese (Han or aborigine) will and skill that could no longer be dismissed by the Japanese colonizing power.

...there's so much to this wonderful paper -- from details like the death of the founder of the Amis team in 1947 in 2-28, to the broad sweep of history: the incorporation of baseball into the service of the KMT state, and later, into the service of US Cold War transnational capitalism.

My favorite part is his discussion of how Taiwan's little league teams in the US became a battleground for pro-Taiwan and pro-China groups:

....In 1969 frenzied Taiwanese fans shouted upon the Golden Dragons’ victory, “The players are all Taiwanese! Taiwan has stood up!” Taiwanese supporters soon raised the stakes in this implicit protest against the Guomindang government. In 1971, as the Tainan Giants swept to a world championship, Taiwanese independence activists at Williamsport hired an airplane to fly over the stadium towing a bilingual banner reading, “Long Live Taiwan Independence, Go Go Taiwan.” The Taiwan teams’ games attracted fans from all points of the political spectrum, so each Taiwan independence flag or banner was matched by pro-Nationalist fans waving flags and cheering for the “Chinese” team. The pro-state fans had an advantage, however, in the dozens of New York Chinatown thugs hired by the Guomindang to identify and rough up Taiwan independence activists at the games. The 1971 championship game was interrupted when a dozen of these toughs ran across the field to rip down a banner reading in English and Chinese, “Team of Taiwan, Go Taiwan.”

In 1972, when the Taibei Braves challenged for the world title, the Guomindang was better prepared, renting every single commercial aircraft for miles around to keep the Taiwan independence crowd from repeating their coup. Some seventy to eighty roc military cadets training in the United States were also recruited to Williamsport to, as they shouted while beating Taiwanese male and female supporters with wooden clubs, “Kill the traitors!”...

Explore this one yourself, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Taiwanese Crushed by Terrible Numbers out of the US

Housing starts? Unemployment? Nope, Taiwanese are deeply anxious about Wang Chien-ming's abysmal 34.50 era. Yes, Wang blew his third straight game:

That's the major question lingering in the minds of the vast number of baseball fans about the third defeat of the Taiwan-born ace pitcher of the New York Yankees.

The Yankees starter swallowed his third defeat of the newly opened season after Cleveland Indians scored a 22-4 victory over New York, including 14 runs in the second inning, before more than 45,000 baseball fans Saturday.

Wang gave up 8 runs in the second after striking out three in the first inning. ESPN had a piece on his struggles this week:

The Yankees have been working with Wang on bringing his sinkerball down in the strike zone ever since he lasted a season-high 3 2/3 innings in his first start against Baltimore on April 8. He gave up seven runs in that start and eight in each of his next two outings.

Girardi said Wang's sinker was moving better against the Indians than it had in his first two starts, but batters were fouling those pitches off.

Girardi believes Wang, who was 5-0 in April last year, deserves more leeway than an inexperienced pitcher, but he said the Yankees will have to make a decision about what to do with him soon. He said he hasn't spoken with Wang about it yet.

"It's just difficult to go through, and you got to fight your way out," Girardi said. "We really feel he is capable of doing that. We've got to help him."

Wang's next turn in the rotation is scheduled for Boston on Friday, and his preference is to make the start and work on his motion during regular side sessions.

"I can pitch in that game. I want to pitch," Wang said.

With that ugly ERA, Wang is in danger of being relegated to the minors. And if that happens, what happens to the millions in ad fees he is getting?

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[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Rough Diamonds

My man Jackson over at East Windup Chronicle has a short blurb on the signing of local lefthanded pitcher Ni Fu-te by the Detroit Tigers:

After what is probably the most ado ever about a fringy left-handed relief specialist, Ni Fu-Te has declined his option to join the CPBL’s Brother Elephants and will sign with the Detroit Tigers (translation tool required). Ni becomes the first CPBL player ever to sign with an MLB team.

Details are as yet undisclosed, and will be announced next week in a press conference in Taiwan. According to Yahoo!, the deal consists of a 150,000 signing bonus, 60,000 yearly salary, and a AAA start (translation tool required). The signing ends weeks of speculation as to whether or not Ni would remain in Taiwan or try his hand overseas.

Taiwan baseball is riding through (yet another) rough patch in the wake of (yet another) game fixing scandal, practically an annual rite in Taiwan's baseball league. This time two teams collapsed, leaving just four in the league. The scandal, which caught one of the owners, dmedia, even forced them to sell off their basketball team.

A few weeks ago in a commentary in the Taipei Times Jackson describes some of the problems Taiwan's teams, and Asia's teams, are facing, and suggests a pan-Asian MLB to counter the threat from America:

The last couple of months of baseball in Asia provided followers with a glimpse of the problems confronting the professional game in the Pacific Rim, as well as the possibilities and benefits that would arise from the creation of a pan-Asian major league consisting of pro teams from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China. Last month’s Konami Cup — a competitive but ultimately meaningless annual exhibition series featuring champion teams from Japan’s NPB, Korea’s KBO, China’s CBL and Taiwan’s CPBL — showcased Asia’s best pro clubs and highlighted the movement toward international play. But the tourney was played to mostly empty seats, save for a handful of scouts, friends and families of players and a few die-hard fans in the Tokyodome.

Here in Taiwan, this year’s gambling and match-fixing scandal has caused two of the CPBL’s teams to fold, leaving the league on the verge of collapse with just four teams remaining. Meanwhile, Taiwanese fans who will stay awake until 3am or travel halfway across the world just to watch Wang Chien-ming (王建民) pitch a single game can’t be bothered to travel a few hundred meters (or even change the channel) to watch CPBL games.

In Japan, a select few pro teams remain profitable, but most are struggling to stay afloat as fans and baseball brass lament declining interest and an increasing defection of top talent to Major League Baseball (MLB).

At the same time, MLB teams are continuing to comb Asia’s professional leagues and amateur ranks for talent, in some cases signing “agreements” with Asian pro teams that treat them more or less as vassal appendages to the big league clubs. Recently there has been talk of adding an MLB franchise or even an entire division in Asia. But this doesn’t solve the problem for fans of local professional teams and leagues in Asia who want to see quality, homegrown pro baseball.

Read the whole thing; the discussion is excellent. With its low salaries and low level of public enthusiasm, Taiwan baseball could benefit from entering an international framework that could help it upgrade its professional skills and keep the circling gangsters at bay.

UPDATE: this was passed around the ESL job lists a couple of days later:

The Detroit Tigers professional baseball organization is seeking a person who is bilingual in Mandarin/English to act as a companion/translator/English teacher for a male Taiwanese professional baseball player. The ideal candidate is male, fluent in both Mandarin and English, interested in baseball/sports, energetic and able and willing to work flexible hours. For more information call: Sharon Lockwood, 863-413-4101 or send cover letter and resume to:
Sharon.lockwood@detroittigers.com.

[Taiwan]

Take me out to the ballgame: Int'l baseball in Taichung

Took Friday evening off from politics, which are now exceedingly depressing, and visited the beautiful new Intercontinental Stadium (BAD: not international because Taiwan is not a country; GOOD: we've been promoted to continent) in Taichung to watch the La New Bears of Kaohsiung play the Giants from Japan. My son and I met up with my friend Karl there. Immediately we adopted the Taiwan side as our own, since we couldn't pronounce any of the Japanese names, especially after a couple of beers.

The new stadium is clean and beautiful.

Buddhist monks? No, a local baseball team watches in uniform.

Fans mob the Giant dugout.

Before the game, cheerbabes provided eye candy entertainment.

The La New team is introduced.

The first batter.

Ready to steal second.

Fans are psyched. The atmosphere, low key and friendly, was very enjoyable.

Cheerbabes lead the crowd.

Cheerbabes hard at work.

Fried stuff, to go with your....

....Blue Girl beer. MILESTONE: Near as I can tell, this image was the 10,000th photo I have posted to my FLICKR account.

Outside the fence fans attempted to watch the game for free.

Great luck! I caught the game's key play -- with men on second and third, the batter hits a deep single to center to bring in two runs, and gets to second when the throw back from center field is screwed up. We take a 6-1 lead.

The cameraman captures the action.

Cheer babes taking break.

Tense action in the 8th, as the Giants score another run to shave our lead to 6-2.

Bottom of the 9th: is the bottom going to fall out of our game? Our reliever is put in and promptly loads the bases: walk, beans a batter, single. The tying run is at bat! New pitcher comes in: bases loaded, no outs. Amazingly, they shut down the Giants, allowing only a single run, to pull out a 6-3 win. Huzzah!

Baseball in Taiwan is good clean fun, and a huge bargain at $220 for infield seating. If you haven't enjoyed a baseball game here yet, put it on your calendar. There are more games this weekend in Kaohsiung (not Taichung!) on Saturday.

[Taiwan]

World turned upside down: Taiwan baseball team loses to China

A bitter pill for Taiwan indeed....as Reuters reports:

China, playing in their first Olympic baseball competition, upstaged Taiwan 8-7 on Friday in a game that went into extra innings and stopped work in Taipei as incredulous fans watched events unfold on television.

The game was so important that Taiwan's baseball chief had offered to resign if his team, officially named "Chinese Taipei" because of political sensitivities with China, lost. Other heads could roll as well, he said ahead of the Olympics.

"It's just like in history," said Mao Ai-fen, a government employee in the northern Taiwan port city of Keelung. "Last night we lost to (former coloniser) Japan, and today we lost to the Communist bandits. This is totally outside expectations."

Added a man surnamed Huang, 50, as he watched the action on television in downtown Taipei: "They should all go jump in the sea. This is the end for the Taiwan team."

Baseball represents one of Taiwan's few medal hopes at the Games. China had only qualified by virtue of hosting the Olympics.

Brutal, just brutal.

[Taiwan]

New UN logo, Baseball victory

As we wait for typhoon Sepat to make landfall today, I thought I post Taiwan's new UN logo. It's obviously aimed at domestic consumption, for the image of a world gripped by a baseball pitcher is supposed to call to mind local hero Wang Chien-ming, now a pitcher for the New York Yankees (as my friend Kevin F. pointed out the other night, everyone hates the Yankees in the US).

Meanwhile, speaking of baseball at the international level, some of you may recall the flap last week that united politicians from both the Green and Blue sides of the fence to condemn Venezuela for refusing to issue visas to Taiwan's youth baseball players scheduled to play in an international tournament there. Taiwan complained, and instead of bland rejection, the International Baseball Federation canceled the tournament. The Taipei Times reports:

The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) yesterday officially issued letters to member nations canceling the World Youth Baseball Championship that had been scheduled to begin in Venezuela tomorrow.

The IBAF move comes after Venezuelan authorities refused to issue visas to members of Taiwan's youth baseball teams.

Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CPBA) secretary-general Lin Tsung-cheng (林宗成) said yesterday afternoon that the Venezuelan decision had seriously violated the principles of the International Olympic Committee as well as IBAF regulations.

The CPBA had lodged a complaint with the IBAF after Venezuela refused to issue visas to the Taiwanese players.

Lin said that the IBAF issued official notices to all its member nations as well as to its executive committee and staff at 9pm yesterday Taiwan time, calling off the 2007 World Youth Baseball Championship.

The IBAF also ordered staff members to return to their respective countries as soon as possible upon receiving the notice. Issues regarding punishment will be discussed during an executive committee meeting scheduled for Saturday in Frankfurt, Germany.

Lin said that after the association had received the notice, CPBA chairman Huang Wen-chung (黃文忠) immediately replied to the IBAF, expressing gratitude for its impartiality and stating that there would not be any problems regarding the issuing of visas for the upcoming Baseball World Cup and Asian Baseball Championship to be held in Taiwan in November.

It's sad that all those kids lost their chance to play, but I'm glad that someone international acted on our behalf.

[Taiwan]