| As an athlete (or at least having been an athlete | | | | baseball when they came to college. They don't |
| in the past) and a sports fan, one of the difficult | | | | attend the designated baseball college, so their |
| things about finding myself on an extended stay | | | | educational involvement baseball is only |
| in Shanghai, China (setting up sporting goods | | | | extra-curricular. They invited me to play with |
| manufacturing and other business contacts) is the | | | | them, and I have participated in some of their |
| near isolation from most American sports. | | | | practices and scrimmages.On a Wednesday |
| Although basketball, over the past ten or so | | | | afternoon in May I followed the directions given to |
| years, has become popular among the Chinese | | | | me to meet the team at the Shanghai Teacher's |
| people, baseball has yet to find its way into the | | | | University on Guilin Road. The field where the |
| sports culture here. While at every school or | | | | team practiced wasn't actually a baseball field. It |
| playground it's likely you'll find some kid aspiring to | | | | was a general-purpose field used mainly for |
| become the next Yao Ming, mention the term | | | | soccer and track exercises. I have quickly come |
| "baseball" to most Chinese, even ones who speak | | | | to understand that the space limitations in |
| pretty good English, and you'll likely find yourself | | | | Shanghai, similar to most parts of China, make it |
| having to search through a phrasebook to find | | | | so that facilities have to double up on their usage. |
| the Chinese phrase for baseball: "bangqiu" | | | | It was amusing to me to watch as we set up for |
| (pronounced bong chi-o).I had heard from some | | | | a scrimmage. The areas where right and center |
| of the expatriates living in Shanghai that there | | | | field should be was filled with a mix of people, |
| was some sort of baseball team playing in the | | | | including a few of our people playing those |
| city, so I did some Google searches to see | | | | positions, and soccer players who were not in the |
| whether I could find information about the team. I | | | | least interested in what we were doing, especially |
| found a few articles on the Internet about the | | | | since they were fully engaged in their own game. |
| Shanghai Eagles' spring trip to the U.S. to compete | | | | As fly balls dropped among them, some of the |
| against junior college teams. The game | | | | soccer players would pick the balls up and toss |
| summaries, published by the news people at a | | | | them back, while others would, with a |
| few of the U.S. schools against which the Eagles | | | | demonstration of irritation, kick them out of the |
| played, described a team that had decent pitching, | | | | way. Fortunately for the soccer players, none of |
| but not much hitting. As can happen with that kind | | | | them were hit.Many of the baseball players were |
| of team chemistry, the Shanghai club lost all | | | | not so lucky. A healthy fear of hard baseballs |
| seven of its exhibition games in the U.S.I didn't | | | | traveling at high speeds seems to be second |
| expect much when I went to watch the team | | | | nature for most Americans, as if we are born |
| play, but I was excited to actually see a baseball | | | | with an understanding that if a ball is fouled off |
| field again, having been in China for awhile, and I | | | | into someone's face, it's going to hurt like heck at |
| wanted to experience the baseball environment | | | | best. Although most of them didn't understand |
| here. A Chinese friend of mine hunted down | | | | what I was saying, I attempted many times to |
| information about where the Shanghai Eagles | | | | tell those watching the action to back away from |
| played and at what time, so I took my wife out | | | | the batter and catcher. During one ten-minute |
| for a Friday afternoon at the baseball field.The old | | | | interval, I saw three people get hit hard in the |
| ball game didn't have any peanuts or | | | | face or head by baseballs. Throughout the whole |
| Cracker-Jacks, or hot dogs, or drinks, or very | | | | practice there were constant near-misses as |
| many spectators. There was a mascot dressed in | | | | well.On-deck hitters kept with the Chinese custom |
| a chicken suit, and, although we had to search | | | | for preserving one's place in line by crowding |
| behind some buildings to find it, surprisingly the | | | | behind the person in front. That approach is okay |
| field looked pretty standard. There was a total of | | | | for the local McDonald's. In fact, if you don't push |
| probably fifty people in attendance when the | | | | your way up in line, you will find yourself standing |
| game began. People came and went as the game | | | | in the same place for a long time, with person |
| progressed. Something that struck me was the | | | | after person jumping in front of you. However, |
| feeling that many there were obviously hard-core | | | | when the person at the front of the line is |
| baseball fans, the kind you would expect to find | | | | swinging a bat, a different set of rules should |
| catching foul balls at a MLB park. After quickly | | | | apply.During the first practice with the college |
| being spotted as one of the only white guys in | | | | players, I was invited to pitch to the team as |
| attendance, I was approached by Dan Washburn, | | | | they scrimmaged. It soon became apparent that |
| a news consultant doing a story for Baseball | | | | there were various skill levels represented at the |
| America. During my conversation with him, he told | | | | plate. I was reminded of something I saw in Little |
| me that he met some older Chinese men at one | | | | League (where kids are usually just beginning to |
| of the games he'd attended. He mentioned that | | | | learn how to react to balls thrown towards them) |
| when he asked them what brought them out to | | | | when a particularly nervous batter accidentally |
| the event, they told him they played ball when | | | | stepped in front of the plate, opening up towards |
| they were much younger, being forced to leave | | | | the ball so that it hit him directly in the stomach. |
| the game behind when Mao Zedong did away | | | | Fortunately I was only throwing about 70 mph, so |
| with the American influence during the Cultural | | | | no major damage was done, except that the |
| Revolution. As for the group of boisterous, | | | | player was likely quickly cured of any interest he |
| college-aged enthusiasts, I was told that a group | | | | had in the new American sport. After that incident |
| of them attended the local baseball college, and | | | | the other players warned me when I was pitching |
| they were being trained to later become | | | | to someone who was new, so I could slow it |
| professionals. (In China, many children who | | | | down enough for them to take some solid cuts.In |
| express a particular athletic skill are guided down a | | | | a country where the sport hasn't really caught on |
| specialized path devoted largely to the ultimate | | | | yet, it amazes me that these players respond so |
| fulfillment of their athletic capabilities.) There were | | | | well to the difficulties of learning baseball. It is |
| some younger T-ball aged kids at the game who | | | | obvious that many of these people, girls and guys |
| were introduced to me by the uncle of one of | | | | alike, have developed a love and even a passion |
| the boys. He wanted them to practice English with | | | | for the game. Before their season started in June, |
| me and my wife, and later the two boys asked | | | | they practiced on Wednesdays and Saturdays. |
| me to play catch with them using the | | | | Most practice sessions last five hours or longer. |
| homemade-looking, well-used baseball one of the | | | | During the time I have participated with them, I |
| boys brought to the game.The area we used to | | | | have seen their skills improve, with arm strength |
| play catch was the same grass area outside the | | | | increasing and fielding and batting capabilities doing |
| stadium used by the professional teams to warm | | | | the same.So when the Olympics come to Beijing |
| up their bullpen pitchers. I used the opportunity to | | | | in 2008, what can we expect from the Chinese |
| get a feel for how well a professional pitcher in | | | | team? Will it be somewhat of an embarrassment, |
| China throws. The one I saw was probably | | | | like the Greek team's performance in 2004? Or |
| throwing in the high-70's to low 80's. I watched | | | | will the home team have a chance to compete? |
| him throw curve balls with some good movement | | | | My personal opinion is that the competition level |
| and change ups as well. His control was | | | | doesn't exist in China now for the national team |
| comparable to an average to good college | | | | to compete with the likes of Japan, Taiwan, the |
| pitcher.The particular game we watched went into | | | | U.S., or Cuba. However, if they can get enough |
| extra innings as the Eagles dropped a large lead | | | | exposure by playing outside of China, they might |
| late in the game. Being distracted by people | | | | just pull off a medal. As for the long-term outlook |
| attempting to practice English during the tenth and | | | | on baseball in China, comments made by |
| eleventh innings, it wasn't until the twelfth that I | | | | someone who has more experience with the |
| noticed a strange twist to baseball as the Chinese | | | | system, as an investor and active baseball |
| play it. Probably for the sake of ending the game | | | | supporter in China, give a pretty good take on |
| as soon as possible, they allow both teams to | | | | the subject. When I mentioned to him that I was |
| start extra innings with a runner on second base. | | | | considering opening a baseball retail store or |
| One problem I saw with this approach is that it | | | | batting cage in Shanghai, one of the founders of |
| made the game boring, as the apparent lack of | | | | the CBL told me that it wouldn't be a bad idea if I |
| confidence in hitting on the part of both teams | | | | didn't mind starving for a couple of years. A few |
| turned the extra innings into a bunt-fest. Finally | | | | years from now however, he said, a much |
| Tianjin broke open and went on to win 9-5 in 12 | | | | different scenario is likely to exist, with baseball |
| innings.During the game, I met some college | | | | possibly becoming what it is in Taiwan. |
| baseball players who had become interested in | | | | |