We are again at this time of the year, when I count down the ballgames or baseball-related activities I’ve attened during 2018. Sit tight, here we go.
10. CPBL Opening Day & Taiwan Series Game #2
It’s been a routine ritual for me to attend Opening Day since CPBL 25th season, and this year was no surprise. It was a beautiful Saturday sunny morning, I sat at second deck at first baseline looking down at the starting lineuips between Chinatrust Brothers and home team Lamigo Monkeys, life with baseball was full of joy, the Monkeys won the first game of the season by two runs. Fantastic.
Fast forward to Game #2 of Taiwan Series, the Lamigo Monkeys had clincehd both the first half and second half championships, with a win already in their bag, they won over the UniPresident Lions with a large margin in Game 1. Nevertheless, I happened to watch the Lions staged a comeback victory against the home team, Lamigo’s only defeat at home in this postseason, not fun. Same sunshine, same ballpark but different results could affect the mood fo sure. But it also reminded me that life cannot always go with your way.
9. Chat with Czech Hurler, Jan Novak
Czech National Baseball Team came to Chiayi, Taiwan this July, one year after the Universiade 2017 in Taipei. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend any of their games since I was away in a business trip to Pakistan. Well, I guess in the course of life, sometimes we could not get all that we wanted.
However, I still grab the opprtunity to lunch with the Czech starter, Johny Novak. We’ve met a couple of times on and off field, here or in Prague, but I did not recall to sit down and have a proper meal with him. Over the course of lunch, Johny shared with me his baseball experience, in minor league with the Orioles, the Czech Baseball League and his international tournament experience.
He also shared his interests in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I guess I had to thank the Taiwan BJJ Academy. That was why he decided to stay a bit longer in Taipei for me to catch up with a young friend from Czech Repulic one day after I returned from Pakitan. I don’t think I’ve ever put both Pakistan and Czech Republic in one sentence before. Here is when I could say that baseball connects every country together.
I will see you pitch in Czech in 2019, Johny. I’ll keep my word.
8. Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story
Chien Ming Wang equals my 20’s, as simple as that. I must watch this documentary, that was my first thought when I heard about direct Frank Chen’s 4-year project. Luckily, in my life, I’ve known someone who knows someone so we jumped the line and got into the Premiere without any hassles. 
Now, since I had seen Chien Ming Wang a couple of times in person so I did not feel promped to have selfie or autograph, but it is always nice to see him in person again late in his baseball career, for he used to be the baseball icon of the last decade in Taiwan.
The documentary has a moneyball-like vibe to it, except for the fact that everything this film depicted couldn’t be more realistic. This film was dedicated to his effrots and our youth. Yes, I did feel emotional and shed some tears in some scenes. I remembered when Alan Chang, baseball agent, bursted into tears and could not be interviewed for a while in front of camera when telling how Chien Ming Wang worked tiredlessly just trying to get back to the Big, just for one day. This was a documentary that all baseball fan in Taiawn should watch.
7. Wang Po-Jung’s last season with Lamigo, CPBL
It has been the biggest talk of the league that Wang would be posted to foreign teams in either NPB or MLB after this season. I tried to catch his games whenever I could, both home and away games.
On May 24th, Adam of the Oakland Athletics wanted to watch him play, so I tagged along to watch Wang and his Lamigo play against the Fubon Guardians. Wang did not play too impressively that evening but it was always a nice night out with an old baseball pal to a CPBL game. God knows when will be our next ballgame together now that I will travel to a kigndom far far away.
Of course, by now we all knew that Wang has been signed by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters on a 3-year contract. Wang will probably face the pitchers from Oakland Athletics in two warm-up games prior to the Opening Series between the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners in Tokyo next March. Who would’ve thought that there will be a matchup between one of my favorite Taiwanese baseball players and my favorite team?
6. Ichiro’s Last At-bat on American Soil
It was an ordinary Thursday noon in May, normally I would lunch with colleague in office or went out hunting for food. But not on that day, I just sat in front of my desk, opening up MLB.tv, the game between the A’s and the M’s was at the bottom of the ninth, with the A’s leading only one run. The home team decided to pinch hit Ichiro Suzuki, baseball legend from Japan, with 1 out and 2 on.
I watched the A’s closer dealing heater one after another against Ichiro, not knowning this would be his de-facto last at-bat in his baseball career, an strikeout. The M’s announced one day later that Ichiro would work in front office as the Special Assistant to the Chairman.
It is reported that Ichiro will have a grand retirement ceremony whe the M’s visit Tokyo for the Opening Series 2019. Darn, I am gonna miss a historic moment, but I won’t forget his god-like 4-4 performance in the Tokyo Opening Series back in 2012. Epic!
5. XiaoPo’s Retirement in Tainan
I am not a huge fan of Xiao Po, Liu Fu Hao. When I heard that he was gonna retire in Tainan in September, I thought it was a great idea and an excuse for me to travel to Taianan Baseball Stadium for the first time.
Traveling to and forth on a high speed train within half a day surely cost a fortune. But my brother and I were fortunate enough to witness the end of a great player’s sucessful CPBL career.
Few atheletes had the opportunity to have their own retirement ceremony (ask Chang#49). And by crossing out Tainan Baseball Stadium from my to-visit list, I’ve completed all of the pro-baseball stadiums in the western coast. Way to go!
4. Fist Time KBO Postseason Experience
In late October, I flew to Seoul, Korea. Not knowing what to do, I decided to watch a postseason game between the Hanwha Eagles and Nexen Heroes.
The ticket-buying process was way too complicated and impossible for foreingers since there aren’t any information in English for me to follow suit. When I got to the box office, I was told that all of the tickets were sold out.
Why wasn’t I surprised? Not knowing what to do, I started to ask around in English if there were other ways to get tickets. One Korean fan who could speak English told me that he just sold his extra ticket to another fan so I was merely minutes late. Then I relized that buying from ticket scalpers was my ultimate way should I really wanted to get in.
So, I applied the knowledge that I freshly learned from Harvard Business School back in August, knowing my BATNA and the scalper’s strategy. I succeeded to get a ticket cheaper than the full fare at the top of the first inning.
That night, I learned that Joker happened to be in Seoul at the same time so I went to watch the game between the Hawks and Heroes second night straight. In the end, the home team Heroes won it and advanced to the next round.
KBO is much like CPBL, the chants, the songs and the cheerleaders. Just eveything was a bit scaled up! BTW, I saw trpile play live first time in my life.
3. Australian Baseball League Postseason
This February, Cihan and I went to the south hemisphere to scuba diving. Our first stop was to Brisbane. Coincidentally, Lin Chih Sheng’s Brisbane Bandits managed to play Game #2 of the ABL Championships, they lost to theCanberra Cavalry in Game 1.
When we reached the stadium, we soon to realized all of the tickets were sold out(!!!) due to limited capacity in the tiny ballpark. Not knowning what to do, I sat down on the grass, discouragedly. Right at this moment came a tatooed Aussie, asking me if we were looking for tickets to get in. Immediately I jumped up and said yes.
The tatooed Aussie was kind enough didn’t charge us more. Little did we know that we sat at the special High Chair Seat section, right behind the dugout of Lin’s Bandits. I said to Lin, Jiayou, and he turned his head, a bit puzzled and surprised. It was fun to watch the Australian baseball with one of the elite Taiwanese baseball player in the mix, which gave me more motivation to shout and root for the home team. It was also fun to hear the Taiwanese chants down under in Brisbane.
Lin Chih Sheng hit two home runs with 3 RBIs in this game, leading the team to tie the Championship series.
The weather was also very dramatic. It was sunshine prior to the game and then in the middle of the game, the heavy thunder rain was so strong that they had to call time out for around 40 minutes. Luckily the storm came and went and the game could be resumed.
We were about to leave before the ice cream seller told me that after the game, the team would open on-field photo session with the players. Of course I would not miss this opportunity to take a selfie with Lin once again, years after our first photo in spring training in Pintung 2014.
2. U12 Team Pakistan in Lahore, New Taipei City
In July off I went to Pakistan for 2 weeks on a business trip. While I was in Lahore, I contacted Pakistan Baseball Association via their Facebook Fanpage. Few hours later, I sat down with the president of the association, Syed Fakhar Ali Shah in a cafe.
Fakhar is a passionate and talktive figure, who invited me to watch the kids train in the next days. I agreed and then I saw our national uniform worn by the Pakistani kids. What a strange feeling to be away from home but saw something familiar. Then, I was asked by Fakhar to deliever my first ever pep talk to the baseball players who would travel to New Taipei City, participating in U12 Baseball Championship later in August.
1. New York rivalry in Fenway Park
One of the reasons that I went to Harvard Businss School during August was surely to visit historic Fenway Park and to watch a Yanks-Sox matchup. Back then I did not know that I would watch a world-series champion. The Sox crushed the Yanks, sweeping the Yanks in four games.
The quality of the game, in-game activities, facilities and atmosphere are the best I’ve ever experienced. It was hard to imagine that I completed a difficult mission, watching a Lamigo’s game prior to my flight to Boston, and then getting to Fenway park to watch MLB game within 24 hours (well, technically yes).
I went to Fenway two games, one in infield and the other one sitting in outfiled, watching Rick Porcello’s 1-hitter complete game, lasting only 2 hours 15 minutes. For me, I would rather watch a longer version of the duel, but hey, I guess I cannot choose how the game would unfolds. That is the beauty of the ballgame.
The Sox fan sitting beside me in outfield has been watching the games since his childhood, he ranted about the ridiculous price soar on the green monster and he also knew Lin Tzu Wei, SS, is from Taiwan.
I guess it would be difficult for me to come back to Fenway, or watch another World Series Championship Team or watch any more baseball games anytime soon.
I am not sure if there would still be another TYIB next year in a kingdom far far away. But we shall see.
El móvil 