CPBL general secretary Wayne Lee has worked his way to the top of the baseball tree through a combination of hard work and being in the right place at the right time.
Born in Puli, Nantou County, Lee was a good student and studied at Changhua Normal University, before doing his military service. He then taught at Kai Ming Business and Industrial junior college for more than six years before working at China Economy News Agency for a year. He also briefly worked as a sales agent.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
Then he had an idea which was to propel him on his true career-path. A baseball fan since his youth and a keen softball player even now, Lee decided to try out for the yet-to-be-born professional baseball league in the late 1980s, as a public announcer.
Lee went to see Hung Tung-sheng -- the founder of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1989 -- and though he did not get the announcer's job, he did become the organizations first employee.
Lee knows the CPBL and possibly professional baseball in Taiwan better than anyone else, having been there from the beginning and ending up 14 years later as secretary general -- after working at all levels in the organization and in many of the various departments.
Today, he is in charge of the reborn Chinese Professional Baseball League.
Taipei Times: Could you say why it is was necessary for the Taiwan Major League (TML) and Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) to merge?
Lee: The merger of the two leagues will make the baseball environment in Taiwan simple again. An environment without negative campaigns and occasional chaos should make things better for everyone.
As the number of teams has been reduced we are hoping to see the level of play on the field raised due to the fact there will be more competitive games. As a result, fans will be more attracted to the stadiums to see games.
On another level, one league [rather than the previous two] confirms the authority of professional baseball in Taiwan to the international baseball community and will improve our standing.
TT: What can we look forward to in the new season?
Lee: Before the new season starts, many teams have started to target the Brother Elephants as the club to beat. As a new season begins we are anticipating a series of exciting games when the Elephants play.
With two new teams in the league it also makes for a colorful combination of rivalries that are likely to begin as soon as the first pitch is thrown.
TT. Are you at all worried about a meltdown of the league because of another gambling/gangster scandal similar to that in 1996 which led to the decline of baseball in this country?
Lee: Without any doubt the gambling and game-fixing scandal hurt baseball deeply, and many organizations have suffered a great deal because of the unpleasant situation that occurred.
The league will do whatever it takes to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again by educating the players and working closely with law enforcement.
Understanding that the fans will not give us a second chance, the league and the clubs realize the seriousness of this matter.
TT: Will the CPBL be strong enough to keep the best local players in Taiwan, or attract stars from overseas?
Lee: Every talented player has the right to pursue something better, no matter whether it is for a better playing environment or better pay -- as long as they are good enough.
The CPBL will not try to hold players back if they are talented enough to pursue their careers in Japan or even the Major League.
However, we sincerely hope that these talented players can commit themselves to the local baseball environment before heading abroad.
For this reason, the CPBL will seek the opportunity to sign with the player a contract agreement for foreign leagues.
TT: Do you expect basketball to challenge baseball as the No. 1 game in Taiwan over the next 10 years?
Lee: Baseball is the number one sport in Taiwan. We are doing our best to make the sport even more popular and are building a successful business model.
We sincerely hope that more resources and attention can be given to other sports as well. Only with the success of other sports can we see an energized society being built.
TT: Does Taiwan stand a good/fair/no chance of winning the gold medal in baseball at the Beijing Olympics in 2008?
Lee: There are still a few years before the Beijing Olympics opens. Now the main goal for us is to clinch the first two spots in the Asian Championship this coming November, as this is the qualifying round for the Athens Olympics [in 2004].
What makes baseball so interesting and charming is that it is a game full of opportunity. We believe that team Chinese Taipei will have a good shot of winning the gold medal.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS