In a dimly lit classroom, the Chunghsueh Elementary School (
Wang is Chunghsueh's most famous alumnus, a certified fireballer who has mesmerized the nation with his electrifying sinker, his pinpoint fastball and his 14-5 winning record, playing for one of the most storied franchises in all professional sports.
Local television broadcasts his pitching starts live -- usually early in the morning -- cable news stations show endless reruns of his most heroic moments, and newspapers describe his exploits with lavish superlatives.
PHOTO: AP
Nowhere is the adulation more intense than at Chunghsueh, a large complex of stolid-looking classrooms and expansive playing fields in Tainan City, where a life-size statue of a Taiwanese baseball player dominates the main courtyard.
Twelve-year-old pitcher Nien Wen-fang explains what it means to have Wang as a role model.
"I absolutely idolize him," he says. "I want to be just like him."
PHOTO: AP
Nien and other members of the Chunghsueh team practice five days a week, two hours a day under the watchful eye of coach Liu Yong-song (劉永松), a personable 53-year-old, who has been at the school for 20 years -- including the time in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Wang was on the squad.
"Wang donated the statue in the courtyard," Liu says. "He comes here during the offseason to give our players tips. He's a big presence in our program."
The Chunghsueh team's designated field of dreams -- the same field where Wang played a little more than 10 years ago -- is a rough patch of infield dirt and unmowed grass, notable for its lower than regulation pitcher's mound, and its invitingly short right field fence -- both pitcher's nightmares.
But according to Liu, Wang wasn't phased by them.
"From the time he was in third grade I knew he had talent," he says. "But even more important was his personality -- he was quiet, self-contained and he didn't horse around with other kids."
Still, Liu says, he had no idea that Wang was destined for stardom in the US major leagues.
"The truth is," he says, "I've coached better players."
At a spirited team practice the day before Wang's start against the Mariners, it wasn't hard to see what he was talking about.
Under a blazing summer sun, one of Liu's charges sent what looked like a sure base hit deep into the hole between third base and short, only to have 12-year-old shortstop Lee Wen-chieh move sharply to his left, backhand the ball with the grace of a Taiwanese Omar Vizquel, and nail the runner with a bullet of a throw.
"Lee's not bad," Liu conceded. "Later this year he's going to California to represent Taiwan in a big competition."
Baseball is arguably Taiwan's most popular sport, introduced under Japanese colonial rule in the 1920s. But the local league and its players have been largely supplanted by Wang, whose exploits on American diamonds have captivated the collective Taiwanese imagination.
In the Chunghsueh classroom, Liu and his team watched admiringly as Wang mowed down the hapless Mariners in one of his more impressive recent appearances.
He pitched seven strong innings before being replaced by Mike Myers, as the Yankees went on to win 9-2.
"Wang was pretty good today," Liu said. "And his motion -- it was the same pitching motion he had here at Chunghsueh. He hasn't changed a thing."
also see story:
Shun intrusive sports reporting
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
In an unlikely Ethiopian outpost of one the most French of pastimes, four men are leaning over their petanque balls, arguing over who is winning. Petanque, the bowling game also known as boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals launch metal balls at a jack while enjoying an afternoon drink, but for decades, it has also been a beloved pastime for members of a club near the iconic Meskel Square in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. It was founded in the early 20th century to cater to French railway workers, who built a line connecting Addis Ababa
Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Australian teenager Maya Joint on Tuesday eased into the Eastbourne Open quarter-finals in England as Hsieh prepares for the Wimbledon Championships next week. Four-time Wimbledon women’s doubles champion Hsieh and 19-year-old Joint fired two aces and converted five of eight break points to defeat Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Poland’s Katarzyna Piter 6-3, 6-3 in 58 minutes on the grass court. Hsieh and Joint are today to face fourth seeds Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who advanced on Monday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Quinn Gleason of the US and
BEAT THE HEAT: A brutal heat wave in the US has made cooling breaks standard. Dortmund’s coach said the weather could shape the destiny of the tournament Chelsea on Tuesday beat Esperance of Tunisia 3-0 to set up a FIFA Club World Cup last-16 tie against SL Benfica, who earlier defeated Bayern Munich 1-0, as furnace-link heat and the threat of thunder and lightning wreak havoc at the tournament. Elsewhere, minnows Auckland City claimed a memorable draw against Boca Juniors, while Los Angeles bowed out of the tournament with a stalemate against Flamengo. In Charlotte, Andreas Schjelderup scored the only goal for Benfica in their Group C clash with Bayern in front of 33,287 fans, finishing first-time from a cutback by his fellow Norwegian Fredrik Aursnes in the 13th
RSS