Former MLB star slugger Manny Ramirez is eyeing a comeback in Taiwan, the first nation to start its baseball season amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have been itching to get back in the batter’s box and be able to compete again,” 47-year-old Ramirez told the Web-based Taiwan Times in an interview published on Wednesday adding that his goal was to “find a roster spot” in the CPBL.
“I also miss being around teammates and team dinners post-game,” said Ramirez, who was an All-Star 12 times during an 18-year MLB career and won the World Series twice with the Boston Red Sox.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
Ramirez’s agent, Hector Zepeda, yesterday posted a video on Twitter of Ramirez practicing in bright sunlight.
“He never lost his touch he still got it Opportunity is there for a come back for China Professional Baseball League,” Zepeda said on Twitter.
One of baseball’s most successful big hitters, Ramirez played in Taiwan briefly in 2013 after retiring from the MLB in 2011 as one of only 25 players to pass 500 home runs.
The Dominican said that game attendance almost “quadrupled overnight” with his arrival at that time.
“I know if I was given the opportunity to come in an organization as a player-coach, it would do great things for the organization and the league,” Ramirez said.
He described his experience playing for the EDA Rhinos, now known as the Fubon Guardians, as “a kid at a candy store,” saying that Taiwanese fans treated him like “baseball royalty.”
“My fondest memory of Taiwan happens to be my first home run in a Rhinos uniform,” he added.
Taiwan has bucked the global trend for scrapped sports events after starting a new baseball season this month. The four CPBL teams are playing to empty stadiums in games broadcast live locally — with one team placing robotic mannequins and cardboard cut-outs of fans dressed in home colors and caps in stands.
Some of the fixtures have also been broadcast with English commentary for international audiences — Ramirez said that he had been streaming most games.
“My routine consists of being awake by 6am, reading and educating myself more and more on the Bible, followed by nine innings of Taiwanese baseball,” he said.
Ramirez was credited for boosting attendance in Taiwan’s once-struggling baseball league, despite only playing for three months before moving on to Japan.
“Ramirez was quite a sensation when he played in Taiwan in 2013 and attracted many audiences,” a CPBL official said on condition of anonymity. “He would create fresh chatter if he comes to Taiwan again, whether as a player or coach this time.”
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
RSS