TAIWAN – Disgruntled baseball fans in Taiwan vented their anger towards the government, local baseball organizations, and even Taiwanese baseball players competing for U.S. professional teams a day after their national team was sent packing from the second World Baseball Classic by China.

An inexperienced Taiwan squad was outscored 13-1 in losses to South Korea (9-0) and China (4-1) in the double-elimination tournament.

Disappointed fans were up in arms on both television and the internet on Sunday about the decline of the sport on the small baseball-crazed island. Taiwan has enjoyed success on the world stage claiming silver medals at the Baseball World Cup, while also winning numerous international youth tournaments.

The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as well as the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), were admonished by fans for allowing the sport to deteriorate and lose its place amongst world baseball powers.

A former chief of the Cabinet-level National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, KMT Legislator Chao Li-yun, believes that the Cabinet is responsible for the national embarrassment caused by losing twice to China in their last to confrontations. China was a baseball lightweight in Asia until last summer when the Chinese upset Taiwan at the Beijing Olympic Games.

Cabinet spokesperson Su Jun-pin, who also is head of the Government Information Office (GIO), stressed that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan and his government were keen on regaining Taiwan’s place among the baseball elite nations. The ruling party has promised to provide incentives for corporations, military units and local-level administrations to allocate more resources into baseball games and for continuing support for outstanding Little Leaguers.

The incumbent chief of the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Dai Hsia-ling, added that large corporations, city and county governments, as well as schools will be encouraged to establish moe baseball teams which would create a wider pool of talent on the island. Dai also believes that the baseball association and the CPBL need to develop a better working relationship.

Top CPBL stars Pan Hui-lun, Lin Zi-shen and Chen Chin-feng did not make the trip to Japan for the World Baseball Classic because their employers – the Sinon Bulls and La New Bears – refused to allow their players to compete for the national team. Still, Taiwan skipper Yeh Chih-shian apologized to the fans when the team returned home Sunday night.

Yeh blamed himself for not having the confidence of certain CPBL managers who did not loan their top playes, and for not motivating his inexperienced players to compete better against the Koreans and Chinese.

Taiwan’s national team will get a chance to uplift their avid supporters in September at the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup in Europe. The Taiwanese are pitted in the same group with Australia, Mexico and the host Czech Republic in the opening round of the tournament.

Tags: Taiwan