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From Taiwan to the World Series

"In Taiwan, that's a sign that you're in the Mafia [having a tattoo]. ... They were like, `You're Mafia.' I'm like, `No, man.' Finally, I was like, `All right, if that's what you want to think'"

Ben Weber

Ben Weber made the decision not to manipulate spines and now he is pitching in the World Series with the Anaheim Angels.

It was in the fall of 1996 when Weber was weighing his career decision. He had spent six years toiling away in the minor leagues with no prospects of making it to the big leagues -- or earning a decent paycheck.

"My wife was the one supporting us," he said. "Ben WeberShe was a waitress, I knew we couldn't live like that forever."

His choices were to enroll in chiropractor school or give the game a final shot and join the new Taiwan Major League, which was offering relatively good salaries at about US$4,000 per month.

He picked the TML and wound up as an original member of the Taipei Gida.

He stayed the 1997 to 1998 seasons, putting up a respectable record of 19 wins and 12 saves in the two seasons. Decent, but not great.

But it was good enough to get him a ticket back home.

Gida manager Tim Ireland landed Weber a spot back in the minors with the San Francisco Giants. Weber made it up to the majors in 2000 with the Giants, joining a select fraternity of foreign players who have clawed their way to the Major Leagues after playing in Taiwan.

Weber blossomed last year after the Angels claimed him off waivers. He followed up a fine 6-2 season last year by turning into a key component in Anaheim's bullpen this season. He went 7-2 with seven saves with his 2.54 ERA being the eighth-best among relief pitchers in the American League.

In the process of perfecting his game, Weber has become a bit of a media draw on the mound. His jerky, double-pump spastic delivery, and snarl earned him the name of "El Loco."

"I hate to say it and I'm not bragging, but when I come in to pitch, people kind of stop and look at what I'm doing," he said.

"Honestly, they were scared of me," said Weber. "Then they see me pitching and they would never talk to me because they thought I would snap their heads off."

He never really did fit in, in part because of a scorpion tattoo on his left biceps. "In Taiwan, that's a sign that you're in the Mafia," he said. "They were like, `You're Mafia.' I'm like, `No, man.' Finally, I was like, `All right, if that's what you want to think.'"

More recently, he said, "I'm the worst kind of nobody: I'm a nobody with nothing to lose," he said this week while preparing for the World Series.

"But I never gave up, just like this team. Now I have this. It's more than a dream."
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