Two major events occurred off the field involving the CPBL this week, with the announcement that Sunday games are to be carried by Chinese Television System (CTS) and the expected signing of former Major League player Freddy Garcia by the EDA Rhinos.
The failure to continue the 18-year relationship with local sports broadcaster Videoland Sports to provide live coverage of games on the local cable network led to a wave of complaints from fans and ultimately brought on the deal with CTS, which will begin airing one of the two games being played on Sunday this weekend.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, except that CTS would not be televising any games during the week, whereas before baseball fans have had the luxury of access to all of the games on cable television for more than 20 years.
“It’s a positive step forward for everyone, since more fans will be able to watch the games, like they have for a long time, but the sport has definitely taken a hit as far as its overall popularity is concerned,” a source close to the deal, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Taipei Times.
In a bid to revive interest in the league after it hit an all-time high a year ago with the signing of former Major League Most Valuable Player Manny Ramirez, the EDA Rhinos announced they would be signing a former Major League pitcher with 150-plus wins.
Even though the Rhinos could not release the identity of the player as of yesterday due to compliance reasons, the description of the player — “born outside of the US, but is currently an American citizen who has spent time with the New York Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves” — leaves little doubt that it is Freddy Garcia.
The terms of the deal were not available, but Garcia is expected to receive a contract very similar to Ramirez’s last year, which was in the NT$1.5 million (US$50,000) range with other unspecified perks, such as a free suite at the EDA Crown Plaza Hotel in Greater Kaohsiung.
The signing of Garcia should give the slumping Rhinos, who have lost five straight and were dead last in the standings with a 6-12 record as of yesterday, a much-needed boost.
Garcia could be in a Rhinos uniform as soon as next week, pending the results of a medical and the inking of a contract.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
RSS