Executives from the EDA Rhinos baseball club yesterday engaged in a war of words with Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Wu Chih-yang (吳志揚) over a decision to put the Kaohsiung-based club up for sale, while officials and baseball analysts pointed to a number of public and private corporations as potential buyers.
Wu traveled to Kaohsiung on Friday for an urgent meeting with EDA club officials over the planned sale, saying that the matter has already had a serious impact on players, business promotions and team sponsors, as well as angering fans, some of which have called for boycotts at future EDA games.
“The CPBL is of great importance for Taiwanese baseball. We hope the EDA Rhinos can continue to operate and stay in the league with the other three clubs. We need to have all four teams working in partnership,” Wu said.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
The CPBL would be in trouble if it is left with only three teams, Wu said, adding that he would try to persuade EDA executives not to sell the club.
However, EDA executives have not budged from their decision.
Following Friday’s meeting, Wu told reporters that the Rhinos had encountered financial hardship and other difficulties regarding team management, but despite these issues, it would be better not to change the club’s ownership at this time.
EDA officials were reportedly offended by Wu’s comments and later issued a press release saying they did not want to sell the team because of financial hardship, but rather the players’ and team’s poor performance. Having lost 10 out of the past 11 games, they have fallen far short of fans’ expectations.
The statement went on to castigate Wu and the CPBL, saying: “The league should make a thorough review on the development of baseball in Taiwan, on issues and problems of clubs’ operation and management. It should not openly cast doubts on the financial details of our club.”
The statement also requested the CPBL “to help us evaluate and find the real reasons why our team had such a poor record.”
Meanwhile, baseball fans and analysts pointed to several of the nation’s leading corporations as potential buyers, including Cathay Financial Holding Co, real-estate developer Lih Pao Group, and the state-run enterprise CPC Corp, Taiwan, which has its main refinery facilities and offices in Kaohsiung.
PCG Bros Co, a sports agency company, is still interested in purchasing the Rhinos, and reportedly had previously tried to buy the team for NT$300 million (US$9.26 million), but the deal fell through.
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