Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), who is to takeover as head of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), on Thursday said he would add a sixth team to the league.
Tsai made the remarks after he was tapped to head the organization when CPBL commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) finishes his second term next month.
Tsai’s position was confirmed on Thursday when top executives of the CPBL’s five teams met with Tsai at his office at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, later emerging with smiles after reaching an agreement for him to take the post.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
It comes with no salary, and is largely a ceremonial position. As commissioner, Tsai would be responsible for league operations, attending international meetings, planning and overseeing staff’s day-to-day work.
Tsai outlined his vision for the league, saying that finding corporate backers to start a sixth team was a top priority.
The CPBL is comprised of the Uni-President Lions, CTBC Brothers, Fubon Guardians and Rakuten Monkeys, with the Wei Chuan Dragons set to join next season.
The Dragons, started in 1989, were one of the four founding teams in the league before they disbanded in 1999.
“All five clubs and Taiwan fans are in full support of the league expanding to a sixth team, which could join in the coming years,” Tsai said. “Then the CPBL can grow more vigorously, and have different combinations for game matchups.”
However, Tsai said he knows it would not be easy.
“The CPBL in the past decade has operated with four teams, and waited a long time to welcome the Wei Chuan Dragons back. It can be difficult to find a big corporation in Taiwan willing to invest in pro baseball, as its executives must have a passion for the game, and deep pockets to sustain a team,” he said.
A Democratic Progressive Party legislator with his base in Taichung, Tsai yesterday received hopeful news from his fellow party member and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), who confirmed speculation that several Kaohsiung-based businesses were showing interest in sponsoring a team to enter the league in the next few years.
“We have a large manufacturing base in Kaohsiung, with large companies for financial support, and can look for other businesses to participate in a team’s launch with sponsorship. We will take it one step at a time, but the talk of getting back to pro baseball has been a hot discussion in our city for some time,” Chen said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS