Well, that’s not technically true, I enjoy baseball back home, but it’s far from my favorite sport. Mostly, I watch Mariners games with Grandma, but I’m not a follower.
But, after going to a short Taiwanese professional game this past weekend, baseball has become my new temporary favorite sport.
Bears up to bat
I think, partly, this has to do with the lower quality of play than the major leagues back home. Everything’s such a wild card! When there are more errors and mistakes I think the game is more enjoyable for me to watch. You never know what’s gonna happen next. The Kaohsiung team is the La New Bears, La New is the shoe brand that is their major sponsor, and their caps look like a bull skull, but it’s a pair of shoes, with horns. The team they were playing is the most popular team in Taiwan, the Taipei Brothers Elephants.
Drum line
Sadly, the game got rained out halfway through the second inning, you know, typhoon season and all. But the short time I was there it was wholly enjoyable. The stadium was split into pretty even fan bases, decked out with their green clappers/horns, for the Bears, or yellow for the Elephants.
Hit!
There is a drum line above each dugout. When that team is batting, the drummers lead audience wide cheers, encouraging their boys to victory, while the whole audience simultaneously claps their cones, or waves them towards the field. I’m all about cheering and shouting in general.
Umbrellas up
It was an enjoyable time for the short while it lasted, and I look forward to heading back out to the field for our make-up game!