4ever Discovering

We all know that October ball is what every MLB team strives for each season; who is going to make the postseason and play in the World Series.  As a pretty big baseball fan myself, I know that this month is what everyone looks forward to, especially when our beloved Blue Jays have made the postseason AGAIN.

 

When I found out I was moving to Taiwan, I was pretty excited because I knew how popular baseball was in Asia.  I figured everywhere would be playing the Jays games, especially during the postseason; I thought I had nothing to worry about.  WRONG.  Silly me totally forgot about the 12 hour time difference.  We are half of a day ahead of Canada, so any game that is airing back at home is not airing at a reasonable time in Taipei.  Total bummer.  Here I was thinking I could go to a sports pub to catch the games.  The only solution is to the stream the game online and hope that my Grade 2/3s enjoy baseball as much as I do!  (I will tell them we are learning about Canadian culture).

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After feeling baseball deprived for almost three whole weeks, Emily and I decided we should catch a game in Taipei.  We were looking for something to do on a Friday night, and when we learned that you can bring in your own alcohol, we were definitely sold.

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That’s right, there is no need to pay $12 for a beer here, you are more than welcomed to go to 7-11, buy a 6 pack and walk right into the stadium.  The Rogers Centre needs to learn from the Taiwanese.  To top it all off, we paid about $20 for our tickets and were sitting second row behind first base.  I can only wonder how much a seasons pass is here!  Crazy cheap.

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The baseball itself isn’t quite professional, but you could never tell the difference by the atmosphere in the stadium.  They don’t have the theatrics like they use at home; they just use a live band and the cheering from the fans to get everyone hyped up.  I swear, the crowd was so loud I thought we were at a Yankees vs. Jays game. 

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An important note for next time is to know what team you are actually cheering for.  When Emily and I went to buy the tickets, we were asked for what team?  Great question; we had no idea.  We just said the home team, but I don’t think the translation was very good.  Low and behold, we find our way to the stadium and find help to read our ticket that is solely written in Chinese (what row was that again?).  Once we find our seats, we realize that the fans are divided in the crowds depending on what team you are cheering for.  Luckily, we were placed with the home team, the Brothers/Elephants, because it was definitely more livelier than the opposing team, the Rhinos.  Each team has their own cheer squad, cheerleaders and live band to play the trumpet and drums.  No need for a speaker system here.

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My only concern with watching a ballgame in Taiwan is the heat.  Even with a 6pm start, the weather is still 30+ degrees with humidity.  By just sitting in your seat, you are mass producing sweat and begin to slip and slide.  They even hand you fans so you can keep yourself cool throughout the game, but I would guess you need about 20 with hired help to even feel a difference.

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Overall, it was a great experience at the ballgame!  It felt great to be able to watch a live game and immerse ourselves into the lively atmosphere of Taiwanese ball.  Hopefully the Brothers play just as well as the Jays and we will be able to catch a playoff game here!  Until then, just know that I am still keeping the Toronto spirit alive over here and am watching as often as I can.  Who knows, maybe my students will become future MLB players and remember that Miss Lehman made them watch the game in English class!