Prologue: Reflections

In looking back on this great experience, I'd first like to thank some people that made it possible. Most importantly, Dick Runchey, who selected me for this tournament. Dick has done more to help umpires through his work with the ABUA and internationally with the IBAF than most people will ever fully realize. The process of trying to get the best umpiring for these tournaments, while working within the limits of the truly political international governing body, is extremely difficult. As officials, we often talk of politics. In this instance, Dick is dealing with people who actually think an umpire would cheat for his country if placed on a game involving them. He is dealing with those who think that an umpire on a game might be influenced by the actual politics between that umpire's country and the government of a team on the field. These people don't understand how umpires think, and Dick faces daily challenges in trying to break through these stereotypes. Many thanks, Runch, for all you do.

I would also like to thank Vicki, Hannah and Olivia for allowing me to take such an extended trip away from them. They are always supportive, and I could not have come on such a trip without their blessing. Having them to return home to makes everything worthwhile.

I would also like to thank Rich Fetchiet and Dave Yeast. These two guys have been shaping the face of amateur baseball officiating for years, both in the United States and internationally. Rich and Dave have given me opportunities in college baseball that served as a springboard to this great umpiring experience.

The people of Taiwan and the other umpires on the trip were a joy to work with. The support staff at the hotel, in the dining room, and for the tournament itself were friendly and helpful. The umpires are great people. Despite the language barrier, we WERE able to communicate and truly had a great time working with and getting to know each other. I have made friends that I hope to keep in touch with for years to come.

For those umpires who may have opportunities to work internationally, I am including a checklist of things you might find helpful:

• Take a camera and video camera if you have them. If you have a fancy SLR, don't forget to take a compact camera as well. Take the nice one when you do the tourist thing, and bring the compact one EVERYWHERE you go for snapshots. I only had my nice camera, which was a pain to lug everywhere.
• Keep a journal. It can either be an online blog like this one or a notebook you write in daily. You will want to look back on these memories down the road, and tracking your trip daily will help you do this. (Online blog services like this one, Google, are currently free.)
• Take souvenirs for people you meet. This was one where I missed the boat. Take pins, flags, and other small, inexpensive items you can give out to umpires or anyone from the country with whom you develop a relationship. Take hats, T-shirts or other mementos for people you get extremely close to.
• Travel as light as you can. You need to have room for things you are given or purchase while visiting. Go especially light on shoes and pants. Don't skimp on underwear and shirts, which you go through more quickly. Use the option of a wash-dry-fold service as opposed to taking everything you own.
• Have a plan for maintaining communication with people back home. I could have used my mobile phone while in some parts of Taiwan, but at a cost of $2.00 a minute. Instead, I used this blog, email and video-conferencing to keep in touch regularly with my family and others in the states. If you have a notebook computer, bring it and use it. The video conferencing service I used (TokBox) is currently completely free.

In closing, thanks to those who read some or all of this blog as it was written and were supportive through email while I was away. I wrote it primarily for me and my family, but I'm glad others seemed to enjoy keeping up with what was going on as well. I will leave the blog running indefinitely; feel free to share the address with anyone you think might enjoy reading it or looking at the photos.

And to those umpires who might be approached about taking such a trip: FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. It is sometimes difficult to get away from work for extended periods, particularly since Runch is currently struggling with the stipend the umpires receive. I guarantee that if you find a way to make it work, you will not be disappointed.

Day 15: The Trip Home

Well, it's Tuesday morning and I'm back at home. Monday was, as expected, a very long day. I didn't think I would be able to get all my stuff back home without paying an extra charge, but I did. I had to rearrange things in my two checked bags to get my equipment bag under the limit. I still had my backpack and the new equipment bag they gave us to deal with as carry-ons. We had some time after going through security in Taipei, so I went through and threw away a bunch of dirty socks, underwear, t-shirts and some old jeans before boarding the plane. Runch and Dits for some reason thought this was hilarious.

The trip didn't seem as challenging as on the way over. I had a good legroom seat, and after our layover in Japan, had nobody sitting next to me. Having Runch and Dits to talk to when one of us got up to stretch our legs helped, too. There also was no uncertainty of what would be facing me at the other end of the trip. I passed the time watching one of the in-flight movies, listening to an audiobook on my Ipod, and watching some TV shows on my notebook computer. I actually slept very little. This was the longest time I'd ever been away from Vicki and the girls since my daughters were born, and I was very much looking forward to seeing them upon my return. The flight back was uneventful and we actually got in an hour earlier than expected in Detroit, where Vic was waiting for me after my journey through Immigration, Baggage Claim and Customs, respectively. As much as I enjoyed my trip, it was great to get back home!

Day 14: Japan vs Netherlands

The last day of the tournament! To fit everything in, the four games started at 9:00 AM. I worked the bronze medal game between Japan and the Netherlands at second base. Our game started at 10:00 AM. Six umpires were used for all the games today, which were played at two stadiums. Nelson (Cuba) was our plate umpire, Neil was at first, Willie was at third, and Oswaldo and Carlos were down the left and right field lines, respectively. it was an entire crew of guys from the Taichung bracket together one last time. Right in the top of the first, I saw a extremely long leather tie that had come un-knotted on the little finger of the pitcher's glove. It looked like something that could be distracting to the hitters, so I asked the pitcher to cut it off or tie it up. The pitcher didn't seem to have a problem with this, but the Netherlands manager was not happy about it. He did not think this was something that needed to be addressed and let me know about it. This type of situation gives me something to evaluate. Is this something that is better left unaddressed until the offensive team complains, or was the way I handled it appropriate? There was little of consequence that happened in the game. Japan won the game going away.

Following the game, we came back to the hotel to start packing for the trip home. The championship game between the USA and Cuba was a 4:30 PM start. Everyone had to be at the stadium for the closing ceremonies in uniform. We boarded the bus at 6:00 PM and got to the game in about the 5th inning. A few of us found a Chili's near the ballpark and went over there until the 8th, watching the game on TV. The United States won the game over Cuba, only the second or third time they've won the tournament in its 37 year history.

The closing ceremonies were fairly elaborate. There were some native dancers in some kind of Indian attire that performed a dance that lasted about 10 minutes. A Taiwanese man and woman served as the two master of ceremonies. We were introduced as a group, as were the individual committee members. Awards were given out to a number of individual performers, and a complete tournament all-star team was named as well. Medals were given out to the top three teams. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, we boarded the bus for the trip back to the hotel. Many of us had a late dinner in the dining room and said good-byes to those not going out for the evening.

From there it was over to the Brass Monkey. Upon arriving, we found that the people from Stadeo TV were throwing a party at the bar to which we were invited. Runch was there, as were quite a few umpires, the Stadeo people, tournament committee people, and other support staff. Our little core group of umpires stayed until they kicked us out at 2:00 AM. There was really no reason to sleep with a 5:00 AM bus call to the airport, so we just hung out in the room and finished packing. It will be an extremely long day on Monday. 8:30 AM flight to Japan, go through security again, then our flight to Detroit at about 1:30 PM. Arrival in Detroit is scheduled for 11:30 AM on Monday. From take-off in Taipei to touchdown at DTW will be about 16 hours. I will write one more journal entry with some closing thoughts on my trip once I've arrived back in Michigan. I will also post the additional photos I took in the last few days. It has been a wonderful trip, but I am very glad to be reunited with my family after being away for over two weeks.

Day 13: Cuba vs Japan

During the day, Corrie, Neil, Fabrizio and I went to see Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world. In some regards, it does (or did) hold the record. It has all kinds of shopping on the lower floors (very upscale) and actual office space toward the very top. We traveled via the world's fastest elevator up to the the observation deck. This floor was indoors, but windows looked out over all four sides of the city. It was quite a spectacular view. There was an audio tour, in which you moved around the floor, trying to find the points of interest out the windows while they were described on the audio that you listened to via a portable telephone. I thought this might be a good time for me to practice my photography skills. Of course, I left the memory card back at the hotel. We briefly looked for a card in the 101, but were unable to find my type, and I didn't want to hold up the group for long. I did take video of the building from the outside, and from the observation deck. There was a floor where you could go outside, which we did, but the view was not as good due to the protective construction around the outside. We returned to the hotel after doing this sight-seeing.

The Cuba vs Japan game went extremely well. I felt very comfortable throughout. The Cuba pitcher was a big left-handed kid who threw in the 90's. I believe someone said he was only 19 years old. He dominated the Japan hitters most of the time. It didn't hurt that he was occasionally wild. One Japanese hitter took one right in the head and had blood coming out of his ear. Cuba got off to a 3-0 lead. A triple just inside the bag at first brought home Japan's first run. The Cuban pitcher ended up going 8 solid innings. The final score of the game was Cuba 5, Japan 3.

Apparently there was more at stake with this assignment than I was aware of. Because of the fact that there are umpires from all over the world, and because Runch is from the United States, everything he does is under the microscope. The other members of the committee must have initially not wanted me on this game, and must have been very vocal, because Runch appeared quite relieved and happy things went as well as they did. As i said, I felt real comfortable and both catchers worked with me real well. Upon our return to the hotel after the game, we had a short meeting. Runch distributed a baseball for each of us and gave us our assignments for the final day. I will be working the Japan vs Netherlands game. That game will decide third place, and should be a good one. I have been very happy with my assignments throughout the tournament. It feels good to be one of Runch's trusted guys.

Following the meeting, the usual suspects went to the Brass Monkey, which is the local watering hole the Taipei crew found. Natalia, one of the tournament volunteers, came with us. She's doing her graduate work in Spanish at the university in Taichung (just like Johnny, but she's a couple years ahead of him). The majority of the people at the bar were engrossed in the soccer game and appeared to be rooting for Italy. We did not stay out too late, as things are going to start moving fast as we get to the end of the tournament and prepare to head back home. The games start early: 9:00 AM for 7th and 8th place (Chinese Taipei vs Mexico), our game is at 10:00 AM, the Australia vs Korea game is at 1:00 PM (5th and 6th place) and then Cuba and USA are in the championship game at 4:30 PM. For some reason, we have to be at the stadium in uniform for the closing ceremonies. Gotta get to bed.

Day 12: Australia vs Japan

After having very few problems in our bracket of the tournament for the first seven games, I had my first experience with a team from the Taipei bracket today (Australia). They reminded me of why umpires are such a necessary part of baseball to begin with. Baseball players and coaches are, by the very nature of what they do, almost incapable of rational, unbiased reactions. It takes a very disciplined team to manage their emotions through the ups and downs of a baseball game without acting like spoiled children. In this part of the world, the teams seem to have figured out how to do it very well. Japan was very respectful and business-like, as usual. Australia, on the other hand, was not. Our crew today consisted of Fabrizio Chirici from Italy on the plate, myself, Hsieh Liang-Kuei from Taipei at second, and Juan Cuevas from Cuba at third. Right away, in the bottom of the first inning, Fabrizio called an Australian batter out on a check swing with a runner on second base. You'd have thought he'd just killed Crocodile Dundee. The batter, both base coaches, and several players in the dugout came completely unglued. This led to a discussion between the first base coach and I. I'm fairly certain we didn't have a meeting of the minds.

The game was close and fairly well played. I had not seen Fabrizio work the plate before and I thought he did a really nice job. Japan hit a home run to go up 1-0, and added a run late to make it 2-0. In the top of the ninth, I called a balk on the Australian pitcher for breaking his front knee before throwing to first base. While the reaction to this call did not rival that of the check swing, I did hear from the manager, second baseman, pitcher and first baseman. The balk did not end up coming in to play, but Japan did tack on another run. When the first base coach came out for the bottom of the ninth, he showed his true colors again. We have a little more flexibility to "manage" a game here then we do currently in college baseball, so I was able to express myself as to his lack of class without fearing any issues down the road. Japan quickly closed out the game and won 3-0.

Tonight was a pretty quiet night. Dits, Willie, Carlos (Mexico) and I had dinner in the dining room. The food is not as good here as it was at our hotel in Taichung. I got a phone call while in the room later that one of the Taiwan umpires wanted me to meet me in the lobby. Turns out it was one of the umpires from Taichung -- I had given him much of the umpire gear we received for working the tournament a couple of days ago. I primarily did it because I had no room for it in my luggage, and thought he or another umpire in his group could benefit from having it. He was very appreciative, and came by with a golf shirt, a necklace from his wife to Vicki, and some sort of decorative storage device for tea. We had a nice conversation through an interpreter. The local people (umpires, hotel staff, tournament administrators and just the local people) have all been so friendly and kind to us that its been unbelievable.

Around 10:30 PM, assignments were posted for tomorrow. I've got the plate for Cuba vs Japan, which will send one of the two to the championship game. The other winners from today were USA and the Netherlands. I felt very fortunate to get that assignment and am really looking forward to the game. Although it's a 6:00 PM start tomorrow, I had eaten not long before and am running a little short of money, so I decided to stay in. Some of the others went out for a bite and some cocktails. After finishing this update, I'm just going to relax and try and get a good night's sleep. We've been running pretty hard lately and I want to be sharp tomorrow.

Day 11: Travel Day to Taipei

Well, we did hit the night spots one last time in Taichung last night. We started at Frog and hung out with Queenie for awhile, then took a cab to a night club. I was in fear for my life in the taxi. The driver was apparently working on volume and got us there as quickly as possible. Because there were five of us in the cab, I didn't even have enough room to put my seat belt on. The club itself was actually quite fun. I'm too old to frequent these types of places very often, but the company was good and it was a nice change from the pub atmosphere we were used to at Frog. We were encouraged to check this place out by a girl we met the night before, and we quickly found her and some friends. There was a whole group of young Taiwanese singers and dancers. Their dancing in particular was pretty impressive. Some of the songs were ones I vaguely recognized and some were not. It was the full dance club scene with strobe lights and a pounding bass. We danced some with the people who invited us and had a great time. The usual suspects were in attendance: Willie, Corrie, Neil, Fred, Oswaldo and of course, Johnny. After leaving the club we went back to the karaoke bar one last time. I hung on until about four and headed back.

The bus for Taipei was scheduled to leave at 10:30 AM. We were dismayed to learn that we would be sharing rooms in Taipei for the remainder of the tournament, and were a little grouchy on the trip due to learning this fact and also perhaps because some of us were a little hung over and tired from the night before. We were told shortly after our scheduled departure time that we would be delayed because our Korean umpire had just gotten up and would need time to pack. Approximately an hour later, he showed up in a suit, smelling as if he had come directly from the bar to the bus. In addition to this delay, he could not find his room key to turn in to the desk. The keys they used were the old-fashioned variety, and apparently this was a big deal, because I watched as the Korean unpacked his suitcase outside the bus and dug through all of his stuff until he found the key. Upon doing so, he boarded the bus, took Corrie's seat (he had stepped out for coffee) leaned it back and slept for the entire three hour trip to Taipei. We created a strategy on the trip for keeping as many of our tribe alive as possible once we got to Taiwan and "merged" with the other tribe. I warned everyone to keep their ears open, as the umpires from the other bracket were sure to try and make alliances with us. It is our hope to keep as many of the Taichung tribe alive until the end. We have the numbers, and hope to pick off the "Taipei" members one by one once we drop our buffs and merge as one tribe.

We learned the reason for the doubling up once arriving at our new hotel. Runch told us that the final rounds of the tournament were budgeted for sending not only a number of the local umpires home, but for cutting several of the international umpires as well. Runch, to his credit, refused to agree to send the international umpires home, and to stay within the budget we were forced to share accommodations. I'm with Mark, so it's not that big a deal, other than the principle of the move. In any case, we settled in, reacquainted ourselves with the umpires from the other bracket, and had lunch. After lunch, Mark took Corrie and I for a walk to show us a few of the sites downtown. We went into a temple and wandered the streets for a while and I shot some pictures and video. We had a 7:00 PM meeting, at which time the assignments were made for Friday. I'm working the noon game between Australia and Japan and have first base. Mark has the plate on the Chinese Taipei vs Netherlands game. The other teams that made the final rounds are the United States, Cuba, Korea and Mexico. Mexico got in from our bracket as a replacement for Panama, who had to forfeit a couple of wins due to paperwork problems. After the meeting a bunch of us went out to one of the night markets in Taipei, then Dits, Corrie and I got a late dinner at TGI Friday's. It's off to bed now so as to be ready for tomorrow.

Day 10: Spain vs Japan

Today is the last day of the bracket round robin. The top four teams from each of the two brackets advance to Taipei for the remainder of the tournament. Going into today's games, the United States and Chinese Taipei have sewn up the first and second seeds and play tonight for first place in our bracket. Japan is also guaranteed a spot, and Panama, Mexico and Italy are battling it out for the last spot.

Our crew today consisted of Carlos Campechano on the plate (Mexico) and Neil, myself and one of the Taiwan umpires at first, second and third, respectively. Our game was the noon start at Taichung Stadium. We had almost no crowd and the game went very smoothly. Japan got off to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Spain took a 3-2 lead mid-game, and Japan tied it up in the bottom of the 8th. They scored again in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. No issues or problems, and we were back at the hotel by 3:30 pm.

After updating this blog, I need to start packing for Taipei. We have an off-day tomorrow as the umpires, teams and tournament officials from Taichung head up there for the weekend and the conclusion of the tournament. I'm not looking forward to having to find a place for all this gear. I think I'll have a fire sale in the lobby tomorrow morning and start giving equipment, T-shirts, etc. away in preparation for the flight home. I'll eat dinner in the hotel dining room tonight, and then probably watch the US - Chinese Taipei game on television. I think a bunch of us are going to go back to Frog's one last time, and then may go out to a disco club after that. I'm looking forward to being reunited with Dits, Runch, and Carlos Rey, who I know from my time in Puerto Rico back in the winter of 1991-92. It will also be good to spend some time with the other umpires from Taipei, who I haven't spent any time with since the opening party.

Day 9: Chinese Taipei vs Panama

I had the late game on day nine on the plate. Not much to write about prior to the game, as we stayed out fairly late again the night before and I slept in. This was my fourth game in a row with Chinese Taipei, which didn't bother me because they tend to draw better crowds, are a pretty solid team and don't say anything to the umpires. I particularly like their catchers, who don't pull or question pitches. They may hold a close two strike pitch for a second to see if they'll get it, but other than that they just catch the ball and throw it back. My partners for this game were Oswaldo (Venezuela), Fred (Netherlands) and Neil (Australia). Oswaldo actually speaks a little English, so our crew had no trouble communicating during the game.

Panama started struggling mid-game, and their catcher actually turned completely around to question one pitch. That was the end of our communication for the game. Shortly thereafter, another ball four pitch loaded the bases and the manager for Panama came out to the mound and looked like he was waiting to have a conversation on balls and strikes. I beat him to the punch when I got out there and warned him not to do it and he just asked for a new pitcher. Panama went on to commit a couple more errors in the inning, and by the time it was over the game was out of reach.

Sensing the problem between the catcher and I, the manager replaced him when his turn came up in the batting order the next half-inning. I thought this was a heads-up move on his part. The game continued without problem until the top of the ninth. Panama brought in a pitcher who kept trying to quick-pitch the hitters. I warned him to wait a couple of times. With two outs, he tried to do it again and the Chinese Taipei hitter requested time, which I granted. This upset the pitcher and he drilled the hitter in the ribs on the next pitch. End of his night. This cost us about fifteen minutes, as there was no one warming up in the bullpen when I threw the pitcher out. The manager handled this ejection well and shortly thereafter we finished the game (10-0 Chinese Taipei).

Our same core group got together once everyone was back and we went back to Frog's to see our friend Queenie and the rest of the staff there. In attendance was our guide Johnny, who we've adopted and corrupted the last few days, along with Corrie, Neil and Oswaldo. The others went back to the karaoke bar after Frog's, but I called it a night and went back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Day 8: Off Day!

Monday was an off day for all crews in Taichung and all but one in Taipei. There were no planned activities during the day, but Corrie, Willie and I set out on a shopping/picture taking/sight-seeing walk after lunch. I got some good pictures and video, but did not buy anything.

We came back to the hotel, and many of our group congregated in the lobby after dinner for our planned trip to the "Night Market." Some of the translators/guides came with us to help us navigate around. We took taxis to this area of town, which was only about a ten minute drive from the hotel. The market is an eclectic blend of food and little portable booths/shops. I would describe it as an Oriental County Fair on steroids. Think Reading or Hillsdale with smaller people (but with more teeth) and food that is even more unidentifiable than what you would find in Ranger-Land. Navigating down the alleys in which the booths are located is difficult, as scooters also use the route. I saw some food for sale here which would be extremely difficult to describe. Fortunately, I did get some good pictures and video. I stuck close with Natalie (our guide/interpreter) who speaks English very well and answered a lot of our questions about what things were as we traveled the streets. She purchased and wanted us to try something she called "Pig's Blood Cakes." I ended up passing on this delicacy. She explained that it didn't really taste like blood; more like some sort of chewy rice cakes. I told her that explanation wasn't helping. We also saw intestines, squid and other things which I was afraid to even get an explanation about. The normal smell was unpleasant but tolerable, but every so often there would be an extremely nauseating stink that would arise and stay around for a while. We were told this was coming from the tofu. I tried tofu in the hotel dining area once and will not be doing so again.

In addition to the food, there were all kinds of little shops -- selling clothes, watches, purses and many other things. At one point we saw some shop owners wheeling their goods down an alley. We were told that there was certain area that was to be kept clear, and vendors using this area were being ticketed. I took a photo of one police officer writing up some kind of ticket. I saw a $10 store, which I was told was equivalent to our Dollar Stores. Natalie told me in hushed tones that almost everything in that store was made in China, as if that explained everything. The Night Market is set right in the middle of a more normal shopping area. We were told that it was open every night until very late, and that for many people, selling food and goods here was their main form of employment. Natalie also told us that the Night Market is very near the university and a good number of students hang out there regularly.

After walking the area for about two hours, we took a taxi back to the hotel. Pretty much the same group from the night before set out for Frog's where we told stories, drank beer and margaritas and had some Mexican h'ordeurves. Queenie, who was the bartender who took such good care of us the night before, was off on Monday but came in just to spend time with us. When that bar closed, we went back to our karaoke bar from the night before, and finished off our night, albeit a little earlier than the previous one. I have the plate at Intercon on Tuesday at 6:00 pm (Chinese Taipei vs Panama). More after returning from the game.

Day 7: Chinese Taipei vs Mexico

We had a Sunday afternoon game at the nicer stadium: Chinese Taipei vs Mexico. The stadium, which I'm told seats about 20,000 was about 3/4 full. I worked third base, so I had an opportunity to really soak up the atmosphere. It was really a festive crowd. I was trying to pick out the songs they were at times chanting (I should say the melodies, as I don't think they were singing American words). In any case, at different points of the game I heard remnants of the following: Popeye the Sailor Man, She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain, When the Saints Come Marchin' In, and the theme from Hawaii 5-0. This in addition to the rhythmic beating of drums, blowing of whistles, and the pounding of thundersticks and megaphones. I had plenty of time to witness this, as we were out there for almost four hours. The first four innings went by quickly in just over an hour, and then we dropped anchor.

There were some interesting plays in the game, which Mexico won 9-5. We had a pole-bender home run (not on my line), a play where a caught stealing was erased due to the ball being a foul ball rather than a foul tip, and warnings issued because a batter took issue with being hit with a pitch. No one on the crew believed he was being intentionally thrown at, but after the benches stated emptying, Corrie (our plate umpire) appropriately put a stop to any thoughts of retaliation. Even though the spread in the game was four runs, Chinese Taipei had the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate when the game ended. In addition to Corrie and I, we had our Japanese umpire at first (Kuma) and Nelson (from Cuba) at second. Corrie did a real nice job on the plate, particularly in light of the length of the game. He handles himself very well on the field and has a very even disposition when situations arise.

Monday was an off-day for us so we went out last night (Sunday) once people were back from the late games. Neil, Fred, Corrie, Willie, Oswaldo, and one of our guides/interpreters (Johnny) all were aboard. We went to a Mexican cantina named Frog's. I hadn't had anything to drink since our party on the boat a week ago, so the Margaritas went down real well. The bartenders were great to us and we met an American guy who works for Corning and spends months at a time in Taiwan. Johnny is a real shy college kid who is majoring in Spanish, and he started to loosen up and have more and more fun as the night progressed.

When Frog's gave us the boot, we went up the street to a karaoke place, where we butchered some classics over the course of the next 2 1/2 hours. We met a girl in there who spoke some English and she even joined in on the fun with us. I think the highlight of that part of the evening was when she and Johnny sang a duet, or perhaps when Fred, who had been shying away from the microphone grabbed it and did a great rendition of the Carpenters' "Yesterday Once More." It should also be pointed out for the record that Oswaldo has a great set of pipes, but we have banned him from wearing his canary yellow shirt for the rest of the trip.

I took many photos throughout this night, which I will try and upload at some point later today. For now, I need to clean up, have some lunch, and see the sites of the city. I think Corrie is going to walk around downtown with me and we'll see what we can see.

Day 6: Spain vs Chinese Taipei

Early game today: Spain vs Chinese Taipei. The crowd wasn't nearly as big as the one last night, but they made up for their smaller size with enthusiasm. Although Spain outhit CT by double, they never seemed to seriously be in the game. Today was my first chance to work with Japanese umpire Tamiharu Kumazawa, who had the plate. I was joined on the bases by my English speaking friends Corrie (Canada) and Neil (Australia). Having a crew that actually could communicate definitely helped. We were on the same page all day and had no problems. The only issues in the game were a couple of descrepancies with the count, which we were able to get corrected. We spent our time before the game razzing Neil about Australian Rules Football and those great referees with their white coats -- remember the early days of ESPN? He, of course, likes to get on me about how everyone in the United States thinks the world revolves around them. I couldn't figure out what his point was on that one; sounds a little like p**nis envy to me.

I noticed something interesting on the way back from the game. There are scantily clad young women set up in these little trailer-like booths with glass sides. They are one right after the other on one stretch of road outside of the city. I could only guess at what they were selling inside those little shops. Then, when you get by that section, there is a very small man-made lake with all kinds of people fishing around the outside. Once you get back downtown, it is very different. Crowded and busy, you go from an area with all kinds of upscale shops to one with little side streets, ramshackle buildings and eccentric little businesses. On thing is for certain, though. You are never more than a block or two from a 7-Eleven, no matter where you go. They have some sort of fascination with Hello Kitty in this part of the world in general, and at the 7-Eleven in particular. I will have to do some research on this matter.

I came back after the game, had dinner, and settled in to watch a little bit of Dits' plate job between Cuba and Korea on TV. I had thought about staying to watch the USA vs Japan game at the same site where I just worked, but staying around another 2 1/2 hours just for the game to start seemed just a little long for me. I tried to call that one up on the internet, but for some reason it said I couldn't watch it from my location. I didn't know they had blackout restrictions even over here! Dits looked solid, as usual. Anyway, I have the early game tomorrow at third base -- Chinese Taipei, this time against Mexico. I've been downloading my favorite TV shows from the internet, since all they have here on the tube is the ball games and HBO (at least, that's all they have that I can understand). So, I think I'll watch the latest from "The Office" and "Friday Night Lights" and then hit the rack.

Day 5: Chinese Taipei vs Japan

Now, we're talkin'! Tonight's game between Chinese Taipei and Japan was the kind of experience I was hoping for when I made this trip. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Our day started with a "Come to Jesus" meeting this morning. Caesar, Runch's equivalent here in Taichung, was unhappy with some of the things that have been going on on the field. In particular, there are apparently some umpires leaving the infield in coverage and then coming back during the play. There was also the call in our game last night where the second base umpire failed to call anything on a rundown. The problem is we've got a wide range of languages to deal with: Spanish, English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. It's very difficult to communicate and make sure everyone's on the same page. In any case, it was stressed to us the importance of this tournament, particularly in light of baseball's precarious situation regarding future Olympics. We need to put the best face possible on the entire event, and I certainly can understand that.

After that meeting, I had lunch with Willie (from Puerto Rico) and Nelson (from Cuba). Then Willie and I went for a little walk. I took some pictures and some video, and we went to this computer/electronics store that would make a Best Buy employee jealous. This place had everything related to computers and any tangential things you could think of. I bought a little USB travel mouse that only cost about $9 US.

Our game was at Intercon, the nicer stadium of the two in Taichung. When we walked out on the field, it was a much different sensation from the first two games. The stadium was completely full, and it was rocking. There was an energy and level of excitement in the crowd that I rarely remember seeing at any level I've ever worked. The fans all had "thunder sticks" made of some kind of plastic, that they banged together in rhythm. The noise it created was unique to my baseball experience and at times almost deafening. Some fans also had little megaphones and kazoos. There were one or two people with whistles, whose job apparently was to give instruction on what rhythmic chant/beat to use in a particular situation. They were also yelling quite a bit, and again much of the time it seemed that they were doing it in unison. It seemed to be a very partisan Chinese Taipei crowd, but I'm guessing that Japan being the opponent was part of what accounted for the full stadium. They were quite taken with their designated hitter, saving the loudest chants for him. It was so loud that for many of my called strikes and called third strikes that I didn't even bother to use any voice. No one could have possibly heard me anyway. The game was close for much of the early going, but Chinese Taipei ended up opening it up a little and ended up winning the game 6-1. Although certainly not perfect, I felt pretty good about my balls and strikes and the way I managed the game. This brings up an interesting philosophical question: if you kick a pitch in Taichung, Taiwan at 6:00 in the morning EDT, and none of your friends or fellow umpires are there to see it, did you really kick it? (I vote no, by the way!)

We had one interesting play at first base. The batter attempted a bunt with a runner on first, and the ball blooped in the air toward first base. The first baseman short-hopped the ball just fair, and I signaled both the fair/foul and the catch/no catch. The runner on first stayed there, but when the throw went to first, it removed the force. Japan very easily could have gotten a double play if they would have thought to tag the runner before touching the bag. Our first base umpire was one of the Mexican umpires we almost gave up on a couple of days ago. He finally was able to get out of Los Angeles after his Visa problems and is now here. In any case, he made a great call on this play. Fred, from the Netherlands, was the second and base umpire, and Jeong Chang from Korea was at third. There were no issues in the game, except that Jeong kept sweeping off the pitcher's plate between innings. Apparently this is something they do regularly in this part of the world. Runch specifically mentioned this to the group in our pre-tournament meeting (stressing NOT doing it) but apparently it got lost in translation. I tried to tell Jeong that we we're not to do this between innings a couple of times, but I don't think he understood, because he did it throughout. Perhaps he has worked some American softball with Bruce Keeling and feels very strongly about this mechanic!

The game was a long one, lasting just over three hours. Thankfully, the weather was not nearly as hot as it could have been, so I didn't completely sweat through my clothes. I am pretty tired from two straight plate jobs, and have the noon game tomorrow, so I'm going to hit the sack. We've got an all English speaking crew on the bases tomorrow, which should make communication refreshingly easy. We've got Chinese Taipei again, this time vs Spain.

Day 4: Japan vs Mexico

Today reminded me of my old days in professional baseball, due to the late start time of the game. I spent a good portion of the day looking for ways to stay busy. (I didn't do a very good job of it, either. I have another night game tomorrow and am planning on going out with my camera during the day to get some good shots.) Anyway, my crew today consisted of two of the Taipei guys (Lin and Kuo -- you are not allowed to have a name with more than three letters if you umpire and live in Taiwan) along with Nelson Diaz from Cuba. We had a play with a little controversy tonight. A Japanese hitter got a base hit with multiple runners on. The throw from the outfield came in behind him at first base and a rundown ensued. The runner eventually ended up on second base. The Mexican team felt either that they had tagged him or he had run out of the baseline, I'm not quite sure which. I allowed the discussion to go on for a while, although nothing was really getting discussed because the Mexican manager and the Taiwan umpire couldn't communicate very well. I finally went out, and the manager, through one of his players who spoke English, told me he wanted to ask the first base umpire for some help. I told the player that it was too late for that to happen, as the whole reason I was out in the middle was because the discussion had lasted too long. The manager wasn't happy, but I was able to get him off the field.

Japan kind of had their way with Mexico tonight. The Mexican pitcher couldn't find the plate from the start, and the score ended up 15-3. Mercifully, they play a 10-run rule after seven, so we were able to stop after six and a half. I didn't have too many hitters snapping their heads back tonight, and the catchers seemed pretty happy. I got a little concerned when the Japanese pitcher who came in for the top of the sixth started getting really animated and kept issuing some kind of gutteral mantra on any close two strike pitch. I gave him the universal "tone it down" signal, which he seemed to understand.

This stadium was very old and not nearly as nice as the one yesterday. We actually dressed in what I guess you'd call a sky box, in full view of anyone out on the field. No shower available here and a three flight walk up to get into the room. (I think I'll be using my new SSK soft bag from now on, even on the days of plate jobs.) No crowd again tonight.

Anyway, another day down. Even though we struggled to communicate, the umpires get along fine. Everyone is extremely polite. The Taiwan umpires go out of their way to help in any way they can. I get the feeling that if we get out for cocktails here soon, it might be a long night!

Tomorrow's game is Chinese Taipei vs Japan at the nicer stadium (Intercon). I've got the plate again, and I expect this match-up might draw a decent crowd. I'm going to get some rest, as we've got an umpire meeting tomorrow morning. Then hopefully I can shoot some pictures before heading out to umpire again tomorrow night (6:00 pm start here, 5:00 am start for most of you back home).

Day 3: Spain vs Panama

The first game was postponed last night due to weather. I found this out when I went down for dinner and saw Willie Rodriguez. He was supposed to have the plate in the game. Corrie (from Canada) and I went in to dinner together, and by the time we finished, Willie and Neil (from Australia) had joined us and we had good conversation while we ate. After dinner, those guys were going to go out for a while, but I was still beat from the travel and lack of sleep. I actually was in bed and sleeping before 11:00 pm. Anyone who knows me would doubt that could happen (without alcohol being involved, of course).

Today was overcast and drizzly again, but nothing that would have much of an effect on the game. At breakfast I heard the Mexican umpires (who have been stuck in California for the past couple of days) would not be joining us due to Visa problems. That made for another re-working of the schedule. Runch has got his work cut out for him making all these changes. We left for our game at 10:00 am (noon start). The stadium was actually very nice, and the field was in good condition. Our locker room was huge, and they provided Subway meals for us prior to the game. Marta Santana (from Venezuela) had the plate. I was at first, and we had two umpires from Taiwan at second and third. The game itself was pretty uneventful. It was scoreless until the fifth or sixth, when Panama scored four runs, the last three on a home run. That was pretty much it. We worked pretty well together despite having one umpire who speaks Spanish, one who speaks English, and two that speak Mandarin. There was no crowd for this game, but I suspect we will have some pretty good crowds for some of the games that feature Taiwan, China, Japan, Cuba or the US.

I just finished watching Cuba avoid being upset in their first game with Australia on local TV. They were trailing 2-1 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and hit a home run to tie the game (Dits was at first in this game). They then won it on a home run in extra innings. Well, I think I'll clean up (no towels today at the ballpark) and go to dinner. The food in the hotel restaurant has been very good. It's buffet style, and there is a lot to choose from (some I know what it is, some I don't). We are provided meal coupons for this restaurant, and after eating over there a few times, I have no complaints.

I've got the plate in the late game tomorrow...Japan vs Mexico at 6:00 pm. it will be interesting, since I haven't called a pitch since late June. I'll have to find something to see around downtown during the day. Hopefully I can start getting some good pictures. Coming back from the stadium today on the bus I kept expecting to hear the theme from MASH or to see Hawkeye and Pierce come walking around the corner. It definitely gives you an appreciation for what we have back home.

Day 2: Tournament Begins

Weather permitting, the tournament is to begin tonight with one game in Taipei between Chinese Taipei and Italy. I am not working the game and did not make the 3 hour trip. We were told that we could go to watch the opening ceremonies, but that there would be no seat for us at the game. I opted not to make a three hour bus ride, view the ceremonies, and then ride three hours back. (Tough decision, huh?) The games are all on TV here, so I will probably get together with some of the other guys and watch the ceremony/game in a restaurant/tavern.

I have my first game tomorrow (Wednesday). I'm working first base in the game between Spain and Panama. It's a noon start here, which puts it on at about 11:00pm EDT on Tuesday night in the states. The games are all broadcast live on the internet at http://www.stadeo.tv/. Check them out if you've got insomnia some night!

I feel much better now that I've gotten a good night's sleep. I had breakfast in the hotel, then walked around the downtown area for about three hours. I don't know if I intended to go out for three hours, but I kinda got lost for awhile. I'm sure all of you are surprised to hear that. Eventually I found my way back. I did make a purchase while I was out. I neglected to take a memory card reader for my camera's card, and found one for $500 NTD (New Taiwanese Dollars) which is about $16/US money. It did feel kind of nice this morning to leave my first $100 tip after the breakfast buffet!

I'm continually amazed at all of the scooters buzzing around. It's incredible that there aren't accidents constantly. At many intersections at smaller streets, I don't even see any lights or stop signs. Taichung has an interesting mix of old and new. There are some really upscale shops, but there are also little street-side food stands. There's a 7-Eleven on almost every other corner, and I've seen BlockBuster, Baskin-Robbins, Starbucks and Subway, among other notable businesses seen back home.

In addition to Mark and Dick Runchey, the person who assigned me the tournament, there are two other long-lost friends of mine who are here. Willie Rodriguez and Carlos Rey were both umpires in Puerto Rico when I went down there in the winter of 1991-92. It's really good to see them, and Willie and I are in the same group here in Taichung, so I've gotten a chance to talk to him quite a bit. Due to the language barrier that exists, people tend to gravitate toward those who speak their language. Because of this, I've already spent a lot of time with the Canadian guys (Corrie Davis and Williams Higgins) and one of the Australian guys (Neil Poulton).

After coming back from my walk, I have been catching up on my email and working on issues with the basketball assigning I do back home. It's good to have internet access in my room. I don't know what I would do without that. I'm going to sign off and see if I can figure out how to post some pictures I took yesterday at the "boat party" and some I took on the bus on the way. After that, it's dinner, and then find the other guys and come up with a place to watch the game.

Day 1: Meetings, Etc.

Just got back to the hotel an hour ago (11:30 pm). We met in the lobby at 7:30 am (after getting all of 3 hours sleep). Half of the umpires are here in Taichung (17 of us) and half in Taipei. All the umpires from Taichung (as well as some tournament officials) took the bus into Taipei for our umpires meeting. That took about two hours (an interpreter was present to make sure everyone got all the information).

I believe there are two ballparks in each city. We will stay in our respective cities until sometime next week when the tournament is down to quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. At that point all the games will be in Taipei. About half the umpires are from Taiwan. Some of the other countries represented are the United States, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Japan, France and Mexico. In most cases, there are two from each country (one in each city).

Following our meeting, we received our equipment and uniforms, courtesy of SSK. I was pleased with the quality of everything. They outfitted us with everything: equipment bags, uniforms, plate and base shoes, chest protector, shin guards, mask, etc. Pants were tailored on-site as to length and were in our hotel rooms when we returned at the end of the day.

We had a little break, then had lunch in the hotel the Taiepi umpires are staying at. During the break, a few of us walked around the downtown area. It's amazing the number of people driving scooters, and they are parked absolutely everywhere. The city appears to be old and extremely crowded. It was overcast and rainy all day today...hopefully it will clear up by tomorrow.

Following lunch, we boarded a bus to go to a party for tournament personnel hosted by the city. The party was on a boat that ran up and down a river (I'll have to look up which one) while we had dinner, drank and got to know each other. Spirits appear high as we get ready to start the tournament. The boat got back to shore around 8:00 pm, at which point the Taichung group boarded our bus again for a three hour trip back to our hotel. I arrived at about 11:30 pm and am very much looking forward to my first good night's sleep in a while.

There is only one game tomorrow. Opening ceremonies first, then the game. I am not assigned to this one, so will probably not make the trip. Everything is on television here, so we still should be able to watch. We've got a meeting in the morning to go over umpire mechanics, then I should be on my own for the rest of the day. I took some pictures on Monday and will try to post some of the good ones on Tuesday.

Good night, all.

Arrival in Taiwan

Well, it's 2:19 late Sunday night in Taiwan. I left at 3:30 pm on Saturday from DTW with my fellow umpire Mark. We stopped over in Japan for a couple of hours about 14 1/2 hours later, and then, flew another 2 1/2 hours down to Taipei, Taiwan. From there it was going through Customs, waiting for luggage, changing currency, and then driving ANOTHER two hours to my hotel in Taichung. I will be spending the first week of the tournament in this city, while Mark is in Taipei. I have to be up and ready to go BACK to Taipei for a 10:00 am meeting, so I'm going to bed. I'll try to post more sometime tomorrow (Monday) afternoon.