The news shocked the whole island. No one could have believed it. Our kids, the Red Leaf team, did not just win. They won the World Series! That event, in 1969, started the Little League Baseball fever in Taiwan. For years, the whole island would stay up all night to watch the game and everyone will be celebrating the next day. We did not have much to go for and this was one event that we all waited for every year.
Year after year, our kids brought back the trophies. Then came the year we did not win. People demanded accountability, newspapers ran scathing opinions on the failure of the system, government officials apologized. Several years later, we got our grooves back. But everything had changed. Taiwan was a thriving economy and baseball, little league or else, became a recreation, instead of a national obsession. We won Junior League and Senior League championships on and off. When we won, we were happy. When we lost, heads did not roll anymore.
Last we won was 1996. Every time I heard someone mentioned Williamport, PA, I felt the nostalgia of the whole family, heck, the whole village, staying up and cheering for our team that was playing half a world away. But there isn’t a baseball mitten in my house and my kids never played.
Yesterday, Chinese Taipei played California for the championship. I was glued to the TV and found my heart clung to every pitch. At the end, we lost 3 to 6. Players were in tears and I was sad. My passion for little league, however, was rekindled. I will watch for this event next year and cheer for my home team.