The nascent China Baseball League (CBL) bounces into Guangzhou this May after 10 rounds in Beijing and Shanghai. In the first formal baseball tournament in China, the Guangdong Leopards will try to tame the Tianjin Lions on May 3-4, the Beijing Tigers on May 10-11, and the Shanghai Eagles on May 17-18. Tianjin leads the league, having achieved a record of 7-1 by mid April, while Guangdong has the chance to challenge Beijing for second place.

Tom McCarthy, vice-chairman of the CBL Organizing Committee, says that China has the potential to attain the success that other Asian countries have had in cracking the bat. McCarthy hopes to spur interest in baseball leading up to the 2008 Olympics. "Our role is to build a commercial platform for outstanding corporations to support the CBL and to benefit by the emergence of baseball as the next great team sport in China," he says.

Having worked in Asia for more than twelve years, McCarthy became involved in sport as a broadcaster where he knew the future NBA star Yao Ming. McCarthy has facilitated international exchange between teams and coaches. The "China-USA Challenge" featured the China National Team competing in the U.S. in a friendship game series with the American NJCAA All-Stars in 2002. A return visit is scheduled for the summer of 2003. In July 2002, Major League Baseball (USA) sent a group of ten baseball coaches to China under the MLB Envoy Program to conduct baseball clinics in ten cities.

Of interest to young Guangzhou players, the Swing for the Wall youth baseball program will be held at the Tianhe Stadium after every Saturday home game in May. Interested youngsters will be able to work with players from the Leopards home team and the visitors.

Editor: Wings