Taiwan Baseball Legend Remembered Through Youth Baseball Tournament
A date for a yearly tournament in memory of one of Taiwan's baseball greats has been confirmed for this year. After last year's event, organizers weren't sure if they could get enough funding for this year's competition.
Transcript
00:00 Xu Shenming was one of Taiwan's most decorated baseball players.
00:05 He reached milestones as both a player and a coach.
00:09 Unfortunately Xu suddenly died from a heart attack ten years ago.
00:13 A foundation to develop baseball in Taiwan was established in his memory.
00:18 One of Xu's proteges, A-Ti Ma-Saw, recalls Xu's love of the game.
00:23 "Mr. Xu has been working on a combination of traditional and local culture.
00:30 He had the same idea when he saw some kids who had missed school or were in the net cafe."
00:39 The foundation has held an annual youth baseball tournament for the past decade.
00:44 But the competition has struggled.
00:46 Last year the foundation didn't know if the tournament would return this year.
00:50 With outside help though, the competition has been confirmed for the end of November.
00:55 Xu's wife and foundation head, Xie Rong-Yao, says that Taiwan is slowly losing its veteran
01:01 baseball talent.
01:03 And continuing the competition will be challenging without more help.
01:06 "I had a coach who left the day I finished the phone call.
01:12 I didn't dare to tell him because I was 65 years old.
01:16 I didn't know."
01:17 The Xu Sun-Ming Cup ensures that baseball will continue to thrive as Taiwan's national
01:23 sport for years to come.
01:25 Though the competition's future is uncertain, the legacy it leaves resonates with baseball
01:30 lovers across the country.
01:32 Alex Tsen and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
01:35 [BLANK_AUDIO]