Thanks for the local perspective on the games! It’s much appreciated, and we hope you become a regular.

Chris

As an American e-pat, I have been here for years and I can tell you that having this series is less than nothing to the Chinese.

MLB will play its games – tell everyone back in the States how they have opened baseaball to the Chinese and then leave.

Then … nothing will happen.

There are no baseball diamonds in Beijing or any major city in China. Boys do not play this game at all! Less than 15,000 people play baseball in a nation of 1.3 Billion.

It is all show for the Americans and the Chinese are being nice to let us come in any play. There is NO signage anywhere in the city. Nothing on billboards, taxi stands or busses.

This is a government town and baseball means less than nothing to them. Without the full and proactive support of the Chinese government, baseball will die here.

After the Olympics, all three baseball fields at Wukesong will be torn down to make way for a hotel, shopping and entertainment complex to support the new, 18,000 seat arena for the NBA – right next door.

This probably will grate the MLB Americans to no end. But they have no one to blame but themselves. They come to China for themselves to try and steal Chinese players to play in their league – like Yao Ming in the NBA.

But Yao played on an established CBA team – the Shanghai Knights. The same forumla will not work here.

So when the Olympics are over in late August, and the construction crews break ground for the new hotel, the hopes and dreams of this exhibition series and baseball – will fade away like rice in the wind.