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I finally flew down to Pingtung pronounced pingdung... and it is worse than I imagined...
It is like something from a war movie or a MASH episode... there are people who have never had a Big Mac or from where I see it, have not ever talked on a telephone...
The apartments we live in are 10 foot by 10 foot by 30 foot cargo containers with paneling and some fake wood floors... they are put end to end and share a bathroom in the middle...
The bathroom is made up of a sink and toilet... but the shower is a faucet coming out of the wall with a hose attached... this entire room is your shower... and don't leave the toilet paper out when you take a shower or it is transformed into a soggy mess
.. also there is a floresecent light above you so if you happen to aim a little off you can fire some water into the light socket... interesting...
there is a window and a regular door as well as an air conditioner that works rather well... After setting up my computer and unpacking I have a nice little cubicle to live in...
We have but one fone for the 6-7 americans... I am working on getting one in my room so my wife can call me and I can send my posts at some time...
some guys have cable TV and I have my cargo hold wired for cable but no TV set just yet...when we travel to Tai Pei I will pick up a cheap 19 inch set...
the pre-game antics are something to be seen.. they drag the fields with a go-kart in Kaochung and in Shinju they use a motorcycle... something I have never seen in 12 years of pro ball..
they have all dirt infields and the outfield is something out of a minefield... there is broken glass, batteries.. come change and all sorts of various objects thrown or left in the outfield.
the dimensions at Kaochung are LF 310 CF 380 RF 310, Tai Pei is a joke, CF is 360 the power alleys are 340 and the line is 300.. I have seen 3 home runs there and all were just lazy fly balls...
PingTung is a legitamate ballpark... 330 down the lines and 400 to center... as well as Shiju... these are decent ball parks... missing the infield grass and a mound of at least some height...
no mound in bullpen... literally... in Kaochung as well as many other places the mound is just a pitching rubber nailwed in to the ground... no dirt built up around it... and it is hell on the arm to throw on... the little height a mound gives you adds to
your leverage and help velocity as well as not straining your arm and other body parts... I felt like I was put through a meat grinder the first day I threw off that bullpen mound.. and that is what started my little bout with tendonitis...
on field mound is about 6-8 inches high
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