NJ.com's Marc Carig wrote this article on how much of a superstar Chien-Ming Wang is in Taiwan. It's a good read. He's the biggest thing they have out there, or at least that's how it seems.
"He's a superstar," said Louis Yu, who has covered Wang during his entire career for the Apple Daily, one of Taiwan's largest newspapers. "An idol."Like I said in the last night's game summary I'm not too confident that Wang can go out and pitch a good game tonight. It's tough to pitch to the Sox lineup when you're not struggling, so I don't think this is the best match up for Wang. I hope I'm wrong, but he hasn't done much this year to make me think otherwise.
The demand for the latest news is insatiable. Even on days when Wang barely speaks to reporters -- or doesn't speak to them at all -- those who follow him must still write full articles to help satisfy the demand for even the smallest nugget of news related to the pitcher.In one season, Yu said a photograph of the pitcher graced the front page of his newspaper more than that of the Taiwanese president. Every Wang victory, he said, was justification for his paper to print a special edition.
Even now, every Wang start is broadcast live nationwide. It's still common for fans to tune in at 1 a.m. (the time difference is 12 hours) to watch Wang pitch in day games.
This is why news of Wang's recovery from his foot injury was announced under front-page headlines typically reserved for detailing the latest disputes between the country's notoriously contentious politicians, who have been known to get into full-blown fist fights on the floor of the parliament.
What are you expecting from Wang tonight in Fenway?
12 Comments:
I just hope he doesnt crash and burn. If he can get through the
5th with 3 runs or less I'll be happy. I think Hughes and/or Aceves can take over from there. If Wang can just get that ball to sink in combination with some bad weather he should keep the ball in the park and limit the damage.
-G
I think the dilemma facing Mr Girardi is that if Wang does struggle early on, how long does he wait to pull him? To be perfectly honest, I would rather see Phil Hughes making this start as, right now, he looks more confident and is not "damaged goods". What I'm actually more concerned with is the Yankee batters putting Wakefield under pressure early and giving Terry Francona the problem of how long to leave him in. We've had success against Wakefield in the past. The key (like it is against almost every pitcher) is not to let him settle into a groove early on.
Yeah if we can beat on Wakefield it will be a lot easier to manage the game for Girardi, as he can give a little more slack to Wang if he starts to struggle. This is a must win game for this team and should be treated like a playoff game by Girardi.
-G
how about some tough love with burnett?
1.1 IP 6H 5ER 2HR 0K ERA 112,000.46
I think we have to win this game. Period. As for Wang, I'm prediction a 6 IP 4 ER kind of start. Wakefield is a guy that is hit or miss, but with our patient lineup, I think we should grab a few runs off of him.
I expect little from Wang, but I love to be surprised!
We must win. Period.
Mike
a no hitter !
Good luck with that, Anon.
it's either gonna be really good or really bad
"What are you expecting from Wang tonight in Fenway?"
I can't count that high.
Hopefully they'll bring in Veras by the 3rd before it gets out of hand.
lol... I really hope we don't see Veras tonight.
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