Lions Not So Clean?

Lin Zeng-Xiang was released from his duties as General Manager of the 7-11 Uni-President Lions amid rumors that his name has been mentioned in the ongoing match-fixing investigation. This makes a clean sweep as now all four CPBL teams have different GM's than the ones who finished last season (though not all are suspected criminals).

While some media outlets suggest that Lin was involved with foreign players on the take, he insists that he is innocent and might look into a wrongful dismissal claim.

Locking the Barn Door After the Horses Have Left

More anti-corruption billboards have been popping up on the outfield fences in CPBL stadiums. Unlike the first banner, which was put up by one the teams, the latest editions have been brought out by the government. 


During the league opener in Tienmu fans were treated to a picture on the outfield fence of a man in a suit appearing to watch the field through a pair of binoculars. This, along with their actual physical presence, was how the Shilin District Prosecutors Office chose to let everyone know that they're on top of things regarding this match-fixing mess. The message cost them NT$20,000.


The next day the Tainan Prosecutors Office sponsored a similar billboard at the game in Taoyuan. Not to be outdone, the Taoyuan Prosecutors Office brought eight prosecutors and seventy police officers (including five placed high in the rafters) to watch the game. 


This year's CPBL: Everybody's Watching!

The Wall of Shame

The La New Bears were one of the hardest-hit teams during this off-seasons match-fixing investigations, and they are not about to let anybody forget who got them into this mess. The team has unveiled a banner at it's home field that is dedicated to naming and shaming those who have admitted to throwing games.

Located on the left field wall at the Cheng Ching Lake stadium in Kaohsiung, the sign currently shows a picture of a player whose face and number are blurred out (purportedly Hsu Wen-Hsiung) next to the Chinese character for the word "shame". This blurred banner is meant to serve as some kind of warning to the players involved, as well as to those still on the team.  The Bears are mulling over plans to change the player image occasionally in order to get all 13 of it's banned former players on the wall at some point this season.

Bears Case Closed

In a previous post I mentioned that more players from the La New Bears had come under scrutiny from the authorities over match-fixing allegations. This  investigation has now come to a close with two players being banned from the league and four others set free. Wu Si-Yo and Chen Feng-Min (who were both scheduled to face the Dodgers this weekend) admitted to fixing games while the other four players involved (Lin Zhi-Sheng, Pan Zhong-Wei, Huang Lung-Yi, Huang Qin-Zhi) have all been cleared and are free to continue playing with the team.

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

Taipei Fubon Bank is not making enough money from its sports lottery division. Due to the contract it signed with the federal government a couple of years ago, the bank must pay NT$20.83 billion over the next six years (averaging to NT$3.47 billion each year) to operate the lottery. The total sales from the last two years have been NT$19.1 billion. So despite the fact that it has almost recouped enough money in two years to pay off it's six year contract in total, the bank feels that it is impossible to turn a profit. Last month it asked the government to allow them to cut their payment in half. How is it possible to not turn a profit from a lottery?

What is of most interest to this blog is the bank's main excuse for the predicament it's in. Under the current system, bettors are unable to place single-game bets on the CPBL (to deter match-fixing). This apparently has led to much lower revenues than expected, even though (from what I understand) this set-up has been implemented from the beginning of the lottery.

When it began, the promotion of the new lottery quickly caught the public's eye and interest in gambling increased. However, instead of placing legal bets through Fubon's restricted scheme, punters simply turned to underground bookies for their single game bets. This in turn increased the amount the bookies were taking in, giving them more capital to spend on player bribes. So much for deterring match-fixing.

Basically, an idea that was designed to keep money away from certain criminal elements proved extremely profitable for those same criminal elements.

And totally disastrous to the CPBL.

Scandal! Round 2

At least six more players are under investigation by the Panchiao District Prosecutor's Office for their role in the continuing match-fixing saga. All of these new suspects play for the Bears and have had their pay suspended. Curiously they have been allowed to continue training with the team. This probably has something to do with the fact that the team is  pretty short-handed at the moment, having already lost a dozen or so players from the first round of investigations.


Pitcher Wu Szu-yu was the first player interviewed by the authorities in this go-round. Wu began his career with the Bears in 2004, putting in three strong seasons with the team. He numbers earned the left-hander a contract in Japan with the Chiba Lotte Mariners in 2007. After playing two seasons with the Pacific League club, he returned to the Bears last year.

The Good Guys

While there have been a boatload of players arrested recently, there have been a few who have managed to avoid the temptation of making a quick buck in exchange for throwing  games. One article that I've read mentions two players, Peng Cheng-Min and former Dodger Chen Chin-Feng,  for their tough "moral fiber" in rejecting suspicious advances. 

Though it's nice to know that not everybody is a crook in the CPBL, I notice that the players mentioned happen to be two of the best, and highest paid, in the league. Not to take anything away from these players, but it must be a lot easier for these guys to turn away from any bribe offers than their teammates who make quite a bit less. That an extremely popular (and well-paid) player like Chen "The Beard" Chih-Yuan appears to have accepted cash for games simply shows an immense amount of greed on his part.

Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for both Peng and Chen (C.F.) and hope they have good seasons this year. But if the league is going to avoid any similar scandals in the future, it'll have to be due to the "tough moral fiber" of every player on the roster, from best to worst.

The Calendar of Crooks

While it may be the middle of February, it's never too late to get yourself a new calendar; a calendar of crooks!

Making the rounds on the interweb is a new calendar that features prominent figures from the ongoing match-fixing scandal. It's called LET'S GO WIPERS and each month it features a different suspect (whose birthday is celebrated that month).

Get you own copy here. (I couldn't find the original link)

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Match-fixing Fallout

Here's the latest on the CPBL's match-fixing scandal:

• the La New Bears are suing 13 of their former players who have plead guilty to accepting bribes
• prosecutors are seeking two year jail terms for players Chang Chih-chia and Chen Chih-yuan
• former MLB pitcher Tsao Chin-hui has been released by the Elephants due to his association with known gangsters, though he is not facing any criminal charges