But now that the structure of this game fixing has been revealed, will Taiwanese baseball finally be immunized against these scandals that have rocked the game in the past? Looking back over the past decade or so, things don't look particularly optimistic.

When the latest game-fixing investigations were completed, investigators from the BDPO announced that between 2006 and 2009, a total of 32 games had been manipulated by gambling syndicates, and as a result, 24 people would be formally charged.

Of the four affected teams in the CPBL, the Brother Elephants have been the hardest hit, with five people-including former pitching and head coach Shin Nakagomi and "Golden Warrior" Chen Chih-yuan-being prosecuted, and another 18 people either not being charged or subject to deferred prosecution. The La New Bears have also had 10 people charged, including top pitcher Chang Chih-chia, with another nine subject to deferred prosecution. The Sinon Bulls and Uni-President Lions have had no-one implicated.

However, while previously suspected Elephants pitcher Tsao Chin-hui and Bulls hitter Hsieh Chia-hsien avoided prosecution, it has been revealed that both have been wined and dined by gambling groups for some time now, giving their clubs no choice but to announce that neither player's contract will be renewed.

Previous game-fixing cases have shown that the friendship between players is the most effective weapon in the gambling syndicates' arsenals. In this latest case, former Elephant Zhuang Youlin and the Bears' Huang Junzhong both agreed to work as go-betweens for gambling syndicates after being dropped by their respective teams. Their job was to entice their teammates to come aboard, and they have been noted as playing key parts in the case.

In late 2008, the BDPO, which had just finished investigating the Dmedia T-Rex case, received intelligence alleging that gambling syndicate boss Cai Zhengyi had gotten several players to throw matches.

As more players were implicated in the most recent case, investigators followed leads provided by Zhuang Youlin, which ultimately implicated Tainan County Council speaker Wu Jianbao as well.

In the end, the evidence collected showed the full extent of this corruption, which reaches from players and coaches through to go-betweens, heads of gambling syndicates, and politicians with shady pasts. Wu Jianbao faces a maximum nine-year sentence for "leading or instructing a criminal organization," as well as a NT$50 million fine and three years of community service; this is quite the turnaround from past cases, where only the small fry were charged, and it will, hopefully, act as a deterrent into the future.

In the wake of this latest of many scandals, teams have announced their intentions to continue operations, as well as their decisions to emulate the system used for years now by the Uni-President Lions, which involves close cooperation and communication with investigators. Additionally, teams are also filing civil suits for sizable damages against the players, coaches, and heads of gambling syndicates involved.

However, after pressing charges before Chinese New Year, the BDPO has also announced that it will continue investigations into suspect games and gambling syndicates in northern Taiwan, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Kaohsiung. This revelation left many dumbstruck by the apparent scale of the problem.

With regard to the nigh-constant waves of game fixing, experts have noted that in addition to putting in place protections and fines, there is a real need for a new attitude and a new approach in the CPBL.

Taiwan's sports market is a small one, and baseball teams have been losing money for years, which has in turn impacted players nationwide. In addition, teams like the Brother Elephants still don't offer players multi-year contracts, sports agents are uncommon, and the players' union is insufficiently strong to really give players any leverage, leaving players susceptible to temptation, and thus resulting in their killing their future prospects for a few hundred thousand NT dollars.

To solve this problem, some have called for teams lacking finances and ambition to bow out in order to create a new baseball environment. Others have said that the government should use sports development funds as incentives for teams and to assist in cultivating new players. Still others believe that the leagues need to create a new environment based not on profit, but on culture, while some have suggested the league look at the system used in European soccer, where clubs are run as trusts, open to investment by the public, and work closely with local authorities.

There is no shortage of options, but with baseball having transformed from a source of pride to one of shame and many disillusioned fans abandoning the sport, does Taiwanese baseball really have a chance to revive itself? The future promises to be a test not only for the sport itself, but for the public's confidence in it as well.