On a cool autumn weekend afternoon, people are crowded into the Riverside Baseball Field under the Huachiang Bridge. The cheerleading fans lack make-up and disco style routines; they just sit by the edge of the field playing with the kids. Everyone from infants just out of the stroller to old folks with canes enthusiastically participates. As for the heroes on the diamonds, you don't see many real athletes with bearish builds. But they show their pride in their uniforms, team flags, and names. Black, red, blue, white, yellow, orange, purple. . . the Bulls, the Flamingos, the Dragons. A myriad of colors and a variety of logos. And the names! Heavenly Horse, Taiwan Dragon, People Power, Imperial Wind, Big Parco, Battle Axe. There is no end to their curiousness, and no clue as to their origin.

The 306 teams come from all different back-grounds and fields of endeavor. There are office workers who spend every day chained to their desks. There are retired people bored sitting at home. Managers and bosses. Representatives from the hardware industry. Girls who work as hairdressers in the beauty salons. And students still in school.

It's not a case of observing rituals before the war, but of everybody being good brothers after the game is over, regardless of who won and who lost.

A comedy of errors: Some appropriate self-introductions for participating teams follow: "One night a bunch of guys got drunk, and everybody was blowing smoke about how great they were, how well--how miraculously -- they could play ball when they were kids. From this they organized a squad. It was only later on that everyone discovered how much smoke really was being blown around after all. . . "

"Our team was formed by the Chueh family temple worship association. We want to share health, happiness, and vigor with everyone here."

"Softball is not our profession, our strong suit is creativity. If we win it's an accident, but if we lose it's because we weren't really trying."

"Our swimming ability is first rate, but as for softball, we're not so great. Ask us again after we win or lose."

"Not so great at softball" is certainly the case, but there are many different levels among the teams. There are some "amateur professional" teams that can turn double-plays, block grounders with their chests, and make leaping catches of line drives. But most teams are more likely to be full of disoriented novices. Let't listen to a little play-by-play.

"It's a ground ball to the backhand side of the second baseman, he reaches for it, but no, can't get it. But he doesn't care--it's the outfielder's responsibility now. The ball rolls to a stop just onto the outfield grass. So what's the right fielder doing, just standing there, just treating this like it should be the infielder's play?"

"It's a fly ball to left. The left fielder is on the move, running, running. . . . he's got it! He looks so excited and he's holding his glove so tightly that it's probably the first time he's ever caught one. But while he's intoxicated with his success and congratulating himself, the baserunner has already tagged up and circled the bases for a run."

This is how much fun softball can be. During a game, it's very possible to see someone sticking their tongue out after whiffing on a pitch; or some one beating their breast and stamping their feet after muffing a fly ball; or a throw flying into the stands, hitting the referee, or causing the out-of-shape thrower to pull a hamstring. . . .

Compared to baseball, in slow pitch softball the bat is thinner and the ball larger, so it's easier to hit.

"Snoopy ball" spreads through Taiwan: Slow pitch softball has its origins in the U.S., and came to Taiwan with the American forces stationed here. Slow pitch means just that--pitching the ball with a slow underhand toss--but the term has been translated phonetically into Chinese as shu-lu pi, so the cartoon character Snoopy, whose Chinese name is virtually identical in sound, has become a widespread symbol of slow pitch in Taiwan. Even today many softball trophies have shu-lu pi inscribed on them.

The sense of friendship is deep. Lin Fang-nan, chairman of the Tainan Softball Committee, points out that in the 1960s some ballplayers from the Tainan area took on some of the U.S. troops stationed in the area, which might have been the earliest softball game in Taiwan.

"At that time if you lost you were sentenced to a lap around the field, and if you won you had to buy the beers," relates Lin. In 1976 the Tainan Lions' Club initiated a competition. There were no real fields at that time, so people just found an open green stretch to play. "The adults would be playing ball, the families barbecuing up food, the kids drawing pictures off to the side, and the sounds of laughter everywhere," he describes. In Tainan, slow pitch softball has always attracted older people to play, and things such as the traditional "Fathers' Cup" and "Lions' Cup" are for forty-and-older groups.

Chuang Yang-wen, former director of the Taipei Slow Pitch Softball Association, notes that ten years ago they still had incidents of teams setting up tables right on field to eat and drink after the games were over.

Today, because so many teams participate, having one team treat the others to a meal is a rarity. But many teams use "fraternal organizations" to make new friends north and south, holding contests periodically. For example, Taipei City's Dragons and the squad from the Tainan Jogging Association have long been "brother" teams.

In recent years the astonishing vitality of the slow pitch movement has gotten attention from observers. The national competition held annually in Taipei brings together more than 100 teams. In this year's spring tournament, which relies mainly on teams from Taipei, there were 204 entrants, and in the fall tournament there were 306. The "Unified Sales Receipt Cup" scheduled for December anticipates breaking the 500 mark.

Practicing tai-chi chuan? No, I'm playing softball.

Sprouting up everywhere: Softball is setting down roots steadily. Taking Taipei City for example, the Nankang, Chungho/Sanhsia, and Sanchung areas all have regularly scheduled tournaments, and there are 50 or 60 teams signing up for even the most casual events. During the sunny, mellow autumn days, there are three or four different tourneys going on across Taipei's athletic fields at any given time. In Tainan, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, archery ranges--if it's got grass, come a holiday or day off, it becomes a softball field.

It is estimated that there are more than 1000 teams that regularly practice and compete in the Taipei metropolitan area alone, with over 20,000 participants. According to Yen Chi-hung, assistant director of the Metropolitan Slow Pitch Softball Association, which holds an annual competition, there are more than 500 teams in the south if the cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan are also included. "Except for perhaps little league baseball, no other sport can compete in terms of popularity," says Chen Tsung-ho, director of the Taipei Slow Pitch Softball Association.

"This is a sport that is truly widely loved, something that has grown from the bottom up," is how Chuang Yang-wen, who has long kept an eye on softball development, describes it. He points out that by its nature softball has the characteristics to allow it to grow widely. Its equipment, design, and rules are all made to order for leisure and fun.

It is easy to play, simple to learn, with a low rate of injury, and relatively easy to reach base. Playing fields can be large or small and there is great flexibility. Just find a school athletic field and set out some lines marking out a 400 square meter field, and you're ready to play. Moreover, it's very easy to play once you get started, and even people who've never held a bat can hit the ball on their first try. Scores are high. Ten runs seems a lot in a typical baseball game, but you can reach 20 or 30 in a softball match. So everybody enjoys playing softball because, besides being fun, there is a sense of accomplishment.

The black mirror warrior steps up to bat. Don't worry how you perform -- everything is here in my video recorder.

Softball lovers who've grown up on baseball: Slow pitch softball derives from baseball, and its popularity is connected to the flourishing of baseball in an area.

Today, the elders in their thirties or forties playing slow pitch were mainly the same folks who got up in the dark hours before sunrise to turn on their TV sets and watch the Little League tournament broadcast from the US, so they "grew up watching baseball."

"There's virtually no need to teach what three strikes means, that four balls is a walk, or what a double play or foul ball is. Everyone understands the basics," says Chuang Yang-wen. This saves a great deal of educational effort and expense for spreading the game. And the recent development of professional baseball has generated waves. Because the risk is higher for baseball, and it requires more space, many fans have joined the softball ranks thinking "it's not exhilarating enough just to watch baseball, playing is really the good part."

Of course, though physical activity is natural for humans, one cannot overlook the contribution of softball lovers at all levels who have worked to promote the game. The Taipei Slow Pitch Softball Association is a case in point. Many of their promotional "standards" since being formed three years ago have been of great help to the popularization of the sport. These include not permitting any former national baseball or softball team members from participating in tournaments (that rule has been changed so that there is a limit of two per team), frequently holding competitions, dividing teams up into four levels ("Refreshment," "Spring," "Happiness," and "Health" divisions), and gaining fields specially for softball.

But former director Chuang does not dare to take the credit. He says that it is the larger environment drawing people out for a little sunshine--he's just lit the fuse.

Everybody benefits: From this kind of "fuse," many businesses have directly enjoyed the benefits of health and leisure, as well as a more coherent corporate culture, from taking part in softball. Many firms and organizations have benefited from participation.

China Steel, located in Kaohsiung, "has 96 teams for intra-company tournaments," says Tseng Teng-en, head of the softball association. In a large company like China Steel, with nearly 10,000 employees, people rarely get to know one another. The organization of teams and the making of friends among and between departments is of great help when it comes time to communicate and negotiate over practical matters.

"People meet often, and become old softball pals," says Tseng Teng-en. Take for example the "Unified Technical Team," which plays with a high level of skill and usually takes home first place in meets. Who knows if it's because they often play softball together, thus developing great instincts for what the others are thinking, but they have repeated ly won awards from the Ministry of Economic Affairs for quality control research and development.

But this prosperous situation also has its down side.

Many people wonder if holding ever-more and ever-larger tournaments is a good or bad thing. The larger the tournament, the more acute the problems on the field. When the championships achieve renown, the desire to win becomes more intense, and protests and stealing of players spread like wildfire. Competitions that were started for friendly exchanges turn into battlegrounds, and all leisure significance is lost.

Take for example this year's fall tourney. In the "Health Division," the highest level, there were repeated incidents of protests and pulling out of games. "They have 'health' but not 'happiness,'" muse some teams from the lower "Happiness Division" who have no desire to move up to the higher league.

No scoreboard? No matter, just keep track in the dirt to figure out who wins. Losing by a lot? No matter, maybe in a while you'll catch up.

Please respect the traditions of the game: As tournaments get larger, expenses rise, and dependence on corporate support deepens. This pushes softball farther along toward commercialization.

The national fall tournament in October saw not only enthusiasm from the teams. The banners, signs, and even tents emblazoned with corporate logos all showed themselves on the fields. This created an embarrassing situation of big businesses competing with each other to sponsor leagues.

"The bosses even want to inscribe the company logo in the field," laughs one person from the athletic world. He argues that this not only misses the whole point of sponsorship of sports in the first place, it also violates the principle of amateur athletics being free of commercial influence as much as possible.

This individual argues that the way businesses go about things is very short-sighted. "In this era of the development of mass communications and information, if someone really has merit in promoting sports, who wouldn't find out?" He feels that everyone is too involved in thinking about returns, which in fact looks cheap and avaricious, thus ruining the corporate image.

Some people also can't figure out why enterprises insist on having the company name inscribed on a cup that already enjoys its own tradition.

If you really want to do right by the sport, you have to respect tradition, and leave the champion-ships to the committees. Otherwise, today it will be Cathay, tomorrow Hsin Kong, and Ve Wong the day after. Don't even mention that this will prevent the rise of a tradition associated with a given cup, the teams that win it will lose out on the glory that comes with a sense of history.

I've twisted my ankle! Never fear, elder brother will take a look.

It's best when it's fun: Also, because some corporations get in too deeply and would give anything to win, "they will leave some places in their company just for good softball players and this way spur on the team to come in first," says Chuang Yang-wen. In the national tournaments over the last three years, some retired professional players or even some of the players from the national amateur baseball team have been making the rounds as ringers in various teams.

These players have superior skills, yet have no loyalty to a specific squad. They are classic mercenaries, and teams that have to play against them naturally aren't too pleased about it. In fact this greatly deflates player morale.

Daniel Tu argues that such enthusiastic participation by business stimulates improvements in the competitions, and is basically a good thing. But there is still the old saying--you have to make things clear. Is the purpose of a company organizing a team to cultivate the team in order to give greater visibility to the corporate name, or is it to offer employees a healthy leisure activity? If its the latter, there's no need to be so intense about winning and losing.

"Everyone said that it's best when it's fun," says Chuang Yang-wen of the original motivation behind the formation of the Taipei Slow Pitch Softball Association. Tainan's Lin Fang-nan also believes that the main point of playing softball is on things other than skill; things like sportsmanship, the spirit of the game, and the character and manners of the play should be even more emphasized.

He thus often criticizes those who have a background in baseball and play well, but use their skills and knowledge to intentionally bring chaos to the field. He says that they act like this is professional baseball, and are only worried about individual gain or heroics. "The softball field can do without big shots," he says.

Dad says that I shouldn't get too close learning to hit from Uncle. Mom says not to worry, the ball is big and soft, and even if I get hit it will only hurt for a little while.

Growing strong and healthy: "It's precisely because the experienced player knows all these things that he must be modest and not proud. That's the only way he'll teach and guide others, and the only way the promotion of the sport can be sustained," concludes Lin Fang-nan. If you're playing on your own, you can be as rude as you want. But at competition time he insists that people not read the riot act or insult the umpire. "You have to speak with measured words, and dress fittingly, because this shows respect to the game and to yourself," he adds. As for the ethics of the game, he takes the following example: When the best player awards are given out, if two players are of comparable ability, he advocates giving it to the older player. "First come first serve," he says. And anyway, the original point of softball is "for older people to be able to play."

Lin Fang-nan is concerned that many young people will participate in softball because they can't play baseball since there are too few baseball tournaments or there are problems finding good diamonds. "They should play for fun and not stress out. I'm just worried that with their youthful vigor and tempers, they'll really be concerned about winning and losing--just like I was at their age!" It turns out that in his youth he was a famous player on the national team.

Many people in athletics are like Lin; they are concerned about softball development, but also want to protect this little sporting sprout. This is because it only grows with great difficulty, and everyone wants it to grow tall and strong, so that their children and grandchildren can see a flourishing forest when their time comes.

[Picture Caption]

Warm winds and sunshine, the autumn weather is just right. Dad plays ball, Mom and the kids also come to have some fun.

It's not a case of observing rituals before the war, but of everybody being good brothers after the game is over, regardless of who won and who lost.

Compared to baseball, in slow pitch softball the bat is thinner and the ball larger, so it's easier to hit.

Practicing tai-chi chuan? No, I'm playing softball.

The black mirror warrior steps up to bat. Don't worry how you perform -- everything is here in my video recorder.

No scoreboard? No matter, just keep track in the dirt to figure out who wins. Losing by a lot? No matter, maybe in a while you'll catch up.

I've twisted my ankle! Never fear, elder brother will take a look.

Dad says that I shouldn't get too close learning to hit from Uncle. Mom says not to worry, the ball is big and soft, and even if I get hit it will only hurt for a little while.