It's 50-50 for Phl in qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines - Even as Chinese-Taipei may enlist as many as seven major league veterans, Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA) executive vice president and commissioner Ely Baradas said yesterday he’s not discounting the possibility of a huge upset by the national team in the four-way World Championship qualifiers in Taipei on Nov. 15-18.

At stake is a ticket to the first round of eliminations that will land the qualifier in either Pool A with Japan, China and Cuba in Fukuoka on March 2-6 or Pool B with South Korea, Netherlands and Australia in Taichung on March 2-5. The finals of the World Baseball Classic will be held at the AT&T Park in San Francisco on March 17-19.

The Philippines, reigning Southeast and East Asian champion, was invited by World Baseball Classic organizers in New York to battle Chinese-Taipei, Thailand and New Zealand in one of four qualifying brackets. The ultimate goal is to advance to the finals of the World Championships, held every four years.

“We’re bringing in several Fil-Ams and coach Jim Ramos,” said Baradas who has been involved in baseball for over 60 years since playing in the Little League. “I think it’s 50-50 for us against Chinese-Taipei. What’s crucial is for us to get pitchers who can throw at 93 to 95 miles per hour. It won’t be enough if we throw at 82 or 83. Many years ago, I remember when I was Philippine team manager and Mr. Dominador Pangilinan was our project director, we played Chinese-Taipei in Kaohsiung with Jeff Santiago as our pitcher and we were in the game until the seventh inning. Jeff, of course, is now the UST baseball coach. With Fil-Am reinforcements, we might be able to surprise Chinese-Taipei.”

Baradas, 73, said the national team is working hard to prepare for the qualifiers. ’they practice four hours in the morning from Monday to Friday,” he said. “I know (PABA president) Hector (Navasero) asked his son in the US to enlist Fil-Ams for our team and Jim (Ramos) is coming to join our coaching staff. In any way that I can help, I’m available to support our team. (Team manager) Marty (Eizmendi) has done a good job in generating support for our team since the last Southeast Asian Games and with my years of experience in baseball, I could give advice on how to manage our team.”

Ramos, a Fil-Am, is assistant coach at Cal Poly Pomona and in 1999, visited the country with College of New Jersey coach Rick Dell to conduct a series of “training the Trainors” baseball clinics in Los Baños and Baliwag.

The Philippines captured the gold medal in baseball at the SEA Games last year, blanking Indonesia, 2-0, in the finals. On the way to the title, the Philippines crushed 2007 champion Thailand, 9-2. Last month, the Philippines took the East Asian Cup at the Queen Sirikit Diamond in Bangkok, downing Thailand, 3-1, Hong Kong, 3-1, Singapore, 16-0 and Myanmar, 13-0 in the process. The Philippines’ last loss to Thailand was a 5-4 cliffhanger in the finals of the 2007 SEA Games. Thailand also beat the Philippines, 8-1, at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

In 1954, the Philippines bagged the inaugural Asian baseball crown but since then, its best finish was third in 1971. At the Asian Games, the Philippines was fifth of six in 1998, fifth and last in 2002 and sixth and last in 2006. The only win ever notched by the Philippines in the Asian Games was a 15-5 rout of Thailand to escape the cellar in 1998.

Chinese-Taipei took the gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games and along the way, ripped the Philippines, 15-0. The Taiwanese lost 7-6 to South Korea in the 2010 Asian Games finals and settled for the silver medal. The Philippines did not participate in baseball at the last Asiad.

Chinese-Taipei established a pro baseball league in 1989 and has so far, delivered at least seven players to the US majors – the Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Chin Feng Chen, 34, Washington Nationals pitcher Chien Ming Wang, 32, Colorado Rockies and Dodgers pitcher Chin Hui Tsao, 31, Dodgers pitcher Hong Chih Kuo, 31, Dodgers and New York Mets shortstop Chin Lung Hu, 28, Detroit Tigers pitcher Fu Te Ni, 29, and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Wei Yin Chen, 27. Still active in the majors today are Chien Ming Wang and Wei Yin Chen. It is not known how many major league veterans will reinforce Chinese-Taipei in the World Championship qualifiers. Chin Feng Chen was the first Taiwanese to break into the majors with the Dodgers in 2002.

It appears that the World Championship organizers expect Chinese-Taipei to top the qualifiers because the first round of eliminations in Pool B is scheduled in Taichung, Taiwan.

Another contender in the Philippines’ qualifying bracket is New Zealand whose baseball star Scott Campbell, 28, may or may not play. Campbell was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2006 draft and was signed to a seven-year contract. He never got to play in the majors and last March, retired because of hip problems.