Taiwan Major League
Encyclopedia
The Taiwan Major League (TML 臺灣大聯盟) was a professional baseball
league in Taiwan
that operated from 1996 to 2003. It was established by TV tycoon Chiu Fu-sheng (邱復生) after a row over CPBL broadcasting
rights. The Chinese Professional Baseball League
absorbed the TML in 2003.
media group both of which were then chaired by Chiu Fu-sheng. TVBS held the broadcasting right of CPBL games from 1993 to 1996 during CPBL's heyday, but lost it in August 1995 to Videoland Television Network
, a subsidiary of the Koos Group
whose baseball team Koos Group Whales
later joined CPBL in 1997. Chiu therefore established TML in December 1995 in anticipation to maintain advertisement revenue. The other TML's keyman was local Sampo Corporation(聲寶企業)'s then chairman Chen Sheng-tian(陳盛沺); his amateur
baseball team Sampo Giants had been requesting to join CPBL since 1992, but was repeatedly rejected by CPBL for unexplained reasons. Chen later decided to join force with Chiu and turned Sampo Giants into Taipei Gida
, and sponsored this team until the end of 2000 when he realized there was no possibility for TML to profit. TML's first historical game was played by the visiting Taipei Gida and Chiayi-Tainan Luka
at Chiayi County Baseball Stadium on February 28, 1997.
Throughout TML's history, TML, often with considerable incentives, had been attracting active CPBL players to break their CPBL contracts and join TML. A total of near 30 CPBL players, both Taiwanese and foreign, were broke from CPBL and joined TML. TML also had a much looser policy on international players, such as allowing a team to register eleven international players in the 1997 season, and seven in the 1998 season.
Chiu annually leased the teams' logos and naming rights to different sponsors for advertising purpose, so every year each team would bear different name from different sponsors, while the home city and mascot remained the same. Also, players were sometimes shuffled after a season to "balance each teams' strength"; all TML players' were directly signed by the Naluwan Corporation and not the team they played for. These circumstances prevented TML from gaining popularity comparable to CPBL, and TML also had difficulty in opening new market in the aftermath of the The Black Eagles Incident.
On January 2003, Chiu finally agreed to a government-brokered merger with CPBL, and reorganized his four teams to two. Chiu also resigned from his chairperson position in TVBS. President Chen Shui-bien, who acted as the middle person in the merger agreement, asked First Financial Holdings to purchase one of the teams
, while Macoto Bank voluntarily took over the other
.
Before CPBL's 2003 season started, CPBL decided to fine each former "traitor", or those who broke contracts with CPBL, that returned with the former TML teams because of their previous contract-breaking. Both Macoto Bank and First Financial Holdings originally refused to pay the fine, and the players were banned from playing in the 2003 season. In 2004, Macoto Bank and La New Corporation
, who purchased the team from First Financial Holdings, gave in to CPBL demands, and paid the fine by adding extra restrictions in these players' contracts. The ban was subsequently lifted.
symbols that mean suns, robots, braves, and thunder gods respectively. This is contrary to standard practice of CPBL, whose member organization all chose animals as their mascots; when the merger took place, the two former TML teams changed their mascots to meet standard CPBL practice.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
league in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
that operated from 1996 to 2003. It was established by TV tycoon Chiu Fu-sheng (邱復生) after a row over CPBL broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
rights. The Chinese Professional Baseball League
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League , or CPBL, is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003...
absorbed the TML in 2003.
History
Throughout TML's history, all four teams were directly owned and managed by the Naluwan Corporation, a subsidiary of the TVBSTVBS
TVBS is a satellite television channel and nationwide cable TV network in Taiwan, Republic of China, launched on September 28, 1993. It was established by TVBI Company Limited , a subsidiary of Television Broadcasts Limited in Hong Kong, and ERA Group of Taiwan, and became a wholly owned...
media group both of which were then chaired by Chiu Fu-sheng. TVBS held the broadcasting right of CPBL games from 1993 to 1996 during CPBL's heyday, but lost it in August 1995 to Videoland Television Network
Videoland Television Network
Videoland Television Network is a cable network program provider in Taiwan, founded in 1983 by Koos Group. Videoland is one of Taiwan's major satellite television providers, offering seven channels of programming...
, a subsidiary of the Koos Group
Koos Group
The Koos Group is a Taiwan-based pan-Asian business group involved in a vast range of industries, which include petrochemicals, electronics, cement, manufacturing, financial services and banking. In all, the Koos Group encompasses over 80 companies, with more than 20,000 employees worldwide. The...
whose baseball team Koos Group Whales
Chinatrust Whales
The Chinatrust Whales , formerly Koos Group Whales , were a Taiwanese professional baseball team. Originally founded as an amateur team in 1991, this club became professional and joined the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1997. It is administered by the Chinatrust Financial Holding...
later joined CPBL in 1997. Chiu therefore established TML in December 1995 in anticipation to maintain advertisement revenue. The other TML's keyman was local Sampo Corporation(聲寶企業)'s then chairman Chen Sheng-tian(陳盛沺); his amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
baseball team Sampo Giants had been requesting to join CPBL since 1992, but was repeatedly rejected by CPBL for unexplained reasons. Chen later decided to join force with Chiu and turned Sampo Giants into Taipei Gida
Taipei Gida
Taipei Gida was a Taiwanese professional baseball team that existed from 1997 to 2002. It was one of the four Taiwan Major League teams and was based in Taipei, Taiwan...
, and sponsored this team until the end of 2000 when he realized there was no possibility for TML to profit. TML's first historical game was played by the visiting Taipei Gida and Chiayi-Tainan Luka
Chiayi-Tainan Luka
The Chiayi-Tainan Luka or abbreviated Chianan Luka was a professional baseball team in the Taiwan Major League that existed from 1997 to 2002. Its homes were Chiayi County Baseball Stadium and Tainan Baseball Field...
at Chiayi County Baseball Stadium on February 28, 1997.
Throughout TML's history, TML, often with considerable incentives, had been attracting active CPBL players to break their CPBL contracts and join TML. A total of near 30 CPBL players, both Taiwanese and foreign, were broke from CPBL and joined TML. TML also had a much looser policy on international players, such as allowing a team to register eleven international players in the 1997 season, and seven in the 1998 season.
Chiu annually leased the teams' logos and naming rights to different sponsors for advertising purpose, so every year each team would bear different name from different sponsors, while the home city and mascot remained the same. Also, players were sometimes shuffled after a season to "balance each teams' strength"; all TML players' were directly signed by the Naluwan Corporation and not the team they played for. These circumstances prevented TML from gaining popularity comparable to CPBL, and TML also had difficulty in opening new market in the aftermath of the The Black Eagles Incident.
On January 2003, Chiu finally agreed to a government-brokered merger with CPBL, and reorganized his four teams to two. Chiu also resigned from his chairperson position in TVBS. President Chen Shui-bien, who acted as the middle person in the merger agreement, asked First Financial Holdings to purchase one of the teams
La New Bears
The Lamigo Monkeys , formerly First Financial Holdings Agan and then the La New Bears , are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan...
, while Macoto Bank voluntarily took over the other
Dmedia T-REX
The dmedia T-REX was a professional baseball team belonging to the Chinese Professional Baseball League .-History:The history of the team can be traced back to early 2001 when local Macoto Bank started to sponsor Taiwan Major League's Taipei Gida, taking over from the original sponsor Sampo...
.
Before CPBL's 2003 season started, CPBL decided to fine each former "traitor", or those who broke contracts with CPBL, that returned with the former TML teams because of their previous contract-breaking. Both Macoto Bank and First Financial Holdings originally refused to pay the fine, and the players were banned from playing in the 2003 season. In 2004, Macoto Bank and La New Corporation
La New Corporation
La New Corporation is a footwear manufacturing company that is based in Taiwan. La New was founded in 1996 by Liu Baoyou, , a Taiwanese businessman...
, who purchased the team from First Financial Holdings, gave in to CPBL demands, and paid the fine by adding extra restrictions in these players' contracts. The ban was subsequently lifted.
Mascots
The mascots Gida, Agan, Luka and Fala originated from Taiwanese aboriginesTaiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
symbols that mean suns, robots, braves, and thunder gods respectively. This is contrary to standard practice of CPBL, whose member organization all chose animals as their mascots; when the merger took place, the two former TML teams changed their mascots to meet standard CPBL practice.
Teams
- Taipei GidaTaipei GidaTaipei Gida was a Taiwanese professional baseball team that existed from 1997 to 2002. It was one of the four Taiwan Major League teams and was based in Taipei, Taiwan...
(台北太陽), absorbed into First Financial Holdings AganLa New BearsThe Lamigo Monkeys , formerly First Financial Holdings Agan and then the La New Bears , are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan...
in 2003. - Taichung AganTaichung AganThe Taichung Agan , literally the Taichung Robots was a Taiwanese professional baseball team belonging to the Taiwan Major League . It was based in Taichung and took the Taichung Baseball Field as its home throughout its history...
(台中金剛), absorbed into Macoto GidaDmedia T-REXThe dmedia T-REX was a professional baseball team belonging to the Chinese Professional Baseball League .-History:The history of the team can be traced back to early 2001 when local Macoto Bank started to sponsor Taiwan Major League's Taipei Gida, taking over from the original sponsor Sampo...
in 2003. - Chianan LukaChiayi-Tainan LukaThe Chiayi-Tainan Luka or abbreviated Chianan Luka was a professional baseball team in the Taiwan Major League that existed from 1997 to 2002. Its homes were Chiayi County Baseball Stadium and Tainan Baseball Field...
(嘉南勇士), absorbed into Macoto GidaDmedia T-REXThe dmedia T-REX was a professional baseball team belonging to the Chinese Professional Baseball League .-History:The history of the team can be traced back to early 2001 when local Macoto Bank started to sponsor Taiwan Major League's Taipei Gida, taking over from the original sponsor Sampo...
in 2003. - Kaoping Fala (高屏雷公), absorbed into First Financial Holdings AganLa New BearsThe Lamigo Monkeys , formerly First Financial Holdings Agan and then the La New Bears , are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan...
in 2003.
Games
Other than the home cities of member teams, games were also held in minor cities, although at a lesser frequency. TML has also suggested a Taiwan championship series between TML and CPBL, but was rebuffed by the latter.Champions
- 1997: Chiayi-Tainan Luka defeated Taipei Gida, 4-3
- 1998: Taipei Gida defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-3
- 1999: Taichung Agan defeated Taipei Gida, 4-2
- 2000: Taipei Gida defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-0
- 2001: Taichung Agan defeated Taipei Gida, 4-2
- 2002: Taichung Agan defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-1