2009 Hong Kong International Phoenix Cup A Detailed Recap as Promised

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Hong Kong ROCKS! I tip my hat to the Hong Kong Baseball Association and Kitty Au for putting together a spectacular tournament. I was impressed by how well organized it was. The player fee was extremely low by American baseball standards and included a 5-night hotel stay, two uniforms (which looked awesome), daily breakfast, boxed lunches (blech!), a banquet dinner, and shuttle service to/from the ballpark/hotel. The umpires came from all over the world, including two cutups from Australia (Aussies are insane, but in a good way!)


Day 1 started off with Japan beating Taiwan 11-0, followed by an opening ceremony, which included a dragon dance and a tai-chi demonstration. The big shots from the Hong Kong Baseball Association and the embassy were all there and many of them gave welcome speeches. All the teams (North America, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, and Taiwan) were introduced and a catcher from each team caught a ball from a suit-wearing representative.

After that, about a million pictures were taken with all the different teams. It was a friendly and inviting atmosphere. It was surreal to see so many Asian faces on the ball field. Usually mine is the only one! I expected them all to speak perfect English, since the only Asians I encounter are the 2nd generation American ones. Turns out there was one other Asian American there. Her name is Hanna and she plays for South Korea. She's the one in the picture above.

I'm really glad we didn't have to play a game that first day. All that picture taking was distracting and kind of exhausting! Now I know what Angelina Jolie feels like!

We stuck around to watch South Korea defeat Hong Kong. The game was real close until the 4th inning when South Korea's bats came alive. The final score had South Korea ahead 14-4. We went back to the hotel to change, then went to get some eats while Japan won their second game, defeating Australia 11-1.


Day 2 was an exciting one. We had a double header against South Korea and Hong Kong. These were our only two pool games, so we had to win both to clinch our division. I was starting the first game against South Korea and was way too excited. We ate an early breakfast at the hotel, then the shuttle brought us to the field an hour-and-a-half early to meet up with our coach. We took some batting practice and loosened up our arms to prepare for the game.

Overall I pitched okay, but it wasn't my best outing. I let the umpire's tough calls shake me a bit and got a little tense. I couldn't figure out where her strike zone was - I tried the inside corner and it was called a ball, then the outside corner and it was also called a ball, so for an inning I found myself aiming it down the middle, which is never a good thing. After that inning, I loosened up and finished strong. I ended up giving up 2 or 3 hits the whole game, but I hit two batters and gave up a few walks, which is not typical for me.

We ended up winning 10-5. It felt good to get the W and record our first win of the day. Both teams lined up and bowed to each other. The other team were all smiles, despite their loss. We then bowed to the fans, then bowed to the field. In Asia, it's important to show respect for each other and for the game. I really like that about the culture.

Before our second game, Coach Philipe took us through a dynamic warm-up which consisted of running drills, explosive movements, and moving stretches. Then we did some throwing warm-ups and took infield practice. I was the starting shortstop, backing up our pitcher, Sam. I had a good day at short, committing 0 errors and forcing a lot of outs. I was the leadoff hitter and went 1 for 3 with a single, a walk, and two stolen bases. We ended up with our second W, beating Hong Kong 18-5 and clinching our division. Taiwan ended up beating Australia 7-5 in an upset, which meant we'd be playing Taiwan in the semi-finals.

We went out as a team to Temple Street Market to celebrate our wins. There were tables set out on the street. We ate crab, mussels, and other delicacies, and then shopped the open market. We ran into my friends, Jenn and Rob, some of Jill's friends, and the Aussie umpires. Hong Kong is not a small city, so running into all those folks was kind of crazy! One of the Aussie umps totally admitted to blowing a call on a play I had made at 3rd base. She was so funny that I had to forgive her.

We took a cab back to the hotel and crashed till morning.


Day 3 - Our semi-final game against Taiwan wasn't slated till the afternoon so we got to sleep in. I woke up with the worst MSG headache from dinner the night before. Ugh. After breakfast, Kelly, Ryan, and I ventured out for some shopping. Before we knew it, it was time for shuttle pick-up. We hustled back to the hotel where we found the rest of the Liberty Belles in full uniform in the lobby. Yipes! We ran upstairs, changed as fast as we could, gathered our gear, and hoped we didn't miss the bus. Made it just in time, phew!

At the field, we did our dynamic warm-ups, and prepared mentally for the big game. I was starting at shortstop again. The first inning went great for us with solid defensive plays and three easy outs. There were some questionable calls by the home plate ump, which their first base coach verbally questioned. He continued to question the ump as Hong Kong was taking the field, and the ump threw him out of the game.

The head coach then called his players off the field and officially forfeited the game. It was bizarre. He said, "lets just play a friendly game with the catchers calling balls and strikes". We decided to just have fun with it. To my surprise, the Taiwan players weren’t upset at all. I would have been irate if my coach gave up my semi-final game, but they were all laughing and having fun, so we did the same.

Either way, we had made it to the finals. Japan defeated Korea 18-0 in their semi-final match, so they would be our competition in the championship game. I had heard so much about the Japanese team, that it felt like an honor to have a chance to play them.


Day 4 - I woke up super early. I was so excited about playing Japan that I was ready to go 2 hours ahead of schedule. When I met up with my team, they did not appear to share my excitement. I sensed butterflies. We met up with our coach who took us through our warm-up. He then gave us a speech which was meant to motivate, but I think ended up scaring the bejeezus out of everybody. Were these Japanese players even human, or biological freaks of nature with superhuman athletic prowesses?

I was starting at shortstop again and Sam was to take the mound. We started doing relay drills which went pretty horribly. Throws were wild, balls were being dropped, and worst of all, a stray ball managed to hit our starting pitcher right on her throwing arm. She was in pain and in tears. This was not good. I saw the coach talking to her and I wondered if he was still going to have her start. She did not appear to be in any condition to take the mound. I wondered what was going to happen. I felt great physically, and could probably switch gears in time to start the game. I prepped myself mentally just in case he decided to make a pitching change, but he went ahead as planned.

The first inning wasn't too bad, though we blew an easy rundown situation which allowed a run or two to score. Tiff had a big hit but we were unable to capitalize on it. We left runners on and had a hard time finding the gaps the entire game. As the innings progressed, Sam's arm started hurting her more. A few walks and wild pitches brought in a bunch of runs. Her relievers struggled with control as well, and eventually our game ended in the fifth due to mercy rule. We lost 10-0.

I was disappointed with my hitting, or lack thereof. I went 0 for 4 with 2 ground outs and 2 foul ball pop-outs. I'd been working so much on defense the past few months, that I hadn't devoted enough time to my offensive game.

On the other hand, my defensive game was solid. I had a blast playing shortstop, something I don't often do in the CWBL, where I'm only known for my pitching. There was a ton of action out there with the Japanese at bat. I had another errorless game and was able to make some key plays.

We didn't take the loss too hard. Overall, we had a great tournament. The banquet was the same night, so we had to hustle back to the hotel and get ready. We met in the lobby and Tiff gave us all song sheets. All the teams had to participate in a talent show, so we decided to sing our own version of the AAGPBL song, from the movie "A League of Their Own". We rehearsed on the bus and sounded pretty awful. The banquet was a blast. We all brought baseball wearables to trade with the other teams. I scored a Hong Kong warm-up jacket, a Hong Kong polo shirt, and a Taiwan windbreaker. The mood was festive. All the teams did their talent show routine and we did ours. You can see it here on YouTube.

Don't worry, none of us will be quitting our day jobs.


Siteseeing - I stayed an extra 3 days after the tournament to enjoy Hong Kong. What a great city! The subway system is the best in the world in my opinion. You can go anywhere in Hong Kong and it's super cheap. The stations are immaculate and have nice shops and restaurants in them. All the signs and announcements are in English (with a British accent) and you always know how long it will be before the next train arrives (it's always 3-minutes).

I went to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha. The ski lift contraption that takes you up was broken, so we took the bus instead. The Big Buddha was cool. Some of the players who saw it said it made them feel peaceful and calm, but we were too busy acting silly to notice. I talked my travel buddies into doing a hike with me in the mountains. We made it about a quarter of the way up before petering out. Just as we were heading down, 4 locals, who were at least 50 years old, passed us by, carrying 50-pound bags of sand, and heavy buckets balanced on sticks. Wow, did we feel wussy.

Just like Hollywood's Walk of Fame, Hong Kong has the Avenue of Stars. I got my picture taken next to Jackie Chan and Jet Li's stars. The food in Hong Kong is fantastic, if you go to the right places. The hotel breakfast wasn't so good, but just down the street, a lady steams fresh dim sum dishes on the sidewalk - super good and super cheap. A few of us became regulars at a restaurant called "Under Bridge Spicy Crab". The best crab and clams we've ever had - super good and super expensive, but totally worth the money.

The street markets are a lot of fun. My final day there, I hung out with my friends Rob and Jenn, who happened to be working in Hong Kong the same week I was there. We walked the markets and visited Hong Kong Park which has an amazing aviary. Jenn and I took a tram up to Victoria's Peak and got the most amazing views of the city. I lost track of time and had to rush back to the hotel to get my bags. Thank goodness the subway is fast. I was afraid I'd miss my flight! I made it in time to catch my flight back to San Francisco where I spent a few days with family members and caught up with Jim N.

What a great time. The Liberty Belles have been invited back next year and I'm looking forward to it already!