It is a first-of-its-kind opportunity. And you can watch it unfold. A chance to see the emergence of a sport in a nation that once considered baseball “cultural pollution.” (Baseball was outlawed by Mao Tse Tung during the Cultural Revolution in China during the 1970s.)
It all started five years ago in China. As host nation for the Beijing Olympics, all of its teams would be allowed to participate. In the past, the Chinese had not fielded a good baseball team. With the Olympics on their home turf, they wanted to make a good showing in America’s game. So representatives from the Chinese Baseball Association turned to Major League Baseball for help.
Jim Lefebrve, former player and coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was working for Major League Baseball’s International Division at the time. He had such a strong background in baseball fundamentals as a coach, MLB officials believed he could give the Chinese players what they needed to become winners.
Jim picked Bruce Hurst, Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame pitcher, to be his pitching coach.
Along with a handful of other retired pros, Lefebrve and Hurst took on one of the toughest tasks of their careers – transforming China’s fledgling national baseball team into a contender in the 2008 Olympic Games. See the story unfold as the team trains and competes in Arizona, Italy, Japan and China. Watch

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