As we’ve all heard by now, Wang Chien-ming is on his way to the Washington Nationals.  The writing was on the wall when the Yankees non-tendered Wang in December, but there was still speculation Wang would re-sign with the Bombers at a reduced rate in the end.  Now the break-up is official.

I’m looking forward to this move for a number of reasons.  First off, it gives me a chance to see a crop of new teams on broadcast TV out here.  This is assuming that ESPN shifts its focus to the Nationals and the NL East, or even better, shifts gears and covers Tigers and Dodgers games as well.  More exposure to more teams can only be a good thing for the game here.

Secondly, I am relishing the chance to see just how deep Taiwan’s devotion to the king really is.  Let’s face it–it’s not hard to be a die-hard fan when your boy is winning 19 games in back-to-back seasons for the easiest bandwagon in baseball to jump on.  (I like to remind our readers once a year that I received death threats from rabid fans for suggesting Wang wasn’t the best pitcher in baseball during his glory days in pinstripes).  Wang now finds himself in the polar opposite situation:  On what will likely be one of the worst teams in baseball with a one-year deal laden with performance bonuses.

I’m looking forward to cheering for Wang now from a perspective not many though possible a year or two ago, as an underdog.   And looking forward to the casual baseball fan here being exposed to a different side of MLB, seeing the perspective of life on a bottom-tier team.  Jay-Z and Gooliani won’t be in the crowd cheering, no parties with Tribeca models after the game, and the logo on the hat isn’t synonymous with urban cool, Wall St. bonuses, and big coin.

Good luck to Mr. Wang as he begins this next step on his baseball journey, we wish him a prosperous journey to the capital.

Fret not Aaron, there’s always Reon Kadena bouncing up and down gleefully on a giant rubber ball (NSFW).