One more MLB in China piece and then we’ll be done till next season’s (I can only assume) exhibition.

This is a kinda goofy MLB.com joint about Bud Selig proclaiming baseball will soon be big in China. Unfortunately, Selig will pass up the opportunity to hang out in Asia for five or six days, and will instead fly back to the states today, only to return to Tokyo Mar. 24 for the A’s/Red Sox series.

Asian snubs aside Selig apparently liked what he saw in China:

Perhaps no emerging nation presents the potential for economic benefits like one with 1.3 billion possible baseball fans. Selig, having lived through the Cold War, noted the symbolism of the flags of the United States and China flying together beyond the center-field bleachers.

Perhaps? What other emerging economy is in the running? Indonesia? Russia? I suppose you could argue Brazil. But not seriously.

“I feel we’re making inroads,” Selig said as he watched the second and final game of this weekend’s goodwill series between the Dodgers and Padres. “We will continue to do what we can to accelerate the process. In fact, I feel so good about it, I have no doubt in my mind that in a decade, baseball will be big in China.

“We’re watching CNN this morning and our series was the lead story on the sports segment. We’re getting positive coverage in a world where there isn’t much positive coverage. Someday, people will look back on this and recall that, as the relationship expands, this is where it started. Given what we’ve tried to accomplish in this series, it’s exceeded anything we could have hoped for.”

Now that I’ve turned off half the readers with some serious pap, there are a couple interesting tidbits in the article. One is the fact that the Dodgers will soon announce they will help save a “Dodger Stadium” built 22 years ago in Tianjin, which is now part of Tianjin University.

The other is this series of quotes from Dodgers owner and chairman Frank McCourt, talking about the league’s approach to China. I think he’s right on the mark, especially down in the third of these three paragraphs:

“If we focus on the relationship-building aspect and create goodwill between Major League Baseball and the Chinese people, the revenue will take care of itself,” McCourt said. “If we focus on revenue first and forget the importance of the relationship, we may be disappointed.

“We must be patient. We must build fields, provide equipment, train coaches. We need not worry about the money. This country grows wealthier by the moment. They don’t need our money, they need our help and friendship. We need to be a good partner with the Chinese people and send a clear message that this game can be their game too.”

and

“Right now, the Chinese are looking for ways to introduce their population to the concept of leisure, to the concept of middle class,” he said. “It’s a country on the move. The timing for baseball couldn’t be better. We want baseball to be one of the options for entertainment. We want kids to play it in school and for families to be spectators. We are limited only by our imagination.