Maybe it was all bluster, but no one seemed worried about squaring up to the Dodgers at Beijing's Wukesong Stadium, the temporary 12,000-seat venue that has been purpose-built for the August 8-24 Beijing Games. It will be torn down afterwards to make room for a hotel.

"I definitely think there's going to be a sweep involved this weekend," said Justin Germano, who will throw the first MLB pitch in China's history on Saturday. Hong Kong action star Jet Li will throw a ceremonial first pitch on Sunday.

Last year the Padres were 10-8 against the Dodgers. This was before San Diego came agonizingly close to making its third straight playoff appearance before losing to eventual NL champs the Colorado Rockies in a controversial 13-inning nail-biter.

Germano was a late addition to the 26-man China squad as the Padres left most of their starters back in Arizona to finish spring training. With the season starting at the end of the month, the big leagues cannot spare all their stars for a trip to China, hence the absence of Padres' Cy Young-winner Jake Peavy.

"I think going to China is the only way to get a day off spring training," joked Padres infielder Brian Myrow.

This lack of cooperation from MLB teams was also one of the arguments used to vote the sport off the Olympic roster.

Center fielder Andruw Jones, a potential Hall of Famer, is one of the biggest draws on the LA side, as could be South Korean pitcher Park Chan-ho given his popularity in the region. The Dodgers arrived in Beijing yesterday, one day behind schedule.

Tickets for both days' games were almost sold out by Thursday, according to Jim Small, vice-president of MLB Asia. But Padres officials were keen to point out that this weekend was not an English Premier League-like jaunt to the Far East to raise funds. The chartered flights alone cost the Padres nearly $2 million.

"This is basically a money-loser, but we're thinking long-term development," said Chief Financial Officer Fred Gerson, adding that MLB was picking up most of the tab.

Small said future plans include continuing MLB's four-year cooperation with the Chinese national team, getting the game more air time on China's state-regulated TV, and launching several baseball academies around the country.

"We're already doing grassroots programs. We're in 120 schools in five cities with a program called Playball, which is designed to get kids 8-12 to sample baseball," he said. "It's a work in progress."

For some local fans, the hype machine for Saturday's game was redundant.

"I have been waiting for this moment for a long time," said 26-year-old Zhou Kun, a first baseman for the amateur-level Broncos in Beijing. "Me and my teammates bought our tickets three weeks ago. We can't wait to see how good MLB is live."

Traveling Padres fans Frank and Barbara Glenski, both retirees, said there's more to the game than people running around in circles hitting home runs.

"That's boring," said Barbara, who refers to the team as her 25 grandsons. "I like it when they steal bases. That's the exciting part."

(China Daily March 14, 2008)