Asia Series Baseball Tourney Canceled Due To Scheduling Issues

Baseball's equivalent to football's Asia Cup, "the annual Asia Series, has been cancelled for this year," according to Brad Elborough of the BRISBANE TIMES. Australian Baseball League champion Perth Heat was "initially scheduled to participate in the competition, watched live by tens of thousands enthusiastic baseball fans and beamed into televisions around the world." However, finding a "suitable time to schedule the event has proven difficult this year." Perth GM Lachy Dale said, "This is really disappointing as the Perth Heat have reclaimed their place as ABL Champions after beating Canberra in the playoffs last year, yet won't be able to showcase its talent against Asia's best." In making the decision, the steering committee took "many factors into consideration," including:

• The resignation of Chinese Professional Baseball League Commissioner Jenn-Tai Hwang.
• Re-arrangements of the CPBL Exec Board, "scheduling conflicts with the planned Nippon Professional Baseball-Major League Baseball series featuring the Samurai Japan team in November."
• The interruption and extension of the Korean Baseball Organization regular season to "allow KBO players to participate in the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon, Korea."