La New Bears

Infobox baseball team
Name = La New Bears
La New 熊

Founded = 2004
League = Chinese Professional Baseball League
Location = Kaohsiung
Stadium = Chengching Lake Baseball Field
Colors = Teal
LogoDesign =
LeagueChamps=2006
Series =Asia Series
SeriesChamps=
h_c

h_leftarm=008080
h_pattern_la=_linesonwhite
h_body=FFFFFF
h_pattern_b=_baseball
h_rightarm=008080
h_pattern_ra=_linesonwhite
h_pants=008080
h_pattern_pants=_beltonwhite
h_socks=008080
a_c

a_leftarm=008080
a_pattern_la=_whitelines
a_body=008080
a_pattern_b=_baseball
a_rightarm=008080
a_pattern_ra=_whitelines
a_pants=008080
a_pattern_pants=_beltonwhite
a_socks=008080

The La New Bears (La New 熊), formerly First Financial Holdings Agan (第一金控金剛, abbreviated 第一金剛), is a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. Owned and administered by the Kaohsiung-based shoe-producing La New Corporation, the Bears qualified for the playoffs in 2006 for the first time in team history, and by finishing with the best record for the whole season, gained an automatic berth in the Taiwan Series.

The Bears play their home games at Chengching Lake Baseball Field in Kaohsiung County.

History

First Financial Holdings Agan (2003)

Also known as the First Securities Agan, the Agan was owned and administered by the First Financial Holding Corporation, a government-funded financial holding service. Its then-chairman Chen Chien-lung (陳建隆) was a keen political supporter of President Chen Shui-bian, and immediately agreed at the president's request to take over one of the remaining two former TML teams after TML was merged into CPBL in January 2003. Since Macoto Bank had already decided to take-over the Macoto Gida, Chen Chien-lung took-over the Agan as promised. The bulk of Agan's player came from Taipei Gida and Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala (for unexplained reasons, not the Taichung Agan which carried the same mascot) and its home was Chengching Lake Baseball Field.

Without a strong roster plus the Corporation's inexperience and unprofessionalism in running a professional sports club, the Agan performed poorly right from the start of the 2003 season, and after Chen Chien-lung's sudden resignation due to alleged insider trading in August 2003, the First Financial Holding Corporation no longer showed willingness in running the team. After the 2003 season, the Agan was sold to La New Corporation, a shoe company, and later became La New Bears. During the 2003 season this club set many bad records because of its poor level of play:

*Fewest wins in a whole season (20)
*Most losses in a whole season (71)
*Fewest wins in a half season (9)
*Most losses in a half season (37)
*Poorest winning percentage in a whole season (.220)
*Poorest winning percentage in a half season (.196)
*Poorest annual team batting average (.237)
*Fewest annual team home runs (32)
*Did not win any of the 20 games against Brother Elephants in the 2003 season (2 ties, 18 losses)

La New Bears (2004 to current)

Records

Asia Series

Roster

Notable Former Players

* Cory Bailey
* Todd Betts
* Wu Szu-Yu

Retired Number

* 10 - This number is reserved for the fans, as the tenth player on the field.

ee also

*Chinese Professional Baseball League
*First Financial Holdings Agan
*2006 Chinese Professional Baseball League Playoffs

External links

* [http://www.lanew-bears.com.tw/bear_web/index.jsp Official site, in Chinese]
* [http://www.cpbl.com.tw Site of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, in Chinese]
* [http://www.larnew.com.tw/ La New Corporation Official Website]
* [http://twbsball.dils.tku.edu.tw/wiki/index.php/%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80%E9%87%91%E5%89%9B First Financial Holdings Agan in Taiwan Baseball Wiki (in Traditional Chinese)]

ee also

*2007 CPBL season