New Dragons

The New Dragons are an amateur slow pitch softball team based in Taipei, Taiwan. It is unofficially the all-time winningest softball team in Taiwan.

The team was founded in 1996. It has played competitions throughout Taiwan, and is actively involved in tournaments and league plays in the Greater-Taipei area. It has become one of the highest-profiled teams, amateur or pro, in Taiwan, because of its celebrity-status players.

The team's GM-Manager for the 2008 season is Tim Chang, a former Taipei City councilor, sports broadcaster, and a veteran softball player for more than 25 years.

The team is currently leading the Saturday-B division with a 13-2-2 record in the Greater-Taipei Holiday League play.

Records
Because amateur records are hard to keep, it is unclear exactly how many games the New Dragons have won over the years. But the consensus among softball experts in Taiwan is that it should be the team with the most all-time victories. Club officials estimate that, due to the fact the team plays multiple games every weekend, all year around, it should have accumulated close to 800 victories since its existence.

The Taipei Sports Office also recognizes the unofficial record, citing that most softball teams do not make past year five. The longevity of the team, and the fact that it has been winning fairly consistently over the last few years, should give the New Dragons its rightful claim.

History
In contrast to most teams that are usually made up of office colleagues or school mates, the founding of the New Dragons is quite unique. It was through a political party that actually gave birth to the team. In 1996, the newly founded New Party, with intentions of gaining support through sports, asked the current team manager Tim Chang to call on players in his radio show. Some thirty players showed up in its first meeting, and the team was founded. It took on the name New Dragons for its roots from the New Party and the belief that the dragon is the supreme creature in the Chinese culture. However, the team has remained relatively political free over the years, and is now totally independent of any political ties.

Places and Championships
It has placed in the top four, a standard for awards in tournament play in Taiwan, numerous times. And it has claimed two major championships in the last five years in the Taipei Metro Cup.

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