US baseball coach finds field of dreams in China (2)

Things began to change almost magically when he hit his third year. All of a sudden, people began to respond to him differently. When he showed up and did something, there were more people there to welcome him, and there were more efforts to listen to what he had to say.

"I never came to China to leave. I think once people recognized that, they started to trust me more," he said.

"You put good baseball people on the field and players are going to be better. It's the relationship that allows you to put those people on the field, because you've got to develop trust," he added.

Since he first came to China to teach a baseball course in the summer of 2000, Dell has seen significant changes in how the country perceives baseball.

More Chinese kids have started to play the sport and more support facilities have been built across the country. The MLB has established two development centers in the cities of Wuxi and Changzhou in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

But as Dell has discovered, one of the biggest problems that has hindered China's ability to produce world-class baseball players is the fact that kids start playing the game much later than their U.S. or Japanese peers.

"The skill of throwing a baseball, the arm strength, those are developing in the years between the ages of 6 and 14. So someone who starts to play baseball at 13 can become very good, but they will probably never develop professional arm strength," he said.

Although Dell had a fairly successful career as a college coach, he now has a different way to gauge his success in China -- and it definitely isn't about counting wins.

When frustrated young players come to him for advice, he tells them to look at where they are today and where they were last year or the year before -- the same way he judges his own progress in China.

Dell said his work in China has gained him respect and credibility, adding that he has relished his experience in China.

"To be able to make an impact on the country of this size at this point in history, it's sort of like having been able to live in ancient Rome and been able to make an impact there," he said.

Odd Travel Sports Top 15 expat destinations 2012 Gun battle happens in Shanxi? Useful tips for new moms [Special] Autumn Complexion   in Beijing Stunning autumn scenery of Anhui Top 10 worst Chinese cities for commuters