It was a brisk mid-March day, and the hardy band of CW editors and CW editorial groupies (what, you didn't think we have groupies?) disembarked at the Wukesong subway stop on Line 1, right on time for a prime slice of America's pastime. Some might see the game as a relic of the past, impossibly archaic and boring. We here at CW prefer the view espoused by CW Managing Editor Collin "Don't Call Me Colin" Crowell: "When you've got beer and hot dogs, who's not a baseball fan?"

The start of the game was pushed back about a half hour to let everyone get through security outside (Beijing authorities were using the game as a runthrough for Olympic security arrangements), but once everyone got inside, the announced crowd was over 12,000, nearly a sellout. Not bad for MLB's first foray onto the Chinese mainland.

The crowd was a healthy mix of expats and local fans. Despite a chilly wind blowing in from left field, everyone was in high spirits.

You could almost have forgotten that you weren't in the US. Even when local, ahem, adaptations showed up, they weren't always unwelcome.

When all was said and done, it really did feel like going to a ballgame back in the states. As far as we're concerned, the game's two high points came during two of your typical baseball game's signature rituals, one always planned, the other always spontaneous.

As far as the first, the singing of Take Me Out to the Ballgame, is concerned, we're going to have to take issue with The AP's coverage of the game. The public address announcer was most decidedly not the only person singing along:

The second was the game's unquestionable high point. It arose, as always, in the middle innings from the cheap seats, far out in center field, from an unstoppable combination of beer and good cheer. In its first-ever appearance in China (as far as we know), it was The mother-freaking WAVE

Wow. Until someone tells us differently, years from now, when we see Chinese crowds doing The Wave during soccer games, basketball games and Liang Hui meetings, we're going to say we were present at the creation.

The game's only low points? First, the lines at the concession stands:

There were only two concession stands for the whole stadium, and they were both mobbed. Each of them repeatedly ran out of food, and even when they did have food, the hot dogs they were serving up were the worst we've had in China (and that's really saying something). The vendor (who will remain nameless for the purpose of preserving peaceful CW-vendor relations) didn't have the equipment or the capacity to handle their role as concessionaire. Whether that was their fault or MLB's fault is anyone's guess. We're guessing it was likely a combination of both. Luckily, they did manage to stay well-stocked with beer, thus preventing complete disaster.

The other low point? The score: the game ended in a 3-3 tie. Apparently MLB rules prevent exhibition games from going extra innings. Normally we'd agree with this, but, c'mon people. This is the first ever game in China. Is going another three innings really going to kill anyone? Why not have China's introduction to the sport be a dramatic one?

Despite the letdown, we were left eager for more. We tracked down the head of MLB's Beijing office after the game and quizzed him on the possibility of this trip becoming an annual thing. He said "we want to do it, but they're going to blow up [Wukesong Baseball] Stadium after the Olympics, so we don't know where we could hold it". We'll be crossing our fingers and hoping for a marquee matchup next year.

With that, we leave you with more footage of the intrepid cheerleading squad, bearing their midriffs for the cause of baseball in China.