N.Y. Observer: Scocca: Joe Torre, Far From Home

And it’s more than just a look at the Tian’anmen Square himself.

“That’s what I wanted to see—Joe Torre in a Dodgers uniform,” a woman said mid-game, on the patch of walkway behind the stands that served as a concourse. A vendor squatted on the paving blocks, selling sandwiches and canned drinks. For 240 RMB, the vendors were letting fans carry a whole case of Yanjing beer off to their seats. Try that in the Land of Liberty.

On the other hand, whenever any spectator along the third-base line unfurled a sign, a man in a yellow windbreaker quickly moved in to inspect it. He spent a long time studying one held by a Red Sox fan, taunting Hank Steinbrenner.

Other traces of Yankees influence were hard to find on this side of the Pacific. Among the expats at the game, Boston hats outnumbered Yankees hats by a wide margin. There may have been more Yomiuri Giants caps than Padres ones.