The Whales '" boy next door, "Cheng Chang-ming, caught the eye of advertisers after making a name for himself in a 2001 World Cup game. For a time, Cheng outshone better players on the team, and was the Whales' poster boy.
二○○一年在世界盃一戰成名後，中信鯨的「鄰家男孩」鄭昌明被廣告商看中，陽光男孩一時壓倒隊上成績更好的其他球員，成為鯨隊的人氣指標。