Japanese baseball

[Canuck]

Ahh yes they sure know how to do things in Japan.  Cute Japanese girls doing cheerleading routines all game long, along with singing in that cute Japanese voice (you know-sort of sounds like a bunch of drunk mice at a karaoke party), being served beer by girls in ridiculously sexist "baseball uniforms"-oh and there's some sort of game going on in the background as well

Seriously though it's good fun.  I went to a "company" tournament and watched Honda play Mitsubishi.  This isn't like your typical office league though.  These guys are high quality and they're playing in the Tokyo Dome!  Some of them actually get drafted into the Japan League.

I'm not a big follower of baseball in general and I was a little distracted this game (I didn't actually realize the game had started until the 7th inning ) but I've made a couple observations about Japanese baseball.  It's similar to American baseball although there are a couple differences.  First,  the batter is not actually allowed to leave the batters box until a full count has been reached.  He may not hit or be hit by the ball and the pitcher may not walk him or strike him out until full count has been reached.  Even if the count is 3-0 or 0-2, it will eventually go to 3-2 before the outcome is decided.  This leads me to wonder why they don't just change the rules to make the count automatically 3-2 and just have a single "sudden death" pitch.

Secondly, if there is a runner on first and there are no outs then the batter will bunt.  This is not optional and if the batter does not bunt he receives a game misconduct and given a thorough thrashing.  Nobody will be surprised by the bunt either.  There's no half swing which turns into a bunt here.  The batter patiently stands with his bat over the plate waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball.

Finally, the hardcore fans are crazy and will literally cheer all game long.  I'm not talking about a group of ten people either.  I'm talking about an entire section of the stands. They just like the excuse to break out of their shell I think.  Of course they're still Japanese so it's very organized cheering.  Still it's a lot of fun just to cheer   I have a few pics and videos.  Unfortunately for some reason I never got any of the actual game 









http://www.youtube.com/v/3m_wy_YB3WQ

http://www.youtube.com/v/48LLfvDbeic

http://www.youtube.com/v/NY5Ud1zSeMU

http://www.youtube.com/v/RJ_trm-tBV8

http://www.youtube.com/v/8L4iuvqVKFI

http://www.youtube.com/v/5uuRlftSb7Y

http://www.youtube.com/v/cV2yMm5A7Vw

[CeeKay]

I <3 Japan    never been there though- I keep on meaning to learn basic Japanese so I can better enjoy any possible visits.

[Zarkon]

Can you ship one of those to me, please?

[CeeKay]

Can you ship one of those to me, please?

hell, if you're shipping those girls I'll take a 12 pack!

[warning]

That might actually make baseball interesting enough to watch.  Most of the time it's like watching paint dry.

[Eduardo X]

When I went to Cuba, it was during the playoffs. We watched some of a game on TV, and it was like Mardi Gras in the stands; people just going nuts, drumming, dancing, singing. I wish I'd have gone to a game.

[Xmann]

lol

I went to a Devil Rays game yesterday and my wife says to me, "they need cheerleading in baseball"

Can't wait to show her these videos.

[CeeKay]

I went to a Devil Rays game yesterday and my wife says to me, "they need stripping cheerleaders in baseball"

fixed.

[wonderpug]

I went to Devil yesterday and says to him, "you need to be stripping down to your baseballs"

 

[CeeKay]

I went to Devil yesterday and says to him, "you need to be licking your bollocks so I can watch"

 

[stiffler]

The Atlanta Falcons trotted out a Japanese wide receiver last night.  Turns out they have colleges in Japan that play American football.  This blew my mind.

[CeeKay]

The Atlanta Falcons trotted out a Japanese wide receiver last night.  Turns out they have colleges in Japan that play American football.  This blew my mind.

OMG!! it lives!  We thought we'd lost you, or misplaced you, or accidentally sold you off in that white slavery deal.....

[stiffler]

Somebody noticed?

I was... busy.

I hope to post regularly or something!  I missed this place.

[Canuck]

The Atlanta Falcons trotted out a Japanese wide receiver last night.  Turns out they have colleges in Japan that play American football.  This blew my mind.

Actually the Americans barely beat the Japanese (23-20 in OT) in this year's American Football World Cup.

[CeeKay]

The Atlanta Falcons trotted out a Japanese wide receiver last night.  Turns out they have colleges in Japan that play American football.  This blew my mind.

Actually the Americans barely beat the Japanese (23-20 in OT) in this year's American Football World Cup.

there's a American Football World Cup? whoah, must have missed that one.

[stiffler]

Remember when Emmit Smith was trying to get football to be an Olympic sport?  Maybe that was just a marketing gimmick?  Must have been around the time of the Dream Team craze.  Seemed kind of pointless.

Back on topic, the game sounded like fun.  I would love to see a baseball game, or any other sporting event, in Japan.  I want to see how crazy those fans can be.  The descriptions in the original post didn't dissapoint.  The Japanese just seem (in my limited experience) a very all-or-nothing people.