Baseball Hanshin
14 Nov 2010
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |
No items matching your keywords were found.
-------------You Find More Products at the Bottom ------------------
Baseball Hanshin
On this long awaited, first day of America's favorite game, two fields are left empty. No players in the outfield or in the dugout, no traditional first pitch ceremonies or choruses of the Star Spangled Banner echoing through the stadium. No screaming fans doing "the wave", the pitcher's mound deserted. From the concession stands to the Green Monster, not a player or fan in sight. A cold, empty silence hangs over Fenway Park.
No, the Red Sox are not on strike and they haven't been abducted by aliens. They have packed their gear, kissed their loved ones farewell and headed to Japan to kick off the 2008 baseball season. 3500 miles away in Oakland California the A's have done the same in preparation for what will be an historic matchup with the Sox.
That's right. The Boston Red Sox boarded a plane bound for the Land of the Rising Sun prior to MLB's opening day in hopes of re-igniting interest in American baseball in the Japanese people. After exhibition games with the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants, the Sox and A's faced off in a two game series at the Tokyo Dome. It's no surprise that the majority of local fans were cheering on the Sox as the contest began, due in part to the two Japanese natives on the team - Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima. The pair were swarmed by Japanese media and given the red carpet treatment from the moment they disembarked from their charter flight from America.
After splitting the short, two game set, the A's and the Sox headed back to the US for more exibitions games, then on to another two game series against each other. Not a conventional beginning for a Major League season. The Sox then boarded yet another plane destined to land outside of the U.S. border, this time more familiar surroundings at the Sky Dome in Toronto, only to be swept by the Blue Jays who have since struggled. I guess they were still on Tokyo time.
For the fans? I, for one, got up at the crack of dawn to watch the series in Japan. It's been a long, and very snowy winter in New England and I couldn't wait for baseball to begin. It was like having a nice warm blanket wrapped around you as you watched the players take the field. You knew that warmer temps and longer days weren't far away. Although I didn't make the flight with the Sox, it took me a couple days to adjust from watching games in the early morning hours to staying up 'til the last pitch of the late night affairs broadcast from the west coast with the 10 pm eastern starts.
The Red Sox are finally back home and glad to "get back to the grind". The usual excitement, pomp and circumstance of the home opener this year turbo charged with the presentation of the World Series Rings. A second such presentation in the past 4 years. No longer do the Fenway Faithful, whichever corner of the earth they may reside, have to console themselves with the annual "Wait 'til next year" montra that became all too familiar. The Sox have figured it out. They no longer find ways snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They've crested the hill and are riding the wave, confident in their ability to compete with the toughest teams in either league.
They have just finished up a 3 game series with the Yankees, taking 2 out of 3 games from the Bronx Bombers. Each team struggling around the .500 mark and key players from both squads missing playing time on the DL. The two teams battled furiously with surgical-like defense and of course heavy hitting and, watching the Red Sox, it seems they may be shedding their sluggish early season play. I can only assume that Big Papi, David Ortiz will follow suit and start losing balls into the bullpen and the crowds sitting behind it.
They described their experience in Tokyo as "eye-opening and rewarding". It is definitely not one they will soon forget as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of them. David Ortiz was one of the few who'd been to Japan on an earlier occasion on an All Star Trip. After recovering from jet lag and 10 and 12 hour flights, they are back in the saddle and it's safe to assume they feel a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that they helped cultivate a little piece of Americana in the Far East and maybe even brought a little piece of the storied Japanese culture home with them.
Ron Berry is a freelance journalist and a life long fan of the Red Sox. For more Major League Baseball news, stories and an enhanced version of this article with links to more resources, visit I Scored Tickets! http://www.iscoredtickets.com
|
No items matching your keywords were found.
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.