The Japanese

So last night I sat down thinking I was going to enjoy a nice competitive baseball game between the U.S and Japan. In the end we lost. I never really fully anticipated a win. But what I didn't expect was to leave my couch furious at the way the Japanese play baseball.

Well, while watching the WBC semifinal last night I realized it was the first time I had sat down to watch Japanese play a game. My whole life I have respected the way they play ball, but never really knew how they went about playing. I always assumed they all played like Ichiro, Dice-k, and Kenji Jojima. Great players with funky mechanics but baseball players nonetheless.

While watching the game I found out that they play an entirely different brand of baseball than we do, and it's infuriating to watch. It's kinda like when you are a die hard college football fan and you're watching a game with an option quarterback who leaves you saying, "throw the damn ball, this is football you f-ing pansy." He never throws the ball and you end up losing to that guy and he finishes the game with a line like this, 1/6 22yards no TDs. Thats not football. Just like the way Japanese players play baseball. Its some warped version that is as infuriated as the 5-dollar footlong commercials. Pitchers who don't base their repertoire on a fastball, hitters who have one foot out side the batters box before they leave, and infielders who spend countless hours a week practicing fundamentals. Their incredible efficiency at the game really chaps my behind. It makes me furious that someone can be better at our game. How is it that a country half way around the world has taken our sport and transformed it into this version that is superior to ours?