Call this part of the “There are no ‘Ham Fighters’ or ‘Tokyo Giants’ and the Hanshin Tigers are not the Boston Red Sox of Japan” series of ongoing gripes to which we give voice from time to time.
OK, to which I give voice. David and Christopher are off the hook on this one.
To make this fun, though, go ahead and read Orange County Register travel editor Gary A. Warner‘s piece on Japanese Baseball, as reprinted in the Miami Herald, before you dig into my dissection. Then we can be like lab partners – only I’m the nerdy one who did the work first and complains a lot more than you. That means you get to be the cool kid and/or hot girl. Enjoy it.
Finished?
Good. I’m not going to give it all away – mostly because I don’t think anyone’ll read that much, but I’m wondering why Mr. Warner didn’t ask questions or pay attention to the games. Taiko drums? Really?
Taiko are just the start, though. I was reading along, thinking that much of what he wrote was just a bit off, but noticing that much of what was correct seemed really familiar. Then it hit me: I’d read it; in Robert Whiting’s 1989 classic You Gotta Have Wa.
I’ll give you guys the fun of picking it apart further.
