HebrewHammer
04-04-2005, 01:38 AM
1. Japan has us beat when it comes to pregame theatrics. They used a massive spherical video screen and 50+ little leaguers singing take me out to the ballgame accompanied by organists and a choir. Then they had a Bulls-like intro of all the ballplayers. Then some Japanese pop star to sing their anthem. I was worn out after three minutes.
2. The biggest comment on Japanese professional baseball is that the best team in the league has 2/3 of their OF made up of Gabe Kapler and Tuffy Rhodes. Their closer is Danny Miceli and their top setup man is a Polish guy named "Sikorski." Imagine this on the Sox and try to not throw up.
3. Takahashi will be a player for some team in the MLB. Think Ichiro in the field and Magglio at the plate. The Giants catcher (Abe) also seemed like he could play on a MLB team.
4. It took 8 innings before I saw a real mistake in the field and it was made by a white guy.
5. The TokyoDome is tiny. A guy hit a 132m HR to left/cetner. The distance from the station at my hotel to the Japanese "Red line" was 125m. I was also expecting a larger seating capacity, it held maybe 45,000.
6. The cheers and songs for each player was a big highlight. I was expecting an insane atmosphere and it was more like a college atmosphere. The noise makers were fun, but I can't imagine an American crowd being able to use them for an entire game. "Kap-u-lah!" Thump, thump, thump, thump thump! "Kap-u-lah!"
7. We're not the only country with lousy umps.
8. They have cheerleaders and (HOT)beer girls. We cannot adopt this fast enough here.
9. They sold towels with the names and numbers of ballplayers. I almost bought a Tuffy Rhodes one, but then I realized that it was Tuffy Rhodes.
10. They did not throw back homerun balls.
11. Too much bunting. I must have seen almost a dozen bunts in this game. I'm no Beaneiac, but come on, let your guys swing away. Also the speed of the game was comparable to the MLB. It was like AAAA game. A few legit players, a few not so legit players and a few washed up former major leaguers.
12. Danny Miceli choked the game away in the ninth giving up a 3-run bomb to a gentleman named "LaRocca." They could've asked anyone on this site if they thought having Miceli as a closer would be a good idea and probably would have gotten no's from anyone.
13. The names on the back of the jerseys were in our alphabet, everything else in Japanese. I don't get it either. It was a battle to order food. I also didn't favor the toilets. Think the "I need someone to tell me how to take a crap" scene in Mr. Baseball. Thankfully a urinal opened up.
14. Everyone seems to like Iguchi. A lot of folks said they "respected" his game and should be a good fit for the White Sox.
2. The biggest comment on Japanese professional baseball is that the best team in the league has 2/3 of their OF made up of Gabe Kapler and Tuffy Rhodes. Their closer is Danny Miceli and their top setup man is a Polish guy named "Sikorski." Imagine this on the Sox and try to not throw up.
3. Takahashi will be a player for some team in the MLB. Think Ichiro in the field and Magglio at the plate. The Giants catcher (Abe) also seemed like he could play on a MLB team.
4. It took 8 innings before I saw a real mistake in the field and it was made by a white guy.
5. The TokyoDome is tiny. A guy hit a 132m HR to left/cetner. The distance from the station at my hotel to the Japanese "Red line" was 125m. I was also expecting a larger seating capacity, it held maybe 45,000.
6. The cheers and songs for each player was a big highlight. I was expecting an insane atmosphere and it was more like a college atmosphere. The noise makers were fun, but I can't imagine an American crowd being able to use them for an entire game. "Kap-u-lah!" Thump, thump, thump, thump thump! "Kap-u-lah!"
7. We're not the only country with lousy umps.
8. They have cheerleaders and (HOT)beer girls. We cannot adopt this fast enough here.
9. They sold towels with the names and numbers of ballplayers. I almost bought a Tuffy Rhodes one, but then I realized that it was Tuffy Rhodes.
10. They did not throw back homerun balls.
11. Too much bunting. I must have seen almost a dozen bunts in this game. I'm no Beaneiac, but come on, let your guys swing away. Also the speed of the game was comparable to the MLB. It was like AAAA game. A few legit players, a few not so legit players and a few washed up former major leaguers.
12. Danny Miceli choked the game away in the ninth giving up a 3-run bomb to a gentleman named "LaRocca." They could've asked anyone on this site if they thought having Miceli as a closer would be a good idea and probably would have gotten no's from anyone.
13. The names on the back of the jerseys were in our alphabet, everything else in Japanese. I don't get it either. It was a battle to order food. I also didn't favor the toilets. Think the "I need someone to tell me how to take a crap" scene in Mr. Baseball. Thankfully a urinal opened up.
14. Everyone seems to like Iguchi. A lot of folks said they "respected" his game and should be a good fit for the White Sox.