Robert Whiting (1)

What better way to celebrate the Fall Classic than reading a baseball book. Though written two decades ago, Whiting gives us a peak into besuboru, or, Japanese baseball. One would think that the unchanging rules of the game would dictate a commonality, whether played in the United States, Japan, or anywhere else. However, that simplistic view is quickly eradicated when the author helps the reader take into account differences in culture and strategy. In Japan, baseball teams are marketing arms of corporations (that is, overseen by business people, not baseball people). Players are subservient to the team, and specifically, to the manager and coaches. They train almost year round, believing that the harder and longer one trains, the better player a person can become. Furthermore, Japanese baseball strategy is dictated on small ball, precision, and saving face, dragging games to four hours or longer, with the possibility of games ending in a tie. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is reading about the challenges in acculturation of imported (gaijin) players, mostly former MLB castaways. While Japanese besuboro can be defined by its spirit it ultimately lacks the soul so evident in baseball played in the West.… (mer)