John W. wrote:
> On Mar 27, 6:23 pm, The 2-Belo <the2b...@msd.bigREMOVETHISlobe.ne.jp>
> wrote:
>> I detect a smidge of derision in that particular description. Is Japanese
>> baseball not baseball?
>>
> I personally have only one problems with Japanese baseball. I don't
> like that they will just cut off the airing of a game to show the news
> or some popular show; I assume they still do this. I used to get so
> pissed off when you're late in a game, the pitcher winds up, and then
> you cut to some yahoo doing the news. 

That's not half as irritating as when there is a man on first and there 
are no outs or one out and the team at bat is behind on points.  You 
_KNOW_ that the coach is going to order the next guy up to sacrifice 
bunt and advance the runner.   Everyone in the TV audience knows, both 
teams know, the pitcher knows, the entire fucking infield knows and 
moves three paces up ... and the stupid clod with the wood in his hands 
turns and holds the bat across his chest and stands there waiting for 
the pitch.  This could be a man who's hit ten home runs in his past ten 
at-bats but the idiot standing by the side of the dugout issuing hand 
signals calls for a sacrifice bunt eleven out of every ten times.

What defect of logic or genetics causes that?  I used to think that 
Nagashima Shigeo was the Devil Incarnate for throwing away so many 
obvious scoring opportunities in favor of the safe play but now that 
he's off the board it is easier to see that it is a Japanese coaching 
defect and not a personal one.

> Otherwise, it's a sport and I
> like most varieties of competitive sport. Except synchronized swimming
> and figure skating. And other sports that involve dancing.

"Real" sports have their origins in real life and tactics, like the 
discus, shot put, and hammer throw ... or running ... or even 
gymnastics, skating, and skiing.  Most of it descends from military 
training and hunting.  Like you, I've never been able to figure out 
where synchronized swimming, figure skating and ice dancing fit in other 
than something to exhaust the kids so that they don't ask so many 
questions and remain docile.

The one that seems to be the most obvious make-work from some Eastern 
European failed dictatorship is that one where pre-pubescent girls 
dance around with inflated rubber balls, bowling pins, plastic rings, 
and ribbons on sticks.  What kinds of drugs do you take to imagine that 
is a "sport"?  How faked up can you possibly get?  What sort of military 
heritage does that come from?  Like the Mongol Horde was descending on 
some town along the Danube when they were interdicted by one thousand 
bearded men, wearing purple leotards, who dropped plastic rings over 
them, tied them up with ribbons on sticks and hit them on the head with 
bowling pins while using inflated rubber balls to trip their horses? 
And, all the while the orchestra seated along the ridge played something 
classical?  At least the history of the Marathon makes for good movies ...

-- 
CL