It is well-known that guys like to talk about sports. Only recently did I realize that sports talk is unhindered by by even the most extreme language barrier. My second night here, we were out at a bar and struck up a conversation with some 18 year-old Japanese guys. Within minutes we were talking basketball. Somehow we made it to the topic of Muggsy Bogues, at which point the conversation crashed and burned, but I'm amazed we got that far. Anyway, this is a sloppy segue into my illustrated report on Japanese baseball.

I also added some stuff to the Engrish page.

Also, due to the server switch, I lost the list of people who want to be notified when a new entry is added. I've reconstructed it to the best of my memory, but may have forgotten people. If you didn't receive a notice regarding this entry and you should've, let me know.

dude. mr. pitch is gumby. what sort of product is he endorsing anyway? grass flavored potato chips?

OK, a couple questions/comments after reading your baseball expose:

a. Are the Ham Fighters *fighting* ham, or fighting *with* ham? I don't really know which I'm hoping is the case, it's hilarious either way.
b. What with Mr. Pitch and the other brilliant Engrish going on, I was hoping for more wackiness from the Umpires. As all cultural ideas are formed via images gleaned from game shows and the Internet, I was picturing something along the lines of the old guy on that new Fox show - Bonzai. So that's a little disappointing that they're just as dull and authoritative as they are here.

look -- you think some random hottie is writing you.

i have to say japanese ball is much more civilized. i was even preparing to extoll it's virtue in this here comment until i saw that they have a big huge inflatable toilet too! by last count (which, admittedly, was over 6 weeks ago), our top five gross exports include:

1. denim
2. fried food
3. gov't surplus milk and grain
4. jerry lewis, and
5. astroturf.

who knew? question: do they use the stadium for other things? do all teams have their own?

Trust me, if you were dressed in an amazingly awkward mascot costume, you'd need a lovely assistant just to keep from walking into everything and everyone. Those things have no peripheral vision.

hey me rikey notify when tings get posted here. me no find out tir me lookey long time. me fail engrish that unpossibre.

sign me up...please?

peace in christ, brian. peace in christ.