Web Site of Baseball Trip Help?
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Re: Web Site of Baseball Trip Help?
[ Author: Guest: rhdorsey | Posted: Jul 9, 2004 2:36 PM
]
Very enjoyable read! Also amusing, particularly the piece on the Fighters. Must have taken some very good planning and organization to see all the stadiums in just 2 weeks, particularly to get to Fukuoka and Hiroshima.
I attended a couple games in Japan in 1997, both at the Tokyo Dome. I saw first-hand the dramatic difference between the popularity of the Giants and the Fighters. For the Fighters' game, the stadium was pretty empty, but for the Giants' game I stood in line for several hours to get a ticket, and after I got in, I couldn't find a seat and had to stand the entire game (both games were on Sunday afternoon). At that time, Hideki Matsui and Kiyohara were the Giants' big hitters. Didn't have any idea then that Matsui, or any other Japanese player, would someday be playing in the U.S. There was some speculation then about Ichiro possibly coming to the U.S. I think the "posting system" had just gone into effect in Japan. But the prevailing thinking seemed to be that he was much too popular for Japan to ever let him leave.
I also had a ticket for the Seibu Dome, but I didn't make it back to Tokyo in time to see the game.
Didn't realize at the time how significant Koshien Stadium was. If I had, I probably would have tried to see a game there, too.
I'll point out also that the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame is located right at the Tokyo Dome.
I attended a couple games in Japan in 1997, both at the Tokyo Dome. I saw first-hand the dramatic difference between the popularity of the Giants and the Fighters. For the Fighters' game, the stadium was pretty empty, but for the Giants' game I stood in line for several hours to get a ticket, and after I got in, I couldn't find a seat and had to stand the entire game (both games were on Sunday afternoon). At that time, Hideki Matsui and Kiyohara were the Giants' big hitters. Didn't have any idea then that Matsui, or any other Japanese player, would someday be playing in the U.S. There was some speculation then about Ichiro possibly coming to the U.S. I think the "posting system" had just gone into effect in Japan. But the prevailing thinking seemed to be that he was much too popular for Japan to ever let him leave.
I also had a ticket for the Seibu Dome, but I didn't make it back to Tokyo in time to see the game.
Didn't realize at the time how significant Koshien Stadium was. If I had, I probably would have tried to see a game there, too.
I'll point out also that the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame is located right at the Tokyo Dome.
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I'll be giving a presentation on my trip at the SABR Convention in Cincinnati on July 16 and MLB.com is supposed to do a feature on it also.
Thanks in advance!