Growing up in LA, the dream was to step upon that mound at Dodger Stadium on opening day. Being an American of Japanese Descendent, I never considered my self any different than those around me but from a very young age, I knew I could do things with a baseball that most kids my age couldn't even fathom. I dominated at every level growing up from Little League up to High School ball. It was in High School that I met my coach who would end up being one of the biggest influences in my life. Although the school itself was not a baseball powerhouse by no means, I did enough individually to make some noise and got my name out there. From there, I parlayed those accolades into a full baseball scholarship to Arizona State; year in and year out, one of the top collegiate baseball programs in the nation. The story picks up here where during college, I end up on the wrong side of an auto accident where my elbow gets completely destroyed and with that, my confidence. Through 2 years of therapy and a number of major surgeries, I eventually get picked up by the hometown Dodgers in the draft onto their Minor League roster. Management appreciates the hard work but my stuff is never the way it was and hence, I was told that the likelihood of me ever making the show was slim to none. Right around this time, my old coach from HS calls as he has ended up becoming a pitching coach for a Professional Baseball team in Japan - The Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Through much persuasion and no real prospects back home, I decide to make the leap of faith back to the motherland and see if I have anything left to make the most of my once promising career. For starters, the old coach is a Caucasian who during his time in Japan has come to fully embrace and immerse himself in the language and culture, including marrying a Japanese women and having two kids. Despite the fact that I am 100% Japanese by blood, being born and raised in the States has made me look at life from a Western perspective. The story really takes of here with my experiences as a ''foreigner'' in my motherland being looked after by white man who is probably more Japanese than I ever will be. Everything from the way baseball is played and practiced in Japan compared to that in the States as well as a scene in the movie where the coach takes me to watch his son play in the National Summer baseball tournament played at the famous Koshien stadium in order to get my perspective and attitude in line.
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Last update: 31-12-2011 22:57 |
| Published in : Sports |
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