Baseball

Well, many that know me well will be surprised when I tell you that I spent a significant part of this weekend watching high school baseball :D.

A mid-pitch photo taken during Saturday's match.

Why baseball, you may ask? Well, baseball is super-popular in Japan! And even school level games are periodically broadcast on national television.

My school, Matsusho (a.k.a. Matsusaka Commercial High School), has been doing very well this season, and this weekend was the semi-final and final of the season's local baseball tournament (on Saturday and Sunday mornings respectively).

A slow moment in the game.

I'm very pleased to say that Matsusho won the final this weekend in a very dramatic game against Matsusaka Academic High School. The score was 10-11, and the academic school had been leading for 4 of the preceding 8 innings before the final inning, during which Matsusho made a dramatic and very exciting comeback! I believe that their victory will allow the to compete at prefecture (similar to provincial-level) later in the seasons :D.

So why the sudden interest in baseball you may ask? Well, I'm interested because it's my school... and because they're my students. I recognise that if I want to develop a relationship with my students, then I will need to nurture that relationship, and that is what I've been trying to do this weekend... I've been trying to make it clear to the students that I care; which I do... which is why when Matsusho completed that last home-run, I was genuinely excited, ecstatic actually, at their victory.

In the image above, you can see how the sports heroes clean up the field after play in preparation for the next match. I'm constantly surprised and respect that in Japan, the cleaners are the students. What better way to help them realise the importance of not littering, not being destructive, and not taking for granted the things we have. South Africa should certainly consider the effect that this kind of work ethic, instilled at such a young age, would have on our often petulant and even periodically destructive youth.

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For the fans, please forgive the infrequent blogs, I'll try and keep them coming as quickly as my schedule allows :D. Thanks for coming back, and I hope to bring you more interesting, and with any luck, insightful glimpses of the Land of the Rising Sun.