Hooray!! Viva Japan!!

Yayyay!


WBC, the World Baseball Classic! The Team Japan won the game against the team Korea!!


Hooray!


For those who don't really know or who don't really care, here's brief FYI: The world-wide baseball tournament is now going on. And the team japan won the baseball game just now against the team korea in San Diego, LA. It is like a soccer World Cup in baseball. That means it is very important for Japanese baseball fan. Now, they are one of the top four in the world.


Then, the background of today's game. It was their forth time to play against each other during this year's WBC. Japan was 1-2 against Korea so far, and today, Good, they won! I mean WE won!! yayyay.


I was there in SD three years ago to cover the WBC 2006. When the team Korea beat Japan, they started running around the field and they ended up putting their petit korean flag on the mound. I thought that was too cliche. So I am more than happy not to see that scene again this year. And good that team Japan didn't do so, too.


**



But there's one thing I feel so awkward every time I watch baseball games on TV. Even today, you know, even on such a very very important game in the world, the TV broadcaster said that "Our apologies. This program will be over in eight minutes."

You know what? they said that on bottom of the 9th! The Japan was nearly winning and the ninth inning was, I mean, I don't even have to explain anything, tho, IS THE FREAKIN' CRUCIAL MOMENT! How come the next program could not just wait for another ten minutes or so and show us the moment they win!!


Luckily, tho, the game is over right before the program time is up. And the team Japan safely and quickly closed the game.



But what happens if the Korea hits, say, 3R-homers or something and suddenly ties the ninth? I guess the Nation will crash anything around us. And it happens all the time. I am not sure if any of TV people knows the rule of the baseball or feels that which point has the highest rating percentage. It's not a succor game which has time limit and everybody can tell what time the game is over.


THe US has much better broadcasting system. They have ESPN which only shows sports related event from hot dog eating contest to kids' spelling contest (I am not sure if both of them could count as sports, tho, anyway). So baseball game is on air from the very beginning to the very end. They even stop the game while they show CM on TV. True. During the TV commercial, the game is stopped for some seconds. I mean, the stadium waits until CM is over. Then all couch potatoes don't miss any pitches. THis is the very different point from what we have in Japanese system. Audience have to be driven by TV. Strange, isn't it?


If all couch potatoes can see all pitches at home, I guess more people get more excited on games. And if more people get more excited on games, they may go to ballparks to cheer for their favorite teams. And if more people get more excited to go to the ballparks, they may buy their favorite team's cap, T-shirts, bags, etc.



"This is how sports business works," said one of my instructors at the Columbia College Chicago, journalism school.



So here comes Japan. Not only we miss the best moment on games, but also we may miss the best opportunities to recover our financial situation.


Now is the most excited moment on baseball. I hope anyone could notice that and make a good use of this.

Being far away

Bad thing: is that I cannot hang out with my buddies.

Good thing: is that I can call them in midnight.

Nothing lasts indefinitely

Yep. We all know.
Nothing lasts forever.

But things always come to an end when people stop thinking what we are supposed to know.

Yet, therefore, good thing is that new things always start unexpectedly.