THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1979
Page 11
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By SEAN PETTY
Battalion Staff
1 guess you could call Thursday’s opening day for the Texas Aggie
aseball team a non-opening opener. It was supposed to be a game
etween the Stars and Stripes and the Rising Sun but turned out to
an interesting lesson in diplomacy and a little knowledge gained
bout our neighbors.
was a very weird scenario. There were two teams present, Texas
&Mand Hosei University of Tokyo, Japan, but no crowd of scream-
igfans.
There was the introduction of both teams and the opening cere-
onies, complete with the first pitch thrown by C.E. “Pat” Olsen to
art the 1979 season, but no umpires.
Both the national anthem of the United States and Japan, along
ith both teams’ school songs, were played, but no Cokes and
eanuts were sold and there was no baseball to be played.
THE RAIN AND WET FIELD had wiped out the game between
&M and Hosei, a team from halfway around the world, but there
fere interesting sidelights nonetheless. The gameless afternoon had
me humorous aspects and a touch of irony to top it off.
I watched the Japanese team with as much interest as they watched
levarious goings on around them. In many ways I felt like a kinder-
ner around them because I could not understand a word they
sd. So I continued to watch them in quiet ignorance.
As they were introduced, each player came out, bowed and kept a
ery serious look on his face. They carried themselves with dignity
pride and they were very quiet. There was none of the casual
md-slapping, smiling and joking that goes on between American
ams.
After all the announcements and exchange of gifts were made, the
to teams got together and played catch. It was interesting to watch
le Aggie players go over and ask the Hosei players to throw the ball
ound. Most of the A&M players would go over, hold the ball up,
not saying anything, just standing there smiling, would coax the
panese players onto the field.
THE TWO TEAMS THREW THE BALL around until the rained
feed them into the dugout. Apparently, the players on both teams
und a common interest because they were laughing and talking
nong themselves about something. I was still lost.
Meanwhile, A&M coach Tom Chandler was at one end of the
igout talking with some of the Hosei pitchers about curveballs,
|^rj At stballs and other such pitcher-talk. And the amazing thing is they
L/i9 vl iderstood Chandler and even picked up a couple of tips from him.
[decided to get into the act and satisfy my burning curiosity about
be regional)' iseball in Japan. I don’t know what I expected from the Japanese but
eydid throw the ball like American baseball players and did every
the regularsi ling else the same. I just had to know how this Hosei team com-
d 1-IS m(M red with American teams and what they thought of the U.S. So I
gs ended upi quired the services of Chris Martine who is from College Station
id was at the game to welcome the Japanese team and translate for
rnament Sail lose of us who have not yet whipped the Japanese language,
lor (15-
'ech (17-9) at
19), a team
22-7) draws
nals of the ta
(21-4) and
ill play the
r Thursdays
I IN 81
!4
>X OFFICE
I TALKED TO HOSEI COACH KATSUO KAMODA through
lartine and found out how it is to play in the U.S. Hosei played
iders earlier! aylor Wednseday in Waco losing both games, 6-0, 8-1.
The adjustment from the jet lag is the hardest part of the trip,”
amoda said. “We wake up about three times a night because of the
me difference. It’s daytime in Japan and night here.
T just wish we could have played Baylor when we were at full
ry until thesf ower. The level of team is slightly higher in the United States,” he
lid in reference to the difference between U.S. and Japanese teams.
The facilities are much better in the United States also. Universi-
es in Tokyo are very limited in space. We only have so much room
build and work with.”
Hosei is in the center of Tokyo in the old Imperial area,” said
bkuhiro Miura who is traveling with the team and does speak
nglish. “In fact, the school is very close to the Imperial Palace.
QP WTj “We just can’t believe how much open space there is here. Tokyo is
t> crowded and our campus is very cramped. We have 30,000 stu-
Jents and have mostly seven-story and other tall buildings on cam-
11 I I us. But we do have a very large plot of land in suburban Tokyo
fee the University may be moved in a few years.
BASEBALL IS THE MOST POPULAR SPORT in Japan because
e don’t have a lot of room to play such sports as football. Our
Bseball stadiums are so much smaller than the ones here in the U. S.
It’s hard to describe the difference and the adjustments the
apanese players have to make here. The atmosphere is different. In
apan the umpires call strikes and balls in English but they say it a
liferent way. American umpires use one syllable and say ‘strike’
feeas Japanese umpires say ‘sa-trike.’ Everything is a little faster
lereand it catches the players off guard.”
The team was able to come to the U.S. by an agreement with
iaylor University. Baylor pays for the the team’s stay in the U.S.
pile Hosei pays for the transportation here. They also have an ex-
ige student program with Baylor.
wondered about some of the baseball terminology in Japan and
ound the American influence has stuck but with a slight twist. A
urveball is a “kouball” and knuckleball is a “knockoball” but a fastball
a “sokyu.”
BUT THE FUNNIEST THING OF THE AFTERNOON was a
prime example of world trade. While Aggie coach Chandler was look-
at the Hosei equipment he picked up a catcher’s mitt and said,
Hey, this glove is made in America. ” The Japanese players nodded
yes. They were also wearing American made shoes and uniforms.
Chandler said, “That’s funny, our gloves and shoes are made in Ja-
Oh well, just a perfect example of how the balance of trade should
be but isn’t. Sayonara.
n inter-
at the
e, 10th
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Super Bowl call
was bad, Rozelle says
GIBSON’S
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DISCOUNT CENTER
9 A.M.-9 P.M. MON.-SAT. 10 A.M.-6 P.IVf. SUNt)AY
1420 TEXAS AVE.
United Press International
DALLAS — National Football
League Commissioner Pete Rozelle
has conceded an official’s call that
may have cost the Cowboys the
Super Bowl was wrong.
In a letter responding to an irate
fan, published Thursday in the Dal
las Times Herald, Rozelle agreed of
ficial Fred Swearingen should not
have called pass interference on the
Cowboy’s Benny Barnes on a pass
play to Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn
Swann.
During the game, which the
Cowboy’s lost 35-31, Barnes and
Swann went up for a 33-yard Terry
Bradshaw pass, collided, tumbled to
the turf and the ball dropped
harmlessly to the ground.
Swearingen tossed his flag in the air,
however, calling the penalty on
Barnes and giving the Steelers the
ball on the 23.
Pittsburgh scored four-plays later
to take a 28-17 lead.
“After viewing films of the play,
we are of the opinion that there
should have been no penalty called
on the Swann-Barnes play in the
Super Bowl,” Rozelle wrote in a let
ter to Winifred Hale of Forney,
Texas, who had written him to pro
test the call.
“Careful analysis of tape and films
indicates that Barnes tripped him
self while incidental contact was oc
curring and Swann fell over him as
he cut toward where the ball was
coming down.”
Cowboy’s general manager Tex
Schramm said he was surprised by
the admission, especially since no
thing had been sent to the Cowboys
of an official nature.
“They usually don’t write any
thing like that,” Schramm told the
Times Herald. “Like during the sea
son, our coaches will send in a re
port after each game, notes on dif
ferent calls by officials. Wrong call.
Good call. Shouldn’t have been
called.
The Times Herald quoted an offi-
Rockets down
Washington
United Press International
LANDOVER, Md. — Moses
Malone scored 35 points, grabbed
23 rebounds and led a furious
fourth-quarter surge as the Houston
Rockets ran past the Washington
Bullets, 120-110 in an NBA game
Thursday night.
Houston led 58-57 at halftime
after trailing by as many as 11 in the
first quarter.
Elvin Hayes scored 25 points and
had 10 rebounds, while Kevin Gre-
vey added 18 points for the Bullets,
who played without Tom Hender
son who was out with the flu.
cial in Rozelle’s office as saying the
admission in a letter to a fan was
unusual.
“We got a number of such letters
from people, as always follows a con
troversial play,” said Don Weiss, an
assistant to Rozelle. “Pete decided
the answer in detail. We usually
don’t have that much time for that
thorough review of films and tapes
from so many people and cameras.
Now Pete has said several times
publicly that, one, it was a very dif
ficult call and, two, that he wished
no call had been made. ”
Rozelle’s letter said all other calls
in the game were sound.
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