Let’s go ahead and say it: The Asian style of baseball is the boring way to win — but win nonetheless. Watching Japan vs. Team USA, it felt like USA was the A.L. team and Japan was the N.L. team. I swear Davey Johnson looked like Earl Weaver for a minute, waiting for a three-run homer. Sadaharu Oh, meanwhile, was Connie Mack getting excited about bunts. Japan executed to perfection. The Asian teams are so fundamentally sound that you can be sure they never will beat themselves. This was a classic case of the mentality that sells shoes. You know, chicks dig the long ball. Maybe so, but that’s the thinking that beat Team USA.
I’ve always kind of respected the fact that Todd Jones is a athlete/writer, although I have to admit, I’d never read any of his writing until this. Hard to blame what I believe is a typo in the first sentence (although maybe they just print whatever he writes) on him, but going on to name Sadaharu Oh as Japan’s manager is pretty unforgivable from a writing or editing standpoint.
Not sure why he’d label the Asian style of baseball boring, especially with Korea leading the tournament in HRs. I suppose in Jones’s world, where Sadaharu Oh and Ichiro are the only Asian baseball players that exist, Asian baseball is only played in Japan.
And anyway, all I heard during the WBC is how Asian teams were playing the game the way it was meant to be played. What is Jones talking about? And what’s with the surreal quasi-rant in the last couple sentences? Keep the beer away from the computer and get a job, man.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Chady // Mar 30, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Although I have a great amount of respect for Tod Jones’ mustache, that little excerpt did make him look like a fool. I’ve always thought The Sporting News was the best sports periodical around and I’m surprised they allowed those mistakes to squeak by.
2 hansioux // Mar 30, 2009 at 12:43 pm
wth, why’s the editor getting paid there?
3 Shinsano // Mar 30, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I wonder if, in a mad rush to get into the “blogging world,” if some of these higher profile sites have forgone other positions. I guess that’d make sense from their standpoint. Might want to rethink that at some point though.
4 DJ // Mar 30, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Newspapers still hire editors? Who knew?
5 brendan // Mar 30, 2009 at 2:58 pm
there’s still newspapers?
6 simon // Mar 30, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Incoherent Todd Jones. Fail.
7 hansioux // Mar 30, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Off topic:
Nic Ungs, former Marlins and Brewers AAA player, 2008 USA Olympics baseball player, who is about to start his debut here in Taiwan for the Brother Elephants, wrote an article on Perfect Game website about his spring training experience here in Taiwan.
http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=727
I am a little amazed on how positive he thinks about the method of Asian training. While it’s good to feel positive about the way the team is training you, I doubt that the extra training is the reason why Asian players don’t get hurt.
8 Shinsano // Mar 30, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Thanks Hansioux. Good stuff. Nice to see a fairly positive attitude about the long practices and stretching routines. Didn’t realize Matt Perisho was in that league either.
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