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Published: July 13th 2006
Part 2 of our latest shenanigans!
Greetings Sports Fans! Crazy Cam here as your detailed sports caster for all things sporty. Tonights show looks at our visit to the national sport; our intrepid trek to what Tokyo-ite's affectionately call "the big egg"; that's right Indian fan's, we're off the ballpark for some baseball!
Okay, enough silly bugger talk. In a (sort of) repeat of my boys night out with Steve and Kevin last year, Meg and I went to the Tokyo Dome - one of the largest sports arenas in Tokyo - to see that wacky national obsession, baseball. Before we indulged in some baseball, we ventured into the theme park next door for some high-speed highjinks on a rather bumpy but fun indoor rollercoaster, and then went for the big boy version that travels across the roof of a shopping center and out over the street. Needless to say, someone was screaming in terror the entire way. Meg gave me a lollipop afterwards to calm me down so it was all better after that.
Back to baseball. We went to observe the highly hyped Giants and the stout Dragons. Long time readers may know that we
Place of nightmares!
Scary rollercoaster and well-known unsupported Ferris Wheelare not the world's biggest sports fans, but a Japanese baseball game is like nothing else. The things that set it apart are the fans, the sights and of course, the beer girls.
The fans at a Japanese baseball game are a unique breed. They have twice the passion of any Aussie fan, five times the banners of any european soccer team and ten times the politeness of any nations supporteers. Tell me any other country and sport where the supporters from one team will be up during their teams batting, waving giant cloth banners, hooting horns and trumpets, beating drums, chanting and clapping.......and then when the other team comes up to bat, quietly sit, with the occasional call of support for a well taken catch or excellent pitch? Can anyone picture the Barmy army or Bronco's fans quietly sitting down when the other team is going at it? They're truly a model of good, polite, family fun.
The sights are the usual wacky bits of Japan that you cannot help but love. Tired salarymen downing a beer or two and having a snooze. Little old grannies chanting " Let's go, Dragons, Let's go!" with their six year
old grandsons. Tokyo dome also boasts a remote controlled blimp with a camera that circles around the stadium between the breaks. Great stuff.
Finally, you have to admire the beer girls. In a stadium as large as lang park, there are fluroscent uniformed girls from nearly every beer company running up and down flights of stairs with a keg on their back - FOR THE ENTIRE GAME! And another credit to the fans, they rarely harass these poor things in their short shorts as they tirelessly supply us all with beer.
Pity Baseball itself is so boring. I think i understand why so many fans drink at the game. It's almost worse than cricket ( sorry grandma ). The Giants were thrashed by the Dragons, but we left in the 7th inning as it wasn't exactly the most exciting match in the world.
Don't go away.....more to come!
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