Japanese Baseball

             In the U.S. we have our own national heroes their names are ones like Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and White Ford. In Japan they have players like Oh Sadaharu, who played as an infielder for the Yomiuri Giants. During his 22-year career, Oh Sadaharu hit a total of 868 home runs, surpassing Babe Ruth's 714 and the 755 held by U.S. Major League record holder, Hank Aaron. There was Kaneda Masaichi, a left-hander who won over 400 games. There is the Japanese "Iron Man" Kinugasa Sachio of the Hiroshima Carp; he played in 2,215 consecutive games. The most popular player in all of Japan is Nagashima Shigeo, he was an infielder with the Yomiuri Giants. Known as baseball's "Mr. Giants," Nagashima led his team to 9 consecutive national championships between 1965 and 1973. (www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JapanAccess/baseball.htm).
             Japanese baseball differs from the version that we know in many ways. Their rules are generally the same, but the way the game is played is different. In Japan if a player is traded it is considered a disgrace and he should be ashamed. The baseball its self is different. First of all its smaller than the U.S.'s and there is know There is no single, official ball sanctioned by either league or by the Commissioners office. Instead, the commissioners" office certifies that the balls of different sporting goods manufacturers are eligible to be used in official games, provided they meet the commissioner's specifications. Each team is allowed to use balls, from up to three different makers, during each season for their home games. The home team must select the balls from one maker only to be used during each series and must supply the visiting team with samples of the balls to be used in advance. In the U.S. the baseball is the same in both leagues and is mad by one manufacture. The use of different maker's balls causes lots of difficulty in comparing the stats of different teams, since no manufacturer's balls are identical.