Is that the mat where the losing pitcher has to fall on the sword?

...and Manny is still posing...

I like my morning OJ without pomp.

This reminds me. I need a new shoddily manufactured calculator watch.

Is that an ad in Japanese for "Funny Lindsay Lohan Pics" on the right field wall?

Somewhere, a confused Japanese youth is wondering why all our teams are named after letters of the alphabet.

Thank God this series is over. Now Selig can get back to ruining baseball in America.

Super Happy Fun Rock & Roll Japan Opening Day!

Commodore Perry, I blame this entirely on you.

Could I get a Gantt chart with that 2nd paragraph?

@Gourmet Spud: Somewhere a confused Japanese youth is wondering why he enjoys Kaz Tadano videos so much.

I didn't know Konami was sponsoring this game! I would have used the Contra code to extend it to 30 innings.

@Gourmet Spud: It's always killed me that there's a Japanese team called Yakult Swallows, but that the Japanese are unaware of what a great insulting chant that could be in English.

Are they hosting the gong show at 2nd base?

@Sh!tShow: And the opening pitch, brought to you by Konami, is a fastball that is up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start.

Where the fuck is Oakrand?

@Storming the Floor: That's still better than the Nippon Ham Fighters.

@The Teufel Shuffle: No, it's a another stage of Invincible Banzuke.

Well, I think we can all agree that this series had a happy ending.

/lame

Well, they couldn't have sent he Yankees. Joba would have terrified the locals.

MLB 2008: Opening Day Bukkake for All!

So the Yomuri Giants opening the season against the Ham Fighters at Yankee Stadium this year? It's a two-way street, right guys? Right?

"We got Takashi beating on his gong, the boys and the mu's are clapping along."

Not pictured: Chairman Kaga biting into a pepper, beginning the festivities.

@Matt_T: MechaSteinbrenner is worshiped at 43 temples in Japan

Not sure, no, no, no, no, no, no [...], Wally.

It was a nice touch having Vic Romano and Kenny Blankenship do the commentary.

funny how I watched this japan baseball and an hour later I'm hungry for more...

Opening Day in Japan? As a drunk Red Sox bleacher chick once yelled at Ichiro: "Hey, didn't we WIN that war?"

PS - Only four days until Opening Day Night in our Nation's Capital. Eventually, there will be a baseball game in a real state.

At least they were kinnd enough to put both teams up in a posh hotel stocked with some nice Carl Farbman over-sized drawers for everyone to sleep in.

Wait, what's that sign in the crowd?

ジョン 3:16

I don't understand. Where's E. Honda?

The pregame entertainment was a live rendition of Yatta!

Stop saying "pomp" up there. People are still sleeping.

There was a bit of a dustup between teams when it was learned that the A's cheated on the Kobayashi Maru.

/nerd

glad to see the mascots (Wally and some giant Elephant) made the trip

It's not the same without Hideki Irabu throwing salt on the mound before he pitches to drive out the evil spirits and purify it.

@flubby:
Are the Alpha Betas trashing the Red Sox clubhouse right now?

@DGonSouthCap:

And a real baseball team playing in said real state.

When Odalis Perez may be your starter on Opening Day....yeah, it's not going to be a good year.

After the game was over, they all went to a karaoke bar and were treated to Tito Francona's rendition of "More Than This."

Who brings a gong to a baseball game?

apparently the Japanese version of Rich Harden actually works....

@metrobulls: sadly the team is know as the Fighters, and they are owned by Nippon Ham. It would be like if the Cardinals were called the "Anheuser Busch Whackers"

Later, Ortiz and Manny were knocked into the water while trying to figure out how to pose like a giant red sock.

Red Sox coaches depart happy.

@Suss--:

I don't know what you heard about Will
But a blog can't get a dollar out of him
No Cadillac, no emo bangs, you can't see
That he's a motherfucking P-O-M-P

I am pretty sure I saw a sign saying that all your base are belong to us.

@Hit Bull Win Steak: You mean Lich Haldin?

My wife and I went to a Tokyo Giants game a few years ago. Lots of awesomeness, including dried fish on the hotdogs and beergirls walking up the aisles with kegs strapped to their back, but the best part was that anytime a black player would come up to bat, the stadium PA would play rap music as he strolled up there. Just, in case, you know, you weren't aware that all black people love the rap music.

Is E. Honda related to Piston Honda?

The four or five times Rich Harden pitches are usually my favorite of the season.

that map looks like the aftermath of a Beijing firing squad