The Journal

Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Mariano Ulibarri

In part 3, the writer, a Webster baseball player who coached a USA Little League team during a summer tournament in Japan, portrayed the strange tie-break situation facing team USA. Now, in the fourth and final installment, Team USA finishes strong.


Chinese Tai Pei won the drawing of the sticks and the entire Kawasaki team fell to the ground in tears. It happened in an instant. Once the winner was announced, their hearts disintegrated. I had never been so ashamed of the game I love so much in all of my life. No one spoke a word for five minutes. I looked at Brian Garner, the head coach of Team USA, and he was shaking his head. Not only did Kawasaki have their hopes of a World Championship stolen from them, they had to pick up the pieces of their shattered hearts off the dirt and play Team USA for third place.

I paced back and forth in my mind, pondering over what had just happened. I couldn't help but feel for the opposition - but they were still the opposition. Every one of my baseball instincts told me they were vulnerable. I was always taught to deliver the finishing blow if it was there to be delivered, so I gathered the team and told them what was on my mind.

"They're hurt! They're down!" I said. "They don't have anything left! Yeah, it sucks what happened, but it's our job to capitalize. Use it against them! Put the pressure on, and they will break."

I was right. Kawasaki had nothing left to offer. Their pitching faltered. Their defense fell apart, and their hitting was non-existent. The game was over before it started. Team USA won 11-3.

After the last pitch, the team dog piled on the pitcher's mound. Brian, his son and Assistant Coach Kurt, and myself let them have the moment. Then, we joined the team on the pitcher's mound. Water was poured on us from everywhere. The kids were screaming. Parents were crying. We had accomplished something no Team USA ever had before - we placed in a World Tournament.

The coach from Kawasaki congratulated our coaches and asked for a picture. The two teams took a picture together, and Team USA headed home to pack their things and return to America.

Kurt and I had one final night to spend with our home-stay families. We were ready to go home to our real family, friends and girlfriends, but something was different. In a week's time, we had made a connection we never thought possible. When we first arrived in Japan, Kurt and I thought the culture shock would be too much. While it was for a while, our family made it easy for us to adapt. They showed us so much love and care; we couldn't help but be moved. What began as a simple "Konnichiwa," meaning hello in Japanese, ended with a group hug from our Japanese father, Yoshi, his family and the words "family forever".

Continued...

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