Koshien (甲子園):

My favorite sporting event in the world, Japan's National High School Baseball Tournament, began this evening (Wednesday morning in Japan). I have never really been able to explain the reason I love this tournament so much. There is the combination of the single elimination format, the single, classic location, the pageantry of the bands, and the purity of the competition. Each of these reminds me of a different sporting event in the U.S. You would have to imagine March Madness, with the entire tournament played at the old Boston Garden, minus the money, marketing, and other issues surrounding college sports in the U.S., but still with the enthusiasm of the school-based crowds and marching bands, and kids playing for the pure love of the game. It is simply incredible. There is live streaming video over the internet available at <http://koshien.asahi.co.jp/live/> Just click the button in the middle of the page that says "Live". Games start around 8:30 pm eastern time.

The first time I stepped into the Koshien stadium for a game, it was simply electric. I remember it was the hottest August day you can imagine, and rice farmers from Miyagi Prefecture, who were simply amazed that I could speak Japanese and give them a decent reason for being there to watch Sendai Ikuei High School (one of my favorite teams from the days when I couldn't read Japanese because they wear an easily recognizable gray uniform), plied me and my friend full of cold beer and fried chicken. Our goal was one beer for every run Ikuei scored, but since they won 15-2, we didn't quite make it. It was good fun trying, though.

Being back in the U.S. is great, but there's almost nowhere I'd rather be on a hot August day than at Koshien with a cooler full of cold beer, some pistachios, and a fuji apple.