We got free drinks during the games, and children gathered around us afterwards asking for autographs. We had a professional umpire for our final game. The program also had a lot of variety. We had fireworks on the last day, and before one game, a man parachuted out of an airplane. What was more, baseball plays a different part in the educational scheme than it does in Japan.
Teams are small, so everybody on the team can play during the game.
Nobody shouted dirty words at the opposing team, and no one complained to the umpire. If you did not behave, you had to leave the field. The best part of this U.S. tour for me was seeing Mike, who taught me how to pitch when I was just a beginner. He now coaches a Canadian team. I wanted to win in the game against his team, but we were unsuccessful.