After the shrine, we went straight to Osaka to see a Hanshin Tigers baseball game!
Baseball is a little different here than the U.S. They're pretty good, but not quite MLB quality, so you see more errors and such. The infield looked wretched & brown. They call it a tie if it goes to 12 innings still tied. The relief pitchers get driven out to the mound in a little cart.
But most importantly, the fans here are nuts. They cheer all the time, there are no lulls in the noise. Each player has his own theme song that the fans chant. And there are cheer leaders who stand on platforms in front of every section, like a drum major directing a high school band, they lead the crowd in all the cheers. Pretty ridiculous.
I
almost bought this jersey.
Martin's got team spirit.
So do Nathan and Chelsea.
Me and Dimitris are enjoying ourselves.
Some of the crazy fans.
Me and Sandy.
See the nasty infield?
These guys are legit.
The highlight of the game is the 7th inning stretch. You buy colored balloons before the game, and blow them up. We sing a song together, and all at once, everyone in the stadium releases the balloons! It's pretty amazing to watch. I took some video I can hopefully post sometime.
Dimitris is getting ready.
Mike and Matt are preparing. Mike actually pops his at one point and has to get a new one.
Pat's having some fun.
Everyone's ready.
Us too!
More
baseball pictures.
At the time, the Tigers (our home team) were up by like 5 runs, so some of us went home early. Alas, we later found out that the Dragons rallied back for the win. That's baseball for you.
