Subject: Sports Fans: Shonen Knife & Mamiko!
Date: Wednesday, October 2, 2002
Baseball Season is in favor in Japan! After the night of Mana Nishiura"s Live show with "TEEM", we talked about our Baseball favorites. We disagree with the team Tokyo Yomiuri Giants winning the Central League Championship! I sent email to her, "It's too bad!!" Two nights after this night, I telephoned to her. She told me that she saw the Tigers vs. Giants at Koshien stadium yesterday. "The Giants victory is won, so it is not related, even if they win or lose. But, I (Mana) saw many crazy Tigers fan in there! I am not a fan that has "replica wear" jersey and a T-shirt.. but the calm fan who aids with applause! I buy many sports newspapers almost every day."
Shonen Knife Fans - I think I can share my baseball knowledge with her. I am watching baseball as long as 22 years now! But, I am a fan who has some replica jersey, haha! Is it better for me to have the jersey of the Tigers on... and go to the bands' next Live Show??" 
KAPPA EXPRESS Report by:
PLKC Mamiko Nakagawa
Subject: Baseball Update!
Date: Thursday, September 12, 2002
A Question from George Ojisan asked me: "When playing with the Yokohama Bears, Mamiko - do you use a wooden bat, or aluminum? Here, the wooden "Louisville Slugger" is a famous bat with players."
My reply is here: "Yes, Louisville is often used in the U.S. Baseball novels. I am using the bat of Rawlings aluminum now. My glove is the Mizuno make, of Japan. It is black in color. The Mariner's Ichiro also uses the Mizuno glove made here. My hand is small, so my glove is a junior high school students model."
I look at the major leagues by satellite broadcasting occasionally. If it is seen in English, baseball special language is not known. Japanese-English is used in Japan. Baseball language is different in Japan and the U.S.A. I thought that "catch ball" and "dead ball" were Japanese! I am impressed by the person who made those "Japanese/English" comparisons. For example:
(English/Japanese)
night game/nighter
catch/catch ball
double play/get two
hit by a pitch/dead ball
underhand pitch/under throw
bases are loaded/full base
walk (walk on four pitches)/four ball
inside-the-park home run/running home run
base hit bunt/safety bunt
winning hit/sayonara (good-bye) hit
This is very interesting and funny!
KAPPA EXPRESS Report by:
PLKC Mamiko Nakagawa
I spoke with Naoko-san in May of this year. We enjoyed email, and I told her of my interest in sports now... and my new position on the Yokohama BEARS amateur baseball team!
Hey, Shonen Knife Fans... Do you know they are calling themselves the "Williams sisters of Naniwa?" Yes, it is the tennis stars Venus and Serena, Naoko and Atsuko! "Naniwa" is another way of calling Osaka, in olden times. I had a big laugh over Naoko's joke. Oh, they have the sense of humor, although I have thought it is so always!"
I began participating in the amateur baseball team two - three months ago. The first day of practice was May 7... we will be practicing a few times. The name of the team is the BEARS.
As a junior high school student, I had entered the softball team, and was a captain, third base and a cleanup batter. I have wished since then that I wanted to do baseball sometime again. So, now I am playing on a team!
I bought a new glove and a new bat. The BEARS team has many males and there are few women.
But, My body still remembered the good feeling, once I got back on the field. (Thank you, my body!) Since I was a good player a long time ago, I seem to be more skillful even now than a male!! However, the baseball throwing distance is further than a softball, so throwing is tight. I wish for the position of a light or second. Probably, I will OK.
One hit and one struck out, in our first game.
Yesterday, our season continued & there was a game of the BEARS. But, we are not practicing with all the members every week. Usually, we have only once per month practice. So, you have to practice by yourself. I only do catch with my friends, Kiyomi and Mitsuko. They have just begun baseball recently, so it is not good for them at first. But, they became good at catch very much sooner than I would think. Ahh, yet it takes time before they become my good training partners!
The Yokohoma BEARS are not getting enough practicing, we always lose in a game! It is a real disappointment. But we enjoy the game, it is happiness.
Yesterday, I am starting lineup at second base. Wow! Fly ball has flown to me only once.
But, I have made the error. Ahh, It's too bad. Other members made an error once or more.
I went to bat twice. One was a ground ball to short stop and next a ground ball to second.
No! It's too bad! But, Shonen Knife Fans, all the members struck out! Only I did not strike out, even once. O.K?? A partner's pitcher was very good and 10 more strikeouts were gotten by 7 times. So... the game was a defeat. We are not doing so much to win, but I am going to enjoy myself! I think that I should practice, but the team members cannot practice easily, because each lives in a place that is distant.
By the way, now, the World Cup of soccer is held in Japan. Do you know it? U.S.A. team is the best 8 so far!! Japan team has a game with Turkey tomorrow. It will be the best 8 if they win. The World Cup has come out of Japan only once until now. And our team has never won. But, Japan has advanced and it is very pleasing with all Japanese.
I think that, in the end - Spain or Brazil wins the victory!
KAPPA EXPRESS Report by:
PLKC Mamiko Nakagawa
Kappa EXpress News - Return to Mamiko's Kappa EXpress News Page!
Heartfriends of Shonen Knife - Return to Mamiko's Index Page