The Hero Is Back!

Yesterday, I did (very briefly) consider getting up at 5 am this morning in order to queue outside Koshien Stadium to buy a ticket to see local team Hotoku play Aiko Daimeiden. Hotoku are so local (the high school is in Nishinomiya) that Arthur went to primary and elementary school with several players on the team. However, I have a covenant with Kazuko to do a fair share of the housework, so I did that before leaving home at 09:20.

I thought I might be lucky to get into the stadium to see the game after Hotoku, so I was amazed to be fortunate enough to get in to see the final three innings of that match. How wonderful it was to see Hotoku beat Aiko Daimeiden by seven points to two.

The two games which followed had their moments of excitement, but they were just filling time before the final game of the day that I'm sure 90% of the spectators were waiting to see; Osaka Toin against Takaoka Shougyo. I can be pretty sure of that because, like me, almost nobody left after any of the earlier games; everyone got in early to make sure they got seats for this game.

I heard Neo Akira's name mentioned by several spectators seated around me throughout the day, and speculation was high as to what he would do in this game. Things did not go according to plan at the beginning. Takaoka Shougyo put Toin in a temple of doom by scoring the first point of the game in the second inning, proving that Toin don't always have a plan of action, like everybody else they are making it up as they go along. Neo Akira (the hero in the photo) put the team back on track in the third inning with a two base hit - his bat should be in a museum - before a two points home run put Toin ahead.

Toin made sure that Takaoka had no chance of scoring again with some incredible pitching. Takaoka had a last crusade in the ninth inning when they had loaded bases with only one man out, but Toin did some fine play to get two more Takaoka players out with no points scored, so the game ended as a three points to one victory to Osaka Toin. 

Now I dream of Osaka Toin playing Hotoku in the final. 

Congratulations to SaraEvans for correctly identifying yesterday's film reference as Terminator. Good luck guessing my favourite film from the references in today's blip.

PS - who knew Christopher Biggins is a fan of Japanese high school baseball? Or is it Timmy Mallet?