It's really a big deal for Japan that they won the World Baseball Classic. I never knew that Japanese can go crazy over a sports game. Just like us Filipinos, a match of Manny Pacquio in boxing is a big deal for us. Workers crammed into bars and restaurants in Tokyo and other cities to watch the game, which started at 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday. Electronics stores selling big screen TVs were turned into public viewing galleries as the baseball-crazy nation stopped to watch as Japan defended its title. In downtown Tokyo, several hundred people gathered at the giant BIC Camera electronics store including students who skipped out on their classes and salesmen ducking out before client calls. Fans formed pods around the dozens of flat-panel televisions showing the game. In Seoul, the game blasted from a giant video screen at the Gwanghwamun crossing, a major intersection near government and financial buildings. People crossed the street with their eyes on the screen rather than the road. The South Korean government has allowed all prisoners to watch the game live, so they could relieve their stress by cheering for the nation and feel a sense of pride as South Korean citizens. To the people of both nations, it's more than just a game. The Japanese are quietly anxious of the growing success of South Korean companies like Samsung Electronics. The South Koreans, meanwhile, are showing an open sense of rivalry and see Japan as a target to be surpassed.
The game was a back-and-forth contest, fitting for international baseball's most-intense rivalry. Prior to the final, the two countries had played each other four times, with each winning two games, on the way to the championship game. Japan won the tournament in 2006. South Korea has been a rising power in baseball for years. It reached the semifinals in 2006 and, last year, the South Korean national team won the gold medal in baseball at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, beating Japan in the process.
The game was a back-and-forth contest, fitting for international baseball's most-intense rivalry. Prior to the final, the two countries had played each other four times, with each winning two games, on the way to the championship game. Japan won the tournament in 2006. South Korea has been a rising power in baseball for years. It reached the semifinals in 2006 and, last year, the South Korean national team won the gold medal in baseball at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, beating Japan in the process.
Well, the fact that these two Asian countries were able to play against each other in the finals is something that we Asians can be proud of.
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