Cowboying Up in Japan

Courtesy of Adam...

You missed a heck of a Yakult Swallows game last night. They edged the visiting Hiroshima Carp 11-10 in 12 innings, a game which lasted 4.5 hours and featured 20 and 16 hits by the Swallows and Carp, respectively and I would say about 8 home runs. The stadium is tiny (about 15,00 capacity). You can bring all the food and beer you want. There's not a speck of trash on the ground and teenagers w/ kegs on their backs make the rounds to fill your cup w/ Sapporo or Kirin. The player who hit the winning hit was called to the middle of the field to address the crowd and then paraded around the outfield, escorted by the Yakult Swallow himself, throwing t-shirts to the adoring crowd. The bleacher bums are highly orchestrated, w/ conductors, flagbearers, trumpeteers and rank-and-file shouters screaming in perfect unison, and there's a choreographed home run dance/cheer featuring little green umbrellas. They travel w/ the team (the Carp had a very similar group of fans on their side -- even the same cheers) and get incentives -- free tickets, etc. -- based on their participation...