New York Times
High school baseball players across Japan dream of playing for the national title in Koshien Stadium, yet few ever go. Teams from Tohoku High School — a sports powerhouse whose alumni include Yu Darvish, the best pitcher in Japan, and Kazuhiro Sasaki, the former closer of the Seattle Mariners — expect to go. They have made 40 trips to the tournament, but have never won.
Tohoku’s quest for a 41st trip got off to a good start this week when it beat Shizugawa High School, 8-0, in the opening round of a regional tournament to decide which team will represent Miyagi prefecture at Koshien in August. Tohoku, which plays next on Saturday, must win four more games to win that right.
The pressure is sure to build. The knockout competition at Koshien is like the World...
In his invaluable What Jesus Meant, historian and author Garry Wills reminds us that, during his time as a thoroughgoing Galilean religious nuisance, Himself did not take the time to make priests, create a "Church," or,... more »
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