Effectively Wild Episode 1621: Japan’s Field of Dreams (and Nightmares)

by
November 25, 2020

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest head-scratching Scott Boras quote, a disheartening Shohei Ohtani interview and Ohtani’s two-way future, Charlie Morton leaving the Rays to sign with the Braves, and the items from the 2020 season preserved by the Hall of Fame, then (28:06) talk to Ema Ryan Yamazaki, director of the documentary Koshien: Japan’s Field of Dreams, about the history and significance of Japan’s Koshien high school baseball tournament, the legends Koshien creates, the cultural conflict over coaching in high school baseball, the abuse of amateur players, how Ema chose her subjects, how Ichiro Suzuki influenced her career, the cancellation of Koshien in 2020, the contrast in the pandemic responses of Japan and the United States, and the future of Koshien.

Audio intro: Metronomy, "Reservoir"
Audio interstitial: The Strokes, "I Can’t Win"
Audio outro: PUP, "Reservoir"

Link to article with Boras quote
Link to Ohtani interview
Link to newsletter with Hall of Fame items
Link to Koshien screening info
Link to rent Koshien
Link to Koshien trailer
Link to Japan Times review of Koshien
Link to Ema’s website
Link to 2013 piece on pitch counts at Koshien
Link to 2018 piece on pitch counts at Koshien
Link to Kuroda story
Link to Human Rights Watch report
Link to story about canceling Koshien in 2020
Link to EW Secret Santa

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