You Gotta Have Wa

A hilarious, informative, and riveting account of Japanese baseball and the cultural clashes that ensued when Americans began playing there professionally.

In Japan, baseball is a way of life. It is a philosophy. It is besuboru. Its most important element is wa--group harmony--embodied in the proverb "The nail that sticks up shall be hammered down." In this witty and incisive book, Robert Whiting gives us a close-up look at besuboru's teams, obsessive ritualism, and history, as seen through the eyes of American players who found the Japanese approach--rigorous pregame practices, the tolerance for tie games, injured pitchers encouraged to "pitch through the pain"--completely baffling. With vivid accounts of East meeting West, involving Babe Ruth, Ichiro Suzuki, Bobby Valentine, Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh, and many others, this lively and completely unique book is an utter gem and baseball classic.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Published: 03/24/2009
ISBN: 9780307455970
Pages: 416
Weight: 0.86lbs
Size: 8.04h x 5.18w x 0.86d

Review Citations: Entertainment Weekly 05/08/2009 pg. 68