In Japan, there is no such thing as an optional practice
A couple of things I forgot to mention in my Tuesday newspaper column about "The Zen of Bobby V" and my earlier blog post on that subject:
Bobby V. is so big in Japan that he has a beer, a hamburger and a street named after him. One of the weirdest scenes in the film follows him during a busy commercial shoot.
Another highlight is a scene of Valentine skiing in Sapporo, when he hints at the loneliness of a life halfway around the world from his wife, Mary, who visits every other month.
Valentine also makes several interesting observations about the radically different culture of Japanese baseball, in which umpires actually practice their craft during the season, and when the manager calls an optional practice, everyone shows up.
"At the beginning of practice, you don't have to look around and wonder who's here,'' he says. "They're here early."
(Little or no blogging today. Journalism stuff to do.)
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Comments (3)
Isn't that your Tuesday column?
Good luck updating your resume. If it will help I'll send a letter of recommendation to perspective new employers telling them how often I read your blog. Us near the shores of Lake Cayuga guys have to stick together (Cortland is kind of close).
Ken: Sorry. You're right. I meant Tuesday. It's hard to keep all these days of the week straight.