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A team of baseball playing youngsters from Japan was
in Pinecrest last week, repaying a visit a Village team made to their
city last summer.
The Japanese team hailing from Nagahama and made up
of 16 boys, four coaches, one interpreter and a team mom spent a
whirlwind seven days in South Florida, meeting with Councilman Leslie
Bowe who extended a warm welcome. The boys were split into pairs and
housed in the homes of volunteer host families.
They Japanese youngsters played a series of baseball
games at Chapman Field against some of the Howard Palmetto Khoury
League's toughest teams. They also split a doubleheader against the
Screaming Eagles, the team of Pinecrest boys that visited Japan last
summer. The Japanese team went home with a 3-3 record and many fond
memories.
"They went all over and had a great time,"
said David Hardeman, who coordinated the visit. "They got to see
and do a lot."
Hardeman said the Japanese youngsters sandwiched
around the baseball games visited Parrot Jungle, strolled down
Ocean Drive on South Beach, took an airboat ride in the Everglades and
were feted to an old-fashioned Saturday afternoon picnic.
The boys also found time to take in a University of
Miami baseball game at Mark Light Field, where they were part of a
"Baseball Buddies Night." They were introduced over the
public address system and escorted on the field to stand by a UM
player in position.
Hardeman said the highlight of the trip for the
Japanese boys was attending the opening night game of the Miami
Marlins Major League Baseball season at Pro Player Stadium, though he
said the boys seemed to enjoy shopping at Dadeland, The Falls and
Cutler Ridge shopping centers almost as much as watching the Marlins
play.
"What we're trying to do is make this exchange of
teams an annual event," said Hardeman. "We already have two
teams going to Japan this summer and we think we have a
team committed for the following summer. We're trying
to establish a sister-city relationship."
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