Document text
Football brings youths from Japan By DON MANN Tidings Correspondent The bright red Ashland High baseball caps presented as gifts in Jim and Karen Fieguth's back yard were received with customary graciousness and a volley of well-enunciated "thank-yous." Most immediately, tailback Takao Tachibana placed the lid on his head, gave it a quarter turn and wore it cocked at a curious angle. "Japanese style," he said, with a twinkle in his eye. East or West, boys will be boys. Takao Tachibana (left) makes a face after trying Lithia Water on the plaza Tuesday to the amusement of (from left) Tyler Fieguth, Takanori Sakara, Keisuke Hirauka and Yasuhide Ishida. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA Takao and his backfield running mate, fullback Yasuhide Ishida, are in town with the Japanese All-Stars, poised to strap it on and do battle with the Grizzlies at Phillips Field on Friday night in the eighth annual Pacific Rim Bowl. In the meantime, they will get a taste of American hospitality, Ashland style. The official itinerary includes visits to the Box R Ranch, a jet boat jaunt down the Rogue, and a trip to Crater Lake. But at their host families' homes, the 17-year-old guests are treated to more than just beef tri-tip, corn on the cob, and home-grown tomatoes. There's the compulsory batting practice session with the homemade wiffle ball pitching machine, a Fieguth family tradition of sorts. When junior lineman Tyler Fieguth produces the bat and balls, Takao needs no translation. After an impeccable Ichiro impersonation - the signature tug of the sleeve with bat pointed toward the pitcher - and a bold pronouncement that he is also a shortstop, he proceeds to spray line drives around the backyard with an effortless flick of the wrists. It's enough to make a high school baseball coach drool. Yasuhide, his running buddy who likes to be called "Ishy," then offers up his own Ichiro impression and dutifully takes his turn at bat, with mixed results. After a couple of rounds the boys come to a sensible agreement: "Too hot." The impressive vegetable platter served up by Karen Fieguth is politely passed over by the high school seniors. "We like chips," they explain as they dig in. The language barrier is a formidable obstacle, but not insurmountable. The boys naturally struggle to understand the spoken word, but manage, remarkably, to decipher English when it is put on paper. And that's where Tyler and his omnipresent yellow legal pad and pen come into play. Takao appears to be the more gregarious of the two compatriots, and one gets the impression that he delivers big laughs back in his hometown of Hiroshima. But it's the reserved Ishy who does the bulk of the translating. Thick-necked and well-developed, the Nagoya native just looks like a high school fullback. His long, shaggy haircut is reminiscent of the early Beatles. Takao, spry and sinewy, sports a buzz cut. One would hardly think football player when meeting him on the street. That these two athletes even met at all was a long shot. Their hometowns are approximately 400 miles apart, on the largest Japanese island of Honshu. They were among 170 high school football players who tried out for the All-Japan team at the end of June. They have known each other only since July 20, when the 42-member squad was selected. Like all but two of their teammates, this is their first visit to the United States. But it is evident that American culture has come to them. On a quick tour of Tyler's bedroom, an NFL poster elicits an excited response. "Rams! Number one!" declares Takao, and Ishy concurs. Like any good American fan, they recite their list of favorite players: Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce. NFL football, they explain, is shown on Japanese television, at night, twice a week. They have been playing organized football for three years. In Japan, where baseball reigns as the most popular sport, high school athletes are forced to pursue one sport only. "It's not really fair," said team interpreter Kenichi Tanjo, at Tuesday's morning practice. "There are lots of good athletes who play baseball, and they would make us better. But it's the rules." To this practice observer, the Japanese squad appeared bigger and quicker than a young Grizzlies team in transition. According to Tanjo, most will play college ball. And at this point there is no formal professional football in Japan. "Corporate teams only," said Tanjo. "Kind of like club teams." Friday night marks the eighth meeting between Ashland and the Japanese All-Stars in a good-natured, goodwill rivalry that began in 1988. The game is played every two years, on alternating continents. Two years ago the Grizzlies traveled to Osaka and were handed their helmets in a 48-0 pasting, a game marred by numerous injuries to the visitors. "Yes, sorry for that," offered Tanjo, trying to conceal a slight smile. Back at the Fieguth house, the soft-spoken Tyler clearly seems to be enjoying the genial companionship of his new friends. But when asked how he felt about the prospect of body-slamming his guests on Friday night, he shrugs his own muscular shoulders and says, "I feel good about it." He chuckles and adds, "Hey, that's the name of the game." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -