Another Fanciful Voyage, and Baseball Musings

Unfortunately, I was in fact struck today by another urge today, this time to take an express train right past my station, and past the following 3 stations as well. Showed up about ten minutes late to my orientation, but it couldn't be helped. It was totally on purpose. So, Japanese baseball. Two things I've noticed so far that makes it... very different from watching baseball back home. First, everyone supports the home team. Like... a lot. At home, when a game is clearly going in favor of the visiting team with no hope of return, the fans get a bit... bored, and start to leave. Not so in Japan. Everyone stays, and the stadium is always extremely crowded. And they cheer for the home team, right until the end. I don't know what to make of this. It's all very inspiring, but part of me wonders if the fans really think the home team still has a chance to come back from 7-0, or if they're just... being polite (read: Japanese). Another thing: bunting. They seem to bunt more often here, but the strange thing (and this comes from my very limited experience actually watching American baseball) is that unlike at home, the batter is completely committed to bunting at their time at bat. It is rare that it's a surprise, as they walk up to bat and hold it as such that there can be no doubt as to what they're about to attempt. Now correct me if I'm wrong, (really, do) but isn't the point of bunting to... catch the other team by surprise and make them run up to grab the ball and throw it while you run safely to first base? That plus, after the first time they miss, they will WITHOUT FAIL continue to bunt for the rest of their time at bat. It usually ends up with a strikeout, and the rare times that it doesn't, the other team is completely expecting it, and they are always out at first. Now I can sympathize with this. I do it while playing video games. Specifically of the fighting game variety. When I get it into my head that I'm going to perform a specific special move, I will continue to attempt it in the middle of the match over and over until I manage to pull it off, or I die trying. Usually I die trying, and when I don't it's usually either completely ineffectual, or my opponent has completely seen it coming, and counters it spectacularly. Now when I'm playing fighting games with friends, it is not professionally, and there are no stakes. But pro baseball... I would think they would abandon their sad attempt to bunt after the first miss, and maybe actually hit the ball to some beneficial effect. It's the mentality of "You know what? No. I am going to do this, and goddammit it will be

awesome!" And then it's not.