Sports Blog Nation Far East Baseball Tournament
Published: May 9, 2012
Still getting a trickle of e-mails and other communications from folks out there castigating my stand (or lack thereof, as one pithily put it) over DODDS Pacific’s not inviting American School In Japan back to defend its Far East High School Baseball Tournament title.
Thus, I plan to do something about it. It won’t be a Far East tournament per se, but to paraphrase the old AT&T advertisements, it will be the next-best thing to being at one:
Welcome to Pacific Sports Blog’s own version of a Far East High School Baseball Tournament. A single-elimination, 14-team all-comers tournament, Divisions I and II combined.
Not only will ASIJ be welcome at Sports Blog Nation’s own baseball fest of the imagination, so, too, will St. Mary’s International, which also hoped for an invitation to Far East which wasn’t forthcoming.
Borrowing from the Asia-Pacific Activities Conference, Sports Blog will group the 14 teams into the Asia Division and the Pacific Division. At the top of the heaps, the winners of the first two Far East tournaments, ASIJ and Kubasaki.
Teams seeded 3 through 14 will play first-round games at the site of the higher seed, as will the teams in the quarterfinals. First-round games will for the most part pit teams that have not played each other this season.
The semifinals and championship games will be played at the alternate home site of the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, American School In Japan, which plays most of its home games at Fuchu Civic Stadium.
Here’s how the first round of games looks, along with probable starters and a brief synopsis of what may take place:
Asia Division
Game 1—No. 1 American School In Japan, bye
Game 2—No. 5 Seoul American (Chung Winchip) vs. No. 12 Yokota (Jesse Christmas) – Home field and deep pitching staff overcomes youthful Panther squad.
Game 3—No. 4 Nile C. Kinnick (Donald Ross) vs. No. 13 Daegu High (Ryan Lattanzi) – With its bevy of arms, Red Devils slotted to reach Final Four vs. ASIJ.
Game 4—No. 8 Robert D. Edgren (Leo Austin) vs. No. 9 E.J. King (Jessee Gorst) – Perhaps the most intriguing first-round game; two very strong pitchers going at it hammer-and-tongs.
Pacific Division
Game 5—No. 2 Kubasaki, bye
Game 6—No. 6 Guam High (Eddie Rey Garza) vs. No. 11 Matthew C. Perry (Shawn Eagmin) – A super-human performance by Eagmin might not necessarily be needed; Panthers haven’t played since December.
Game 7—No. 3 Kadena (Justin Sego) vs. No. 14 Zama American (Michael Torres) – Sego’s arm will keep the Panthers in it, but they need their bats to stay hot.
Game 8—No. 7 St. Mary’s International (Sengjae Zhou) vs. No. 10 Osan American (Tyler Harding) – Young Titans have the talent, but need to bring the leather if they expect to win.
What does Sports Blog Nation think? Is this all a bunch of hooey or can this work? Sound off! Be true to your school, but remember: You’ve entered THE “No-Hate Zone.”
