Baseball is the same everywhere, right?

I've been meaning to post this for a while now, but it can round out my blogging trifecta tonight...

We went to a Yakult Swallows baseball game a few weeks ago.  There are two teams in Tokyo - the Swallows and the Yomiuri Giants.  I think the Giants could best be compared to the Yankees - biggest payroll, big name stars, play in the Tokyo Dome, etc.  I think the Swallows are probably more like the Cubs or the Rangers.  I think there are about 16 teams in Japan and generally each one has at least one foreigner - either a hot, up and coming rookie or some fading star.  Bobby Valentine is GM for one of the teams.  I think my favorite named team (we didn't see a game when we were there) is the Hiroshima Carp.  They play in Zoom Zoom Stadium (Mazda's HQ is near there).

The Swallows play in a smaller, outdoor ballpark in the middle of the city not too far from where we live.  We went to a Sunday evening game with some friends, paid about $15/seat to sit in the general admission bleachers and took it all in.

So how is it different...

1. The only real difference in the game is that it moves much faster.  There is much less jacking around by the pitcher, batter, catcher, etc.  US MLB could learn something here.
2. Much like planes, trains, festivals, etc. people tend to bring their own food.
3. Unlike at home, where each stadium will normally have an "official" beer, you can pretty much get any brand here.  And it is frequently distributed by a young girl in some kind of brand-related outfit (see the pics).  Many of them are carrying little kegs on their backs and distribute a draft beer to you on the spot.  It's probably cheaper here than at home.  No tipping - it's Japan after all.
4. No chipwichs that I saw.
5. Fans are into it.  The crowd could best be compared to European soccer.  Most people are there to watch the game.
6. Songs.  When the home team is at bat, the partisans break out into each player's song and each one is different.  They are in Japanese of course, but there is a guy on the Swallows from Canada (I also learned the play baseball in Canada).  His song starts with "Oh Canada..." and goes from there.
7. The road team's fans travel.  There was a huge section supporting the visiting team (can't recall who they are, but does it really matter?) but there were a bunch of them there.  They sang their team's songs when they were batting.  Our friends were saying it is huge when the Giants play the Swallows.
8. In the game listings, the home team is listed first (opposite of the US).
9. They have a dance team that goes out and dances during batting changes.  They are not cheerleaders (certainly by US standards).  They reminded me more of the ice girls at Dallas Stars games... something nobody is really going to complain about, but not really part of the game.
10. Condiment distribution is different here... take a look at the slideshow.  And the mustard is different (I dare say better)... it has wasabi or horse radish in it so it has a kick.
11. The 7th inning stretch is a bit different.  Each team's fans break out some sort of prop (for the Swallows, they are umbrellas that seemed to come from nowhere) and sing some special song.  It's kind of a "what is going on" moment.

So all in all, a very fun experience.