|
|
|
Baseball Brings Nations Together
In 1959, the rebuilding of Japan after World War
II was well underway, and the love of baseball
had seized Japan’s population. Little League
Baseball was a national fixation in America, and
a series of baseball games were scheduled by
Buena Park volunteer committees and People to
People representatives to be played in Tokyo,
Japan, and Seoul and Tegu, Korea. As the newly
elected mayor of Buena Park, Bill Effinger was
asked to accompany the players and coaches.
This was to be the first time American youth
would be competing with foreign youth on foreign
soil.
When the group arrived in
Tokyo, there was a parade with thousands of
people lining the street, waving American and
Japanese national flags. They were invited to
the governor’s office where Bill was presented
with a key to the City of Tokyo. |
|
|
|
|
When the players from both countries met, they communicated
by exchanging baseball cards on the front lawn of the
Akasaka Prince Hotel, in front of several reporters and
writers. Bill commented, “we should leave all of our foreign
diplomacy to the children — they seem to be able to get
along with each other even though they don’t speak the same
language.” Gifts from the people of Japan filled one hotel
room and required shipment home.
The following day, they arrived at a full-sized ball park,
and more than 45,000 people were in their seats to watch the
game. Bill shared a box seat with the U.S. Ambassador to
Japan, Chester Bolling.
They arrived in Seoul to a stark contrast. The Korean War
had recently concluded, and rebuilding had not yet begun in
full earnest. Many of the roads and streets were not paved
and transportation was scarce, but there was a ballpark for
the players to use, and that’s all they needed.
The U.S. team lost all the games they played, but they
“played their hearts out” even though they were competing
against bigger and more experienced players, and the
personal exchanges will never be forgotten by those who
participated.
In early 2006, Bill met with Dillon Baird to help him raise
tuition for his Student Ambassador Program, and Bill shared
his People to People story. Together, they raised enough for
Dillon to represent Desert Hot Springs and the United States
as a Student Ambassador in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
“So this is not the end to the story, but the beginning of
another,” Bill proudly states.
|
