Wrapping it up from the Opening Series
Game 2 of the Opening Series began with a traditional Japanese samurai dance performance/laser light show and ended with Justin Smoak grounding out to second base. The Opening Series ends with a 1-1 split between the A’s and Mariners, meaning the clubs will return to the US with the AL West a hotly contested race:
Hanshin Tigers: 2-0, 1.000
Oakland Athletics: 2-2, .500
Yomiuri Giants: 1-1, .500
Seattle Mariners: 1-3, .250
Texas Rangers: 0-0, —
Los Angeles Angels: 0-0, —
For what it’s worth, I like Hanshin to make the postseason — especially with a second Wild Card now in place.
Either Ichiro or Brad Pitt was batting when I took this -- don't remember which.
I’ll have a few more posts in the next say or two, mostly about some cool touristy stuff I did Wednesday and Thursday. But first I gotta catch a plane halfway across the world. And then another couple planes all the way across the US.
Domo arigato for reading and sayonara for now,
Ian
Far East Division 
A week before the A’s-M’s arrived, I watched my first game in Japan at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo. I had read that the fan experience there was better than other ballparks, and there is an entertaining little umbrella thing they do each time the Yakult Swallows score. I got a kick out of the band and continual chants throughout the game; my Japanese girlfriend did not. Okay, I can see where they can get annoying after awhile, but I got into it. Also walked by the river in Osaka where fans of the Hashin Tigers jump into and once threw a life-sized Colonel Sanders in celebration because it was the closest thing resembling Randy Bass. Love Japan!
Any baseball?
Oakland A’s beat the Yomiuri Giants
That’s true, they did 5-0. http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120325&content_id=27587286&vkey=news_oak&c_id=oak
So it should be Tigers 2-0, Giants 1-1, A’s 2-2, Mariners 1-3
Yes. A’s beat Yomiuri 5-1