Is this about baseball? Kind of. But it’s also about potatoes, and about doing something you can only really do in Japan. So I think this qualifies as being out of left field.
Apologies for the delay in posts. It’s been a busy month, but things should calm down soon. Last weekend, Kana and I did something wonderful: we went digging for potatoes at a farm owned by our favorite baseball player, longtime Chiba Lotte icon (and current free agent) Takashi Ogino.
Run All the Way Home
It was a rough season for the Chiba Lotte Marines and their fans. They finished in last place, manager Masato Yoshii was forced to resign, and everybody has to watch Roki Sasaki thrive with the Dodgers in the postseason.
The best part? Ogi-san himself was there so take pictures, sign autographs, and to chat with everyone like it was no big deal. I can’t imagine an MLB player being that accessible.
How did we get this chance? By entering a lottery of course (most things in Japan are decided by lottery). We only had to overcome 400-1 odds to get selected. Oh, and travel two hours by train and 40 minutes by bus to get there.
Watching Ogi-san out there, laughing with fans and digging alongside them, it struck me how naturally this all fit him. He’s been the most popular player on the Marines for more than a decade, and it’s easy to see why. Sure, he’s a handsome guy, but he’s also funny and genuinely kind. We were in the fourth and final group of the day, with at least fifty people per session, and yet Ogino had a smile on his face the entire time, whether he was posing for photos or signing something for the umpteenth fan*.
*I’m pretty sure it was one item per person. Kana got her uniform signed. I was holding my uniform and a piece of paper, trying to decide which to get. His manager took both from me, and Ogino happily signed them. What a guy.
Kana and I ended up being the first in line for the final photo session. His manager and one of the staff members asked us if we were nervous, and if there was anything we wanted to talk about. We both said we were a little nervous, but that it was thanks to Ogino we got married.
Kana and I had our second or third date at ZOZO Marine Stadium. She saw Ogino’s face on the jumbotron, thought he looked cool, and became an instant Lotte fan. She bought his uniform before the game even finished.
When Ogi-san walked over to us, his manager told him it was his fault we got married. We all had a big laugh.
He might not be playing for our beloved Marines any longer, but we’ll never forget the day we met Takashi Ogino.
Oh, and now we have a lot of potatoes that we can’t eat for another month.
There’s almost no way a current mlb player would do this. What an amazing experience! Thanks for sharing!
What a unique experience! So awesome. 😀