A YEN FOR BASEBALL

AN ALUM DESCRIBESWHAT IT'S LIKE TO PLAY IN THEWORLD'S OTHER MAJOR LEAGUES.

Dartmouth has produced other major leaguers, such as Detroit Tigers catcher Brad Ausmus '91. But few have had the experience of Mark Johnson '90. Last spring, Johnson and his wife Jennifer (Signori) '90 packed up their belongings and their 14-month-old son Trevor for what might be considered a very lucrative foreign study program: the japanese major leagues. Johnson, who finished 1998 with the Anaheim Angels, was signed to play first base for the Hanshin Tigers as one of the four foreign players (two pitchers and two position players) allowed on each of the 12 teams in Japan.

Johnson, who has been grinding out a professional career in both the minors and the big leagues since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1990, saw the deal as a chance for him to play regularly, to earn roughly four times what he would have commanded back home (Hanshin paid him roughly $1.2 million with bonuses) and to immerse himself and his family in a unique foreign culture.

"The level of Japanese play is very good," says Johnson, who batted .258 on the year with two home runs and 70 runs batted in. The game is executed with more strategy and control than a Sammy SosaMark McGwire slugfest. "You're playing more hit and run, bunt and run," he says.

And then there's the legendary Japaness focus on practice.and repetition. Johnson points out that an American baseball game will not be canceled due to rain until minutes before starting time. In Japan a game might be canceled hours earlier. If the weather is bad, then it is not possible to practice. And if there is no practice, there can be no game.

"It's incredible how much they love baseball in Japan," says Johnson, who recalls being struck by the exuberance of the crowd in his debut against the Tokyo Giants. It's a party from beginning to end, he says—albeit one with tremendous reverence for the game and its players. Fans even compose unique songs for each player, though Johnson admits that he never knew exactly what they were singing about him.

When spring training broke this year, Johnson was in the New York Mets minor league system, hoping to make the team. He encourages anybody who is a true baseball lover, or who simply wants some cultural insight, to experience a game in a Japanese ballpark. Take some sake, he advises. Can't hurt.

MARK JOHNSON '90