Japanese Baseball and Other Stories

Kinsella weaves his characters into the thrill of the game, be it in Japan, Central America, Canada or the U.S., with a variety of comic, tragic, and mystical results. This collection captures the dazzling wit, compelling insight, and obsession with baseball that have made Kinsella more popular than a ballpark frank.

The most disappointing story is perhaps the title one, which follows a gaijin baseball player as he falls in love with the petite, traditional Japanese daughter of his manager, only to discover that love does indeed require a language. Instead of taking the reader deep into this love story, the author skirts the larger issues he brings up. But Kinsella includes some real gems as well. "The Arbiter" is a first-rate story about an umpire who lives by exactitude, even at great personal cost. The exchanges he has while on the field are some of the most hilarious baseball on-field conversations I've read, but the real strength of this story lies in the passion the protagonist has for his job. "Underestimating Lynn Johannsen" tells of an eighteen year old high school student headed to pitch in college ball and his undying love for his other-side-of-the-tracks girlfriend. Unlike in "Japanese Baseball," here Kinsella reveals the complicated mess of young love and what to do with it, of dreams lost, of responsibility and passivity. "Wavelengths" follows two minor leagues ballplayers at the end of their first season. One failed miserably, and will do anything to improve. The other did well, getting the attention of the management and fans, but refuses to play baseball ever again. The story is about envy and friendship, and dreams lost to circumstance.

Anyone who loves baseball needs to read Kinsella's fiction. He has a deep understanding not only of the game but of what it means to the people who love it.


Not for baseball fans   August 21, 2001
 7 out of 9 found this review helpful

Don't be deterred by those claiming Kinsella is "only a baseball writer." Baseball forms but a backdrop for this stunning collection of Kinsella stories about people. Of these eleven tales, one is about architecture [!], one a compelling examination of human values, and six are love stories. Playing the game itself remains in the background, with the exception of a story showing how a varied community uses a context to unite in a common cause. As he's done before, Kinsella demonstrates his mastery of the short story. His portrayals of motivation and value conflicts find sympathetic responses from readers knowing nothing of the game.

Kinsella has dealt often with poignant issues, but the title story in this gathering of fine writing achieves a summit of excellence. As an Albertan, he's dealt with Native Peoples, Ukrainian, Scandinavian and Irish communities, often in the first person. Here, he adds Japan to his quiver of cultural portrayals. Again, baseball only forms a mechanism to depict the power love exerts over the unwary. Imagine falling in love with someone you can't converse with, then come to realize the barrier isn't linguistic. Craig Bevans goes to Japan to become a star, but falls in love with "the boss's daughter." The formula would be trite in hands other than Kinsella's - the star manipulating the owner for reward. Bevans, however, is driven by love, not ambition, and the ironic end of this story leaves the reader breathless, if not tearful.

The prize in this array of vividly crafted relations is The Arbiter. In any sport, writers focus on the newsworthy. American baseball pitchers, managers and strong hitters are social idols at many levels of both fact and fiction. Their abilities and their activities are recounted, assessed with their lives often scrutinized in agonizing detail. One group of people associated with any sport, however, are almost universally overlooked. The Arbiters - the referees, judges and umpires of any sport, sink into obscurity, relegated to background roles. In baseball, the umpire's dark suit melds them into the grassy horizon of the diamond. Only the contested call brings them to the fore of our attention. Once the game is decided, they fade from view and memory. Kinsella has retrieved one, vividly bringing him into our view as a man of enviable values. In an almost Sophoclean portrayal, Kinsella gives us a man driven to achieve perfection. What can challenges to that drive achieve but to erode it? Kinsella walks us through The Arbiter's confronting those challenges resulting in a nearly inevitable response.

Those who've read Kinsella will welcome this book as a pinnacle among his achievements. He's unquestionably a master of the genre. Some critics have claimed Kinsella shouldn't depart from short story writing. If this is Kinsella's response, their carping is surely vindicated. There's not a word extra nor any out of place. If you're new to Kinsella or not a baseball fan, have no worries; these stories will not leave you wondering what it's all about. Kinsella's people are identifiable by all of us. You will find yourself or someone you know in here without difficulty or distraction. You will come away wondering why you haven't read this excellent author before. You will, however, almost certainly want to read more.