Baseball team cancels invitation

[canman]

http://www.crisscross.com/jp/news/365925
Maybe I've been in Japan to long, but I can understand this story. The graduating students went out to smoke and drink, which is against the law. They are still members of the school until the end of March. They were still members of the baseball team, so as a punishment the team has refused the invitation to the spring tournament.
Why do so many other foreigners not get this. Its underage drinking, which is punishable by law. They broke the law, not a some persons home party etc. but at an Izakaya. Personally I hate smoking so the fact that they were smoking as well pisses me off.
Do any of my fellow gaijin find this punishment suitable or am I way off base here, (no pun inteneded) .

[ichigo partygirl]

Sure they should be punished for breaking the law. Just as a Professional rugby or whatever player would be if they went out and got drunk and hit someone - they'd cop a fine or a suspension from their club.
What amuses me however is that it was the lead news item on almost all the news programmes......"UNDERAGE DRINKING AND SMOKING HITS JAPAN" shit shock horror

[Greji]

http://www.crisscross.com/jp/news/365925Do any of my fellow gaijin find this punishment suitable or am I way off base here, (no pun inteneded) .

I do not agree. These kids were not even on the tourney team! ".... No baseball players registered to participate in the tournament were among them, according to school officials....".

Kids who wish to pursue baseball need that tourney for their future in entering universities or pro-ball! The fact that those connected with team were in an incident, which causes the whole team to be grounded, is not unusual, but sad. They treat the future of those who were not even involved so casual.

I don't know about Canada, but in the states, a kid breaks a rule and he is kicked out of school, or off the team, as is appropriate. Why punish the innocent and penalize the school for one or more assholes?

Going on two years ago, five members of the Asia U baseball team were arrested at a train station on their way to school. They were charged with "organized chican", with the claim that they would have four surround a girl on the train like a huddle and one guy would get in the middle and get numerous handsful of her good stuff.

After the max arrest time in the clank, they were sent to the processcutors and four of the guys were released because "they had done nothing and were not involved" and one kid indicted. The police investigation report revealed that the one kid had also done nothing at the time of arrest, but he had admitted during incarceration that he "may have Touched" (kamo shirimasen) a girl's arse about two weeks earlier. He was given two years suspended for three and kicked out of school. The other four having done nothing were released with a sumimasen from the police. However, as a result of the unfavorable publicity, Asia U was dropped out of the top division of their league into the 2nd division (there are four divisions and you have to win a division and a playoff to move up, or in this case, back up), suspended from the spring University League season, and from any organized practice or games for six months. The bucho and kantoku were suspended and banned from "being present" on any organized ballfield for one year.

If a guy messes up, do him. But it is not that way here. They got to do everyone and I can't understand why! It is worse when you complain to Japanese about this and they agree that it is bad, but say shoganai "that is the Japanese way". I then ask why, and they always and I mean always say "shirimasen dakedo nihonfu no yarigata".

BTW, I agree with their school no smoking rules especially for the jocks and this is coming from me, I, myself, who would smoke a chain if I could light it!

[GuyJean]

BTW, I agree with their school no smoking rules especially for the jocks and this is coming from me, I, myself, who would smoke a chain if I could light it!

:D





GJ

[Greji]

[quote="GuyJean"]:D



]

I wondered where I left my lighter!

[AssKissinger]

I'm a little surprised canman. I didn't know you were so conservative. What did you do on the night you graduated from high school? I went out in my car, went to a party in a hotel, got drunk as monkey, high as a kite and drove around the city with my friends listening to our favorite punk bands (at the time Minor Threat and Black Flag). I didn't get caught but if I did I would have been pretty shocked if my peers who went out for pizza with their moms shared in the punishment. I also wouldn't have expected our principal to resign. This is especially stupid...

The school, known as Komadai Tomakomai, said team manager Yoshifumi Koda and a teacher in charge of the baseball team resigned on the same day.

At a news conference, Katsumasa Shinohara, the school principal, expressed his intention to resign.

Grown men, probably with families, who've worked years to attain their positions, are going to resign because some kids went out to raise some Hell on graduation night! Come on! They're fools. They should just say, 'Boys will be boys.', make the kids apologize and be done with it. It's not like they were out beating up old ladies or anything, they were just having some fun. canman, have a few beers, smoke a 'hog's leg' (that's our old high school slang for a fat joint), watch Cheech and Chong or something and lighten the fuck up man. Just because you got kids doesn't mean you have to go all George Bush on us!

[Greji]

I'm a little surprised canman. I didn't know you were so conservative. What did you do on the night you graduated from high school? I went out in my car, went to a party in a hotel, got drunk as monkey, high as a kite and drove around the city with my friends-snip

You're on top of it AK. It is a ritual in Japan as well. All grads go out on graduation night and very, very, few are expected in until daylight. A lot places even give them free booze. It is known and yet, the sad part is that when they get tagged by the cops in the wrong city or locale, it's a feeding frenzy. It didn't always use to be that way!

[themark]

Was there any penalty to the establishment? Whatever happeneded to asking for ID? At my grad I certainly wasn't getting any booze in a restaraunt! And how bad was their partying that the cops were actually called? You don't hear any details about it.

Personally, I'd like to see what the current team is going to do to them for F*ing up their chance to play in the tourney.



Seriously... the Principal will resign? What an idiot, that'll make everything OK?

[canman]

I have had a change of heart. After thinking more about the issue I believe that it is unfair of the school to decline the invitation. I thought that some of the players were on the current team. But I read more info into it and see that they were all graduating members and were not eligible to play. It really is unfair for the second and first year members.
The other thing that surprises me is that basically they will not be punished, as far as I can see. Unless the police decide to procede and chage them, they will get off scott free while everyone else is left holding the bag.
Also last night I was watching NHK and they were talking about the team that will now go in place of Komadai Tomakomai, and I feel sorry for these kids, the captain said they hadn't even had a chance to practice on the field, only in the gym. Our local team was invited and they have been gone on a tour of Hanshin schools to prepare for the tournament.