A book celebrating Vancouver’s legendary Asahi baseball team is being launched next weekend at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre.
The Story of Vancouver Asahi, a Legend in Baseball, by Norio Goto, has been newly translated into English by Masaki Watanabe. The new translation is being launched in a special event on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m.
The book traces the history of the Asahi team from its formation in 1914 through to its final game in 1941. The team captured the hearts of B.C.’s Japanese-Canadian community through their unique style of baseball, dubbed “brainball,” that utilized speed, stolen bases, bunts, timely hitting, defence and strong pitching.
“Their determined and competitive play, coupled with their sense of sportsmanship, endeared them not only to the local community but to the larger Caucasian community, earning them fans throughout the Vancouver area,” a press release recalls.
The Asahi players, however, were not immune to the political realities of the time – and, when the Japanese Canadian community was forced into internment camps, the players took their love of baseball with them and organized teams and leagues in the camps.
The team has been inducted into both the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
Goto, a longtime sports broadcaster, extensively researched the team’s history for the book.
“He documents the baseball in painstaking detail while putting the team in the context of the times they were playing in, creating in the process a fascinating snapshot of a community that fought long and hard for acceptance against great odds,” the release notes.
The new English-language translation now makes his work accessible to an even wider audience.
Goto will be in attendance at the Dec. 17 book launch, and refreshments will be served.
The Nikkei Centre is at 6688 Southoaks Cres. See www.nikkeiplace.org or call 604-777-7000 for information.
