The Chrysanthemum and the Bat: The Game Japanese Play

In This, The First Book In Acclaimed Journalist Robert Whiting's Trilogy On Japanese Baseball — The Chrysanthemum And The Bat (1977), You Gotta Have Wa (1989) And The Meaning Of Ichiro (2004) — Whiting Introduces Readers To The Fascinating Postwar Development Of The American Pastime In Japan. From The Dominance Of The Yomiuri Giants And Their History Of Stars (home-run King Sadaharu Oh, 400-game-winner Masaichi Kaneda, Batting Artist Shigeo Nagashima) To The Influx Of Aging Foreign Imports (trailblazer Wally Yonamine, Slugger Frank Howard, Former Yankees Standout Clete Boyer), The Chrysanthemum And The Bat Is About The Head-on Meeting Of Japanese And American Value Systems, And The Joys And Frustrations Which Result — Both On The Field, And Off. Named Best Sports Book Of The Year By Time Magazine (1977).