The Question: Why do you like the New York Yankees? (Asked by a special correspondent at the Itami Air Base, Japan)
MISS YAE UTSUMI
Toyonaka City
Bookkeeper
"Because Yankees have great heroes like Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth. All Japanese heard of them, know them good. Batters very powerful. Japanese not heard much of Dodger Bums. Rumor in Japan they beat Yankees. Bums no can beat Yankees. Yankees very powerful. Good batsmen."
MR. YOSHITSUGU KAJI
Osaka City
Fireman
"Yankees so different than others we see in Japanese sports. They have excellent pitchers. We have good pitchers, but Yankees have home-run maker, Mickey Mantle, and they have No. 1 catcher, the Yogi Berra. That Yogi have great name. Sound like name of god."
MISS TOMOKO HATANAKA
Kobe City
Sales clerk
"Yankees are very complete ballplayers. They show us great baseball and with great showmanship. But they are complete players. They show sportsmanship, too. Like the same spirit in judo matches. Great men, the Yankees. They beat us badly in baseball. But we beat them in judo."
MR. OSAMU SHIRAISHI
Suita City
Interpreter
"Because Yankees are champions. They win all World Series. They lose to Dodgers because all good Yankee men hurt. Cannot play good. Dodgers lucky. Pitcher win who do not win all year. Yankees again win World Series. No? I bet you Japanese kimono and two bottles Asahi beer."
MISS TATSUKO ARIMOTO
Kyoto City
Sales clerk
"Yankees have very good teamwork, you know. You see them in New York, no? They are speedy in throwing because of good shoulders. That Casey Stengel he make Japanese laugh. Japanese not laugh much. But laugh for him. He is skillful for the change of pitchers. Make us lose every time."
MR. YASUO TOGO
Kobe City
Newspaper editor
"Yes, Japanese like great New York Yankees. Why? Because Yankees are fine people. They smile with us. They shake hands with us. They walk and eat with us. That head man, Stengel, he is the funny man. Japanese head man never funny. Stengel he no smile, but he make you laugh."
MRS. TAKAKO EMORI
Osaka City
Sales clerk
"Yes, I like the Yankees baseballers. They are strong when they swing the bats and they are strong when they throw the baseballs. I wish they could show us more playing. Never can we see such wonderful baseball in Japanese baseballs. We are not big. But we like and we try."
MR. HIROSHI TOMITA
Amagasaki City
Base custodian
"I am liking the Yankees all the time. They are great baseball nine, but that Yogi Berra is the one I like. He is somewhat brave, like samurai. That Yogi Berra have great name. Easy to say, like Japanese name. Maybe he have Japanese ancestor. He no look like American."
MISS SALLY SASAKI
Minō-cho
Special order clerk
"I like all Yankees. Handsome men. But that great Yogi Berra is the great one. He is not the handsome boy but kind of boy I can think familiar with. Good guy. Japanese like him best. Yogi show us very good play. We like him stay and be No. 1 Japanese baseballer."
MR. YOSHIO FUKUSHIMA
Osaka City
Order receiver
"Because they play the great game, like giants. We cannot play like the Yankees, but they show us good game and we learn fast. Baseball Japan's big sport. Our schoolboys talk baseball talk. With their Japanese, they say words like strikes, balls, bunts, squeeze play, blowup."
MR. HIROSHI MASHITA
Osaka Prefecture
Manager of tailor shop
"That is easy. Simple like ohayo [good morning]. Mickey Mantle the big reason. He greatslugger. Japanese love great men, big men, great sluggers. No Japanese hit like Mickey Mantle. No Japanese play like second-base fielder, Martin, My town, Osaka, is crazy for Yankees."
TWELVE PHOTOS
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