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We took the train from the airport to Ueno, which is an urban portion of Tokyo. Seeing as it was Tuesday when we got there and it was later in the day, the train was virtually empty. We heard the stories about the monster rush hours of train traffic during the morning, so we avoided that. We walked from the station to the hotel which was a mere 1/4 mile. Having not eaten in several hours, and the time being 12 hours different than States time, we were all awake and ready to do something. So, we went out to eat some real Japanese food. So, we trekked down the road back toward the train station and found a place that was convenient. That’s where Brownie took over. He ordered the meal from the menu, by pointing to what he thought we would like, and it was great. Lot’s of beer and great food. By the time we finished, we walked back to the hotel and were wondering what to do. So what else, we tipped for the next two hours in the parking lot. Yeah, it was 2 A.M. but so what! The lighting made it difficult but it was fun just the same. For the next several days, we were escorted by University students and by our sixth player from Japan, Suda Taka. They all were wonderful hosts as they took us by rail to the Tokyo Tower, the Imperial Palace, Aqua Park, and to the Toyota Motor Car Museum. All in all, it was perfect weather and company. They also took us to some great places to eat, too. I think they were taking care though, not to order any foods that had any kind of unusual smells or looks. We ate with chop sticks the entire time we were there. Except when we ate at McDonald’s in the morning. On Thursday night, we visited a local gym and practiced with the university students. There was a nice formal introduction in which we were individually introduced to the students. After that, we played a few games. It was a time for exchange and for just getting to know one another. There were lots of girls there, too. And they practiced just as hard as the guys. Took a few notes on who was throwing what and went from there. Oh, yeah, took a few names, too. We got back to the hotel late as we went to eat around 10:30. Friday was another sightseeing day. Ron was late again. I think he likes to sleep in. We had the university kids again along with Suda. Today was the Rainbow Bridge, the Statue of Liberty Icon and the Godzilla Christmas status over at the Aqua Mall. This mall had old arcade pin ball machines in which we let the girls play for the first time. They had fun. Saturday was tournament day! We had to get up early and go to the tourney site. Wake up was at 5:00 A.M. Doh! Got breakfast along the way and got there just about 9ish. The tournament started right on time!!! No delays here. We played 2 out of 3 up to 11. Not much time to recover from any errant throws. 11 comes awful early in a short game. We played until about 4 or 5 that day. We did not lose one match nor did we lose any game! We were doing our thing and put them away one by one. I believe we had 5 or 6 matches that day. That night was the players party. Everyone was at one of the local restaurants and we filled the entire place. I would say close to 200 people, minimum. Lots of beer and good food. We have pictures but no one is sharing at this point in time. It was like being back in school again with all the students. We were out numbered thousands-to-one. Ryan was roaming everywhere. Too much sake for me. Now I know why Gene goes back each year! Sunday was the semis and the finals. We had Kikorn first. We hit them hard and stayed with them all the way. It was a good battle but we managed to pull through without a loss. We had a big wait between games in which we watched the girls play. No disrespect to our girls but there was some excellent hands and throws on lots of those teams. The finals: It was quite a finals as we had everyone’s attention. We played Mikorn. The line-up was Brownie, Ryan, Ron, Suda and Green. Gene had an eye injury early in the day from an errant disc and it wasn’t getting any better. Red swollen and puffy. We were set. Hit them hard the first game and walked away a winner. The second game had a little different tone. They kept pounding the middle and got away with it. They did some lining up on individuals and telegraphed most of their shots. Many we got up, but there were some getting through. Then the next thing we knew was that the game was over. Like I said before, 11 comes real fast. At this point, we had no throw aways. Just like Saturday! This was our first loss. We took a break and then went back at it in about 15 minutes. We were even at first and then they pulled away. They had us on the ropes and were one up with their throw. The shot hit Ryan or Brownie and bounced forward half the way across the court. Ryan lunged and grabbed the deflection at half court just inches off the ground. He tied it up with the throw back. Then it got interesting. They shot Ron and there was a catch. He returned the throw and they called it “Vertical”. At that point, even up in the finals, we did not know there were observers! No one was watching the line like up North. They were standing behind the team at all times. ??? They called the observers and the call was “Vertical”. Help! This put us down again. They threw and we caught. Now Green throws a shot and all their hands go up. Even the end players, where the disc wasn’t thrown… even their hands went up. Something was up here. The shot was good but they were late. Not wanting to use the observers, as all the calls were going their way, we did not argue the point in our favor. It was to be our demise. The crowd went deathly quiet. Eerie. No one was making any noise. No one! Disturbing, at least. Green re-threw, a bobble ensued, and a catch resulted. They were one up. They threw and the rest is history. We’re second and they’re first. Damn. Nice ceremony at the end, in which formal exchanges of gifts ended the tourney. I’ve tried to recollect what I could remember to the best of my ability. If I said something wrong here, it is not to spite anyone. Remember, I ain’t a spring chicken, you dogs. Just remember, shoot me. Green Man |
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