The Japanese channel was one of many shows Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins tuned into as a kid in his hometown of Oakland, Calif. He remembers watching scores and highlights of baseball games played in Japan.
He didn't catch any of the language -- and he still doesn't -- but figured out the power structure in the Japanese game with relative ease: perennially, the Yomiuri Giants are the team to beat.
"I know they win every year. I know that much," said Rollins, whose Major League All-Star team faces the Japan Series champion Yomiuri at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday in an exhibition match. "It was in Japanese. I didn't understand it, but I can tell who won the games and what not."