Category: Reviews of Bob’s work
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You Gotta Have Wa – Chicago Tribune Review
by Linda Kay & Mike Conklin (Jun 10, 1989) Required reading: ….that their teams are learning to suck it up without stars Carlton Fisk and Andre Dawson, managers Jeff Torborg and Don Zimmer might consider Robert Whiting’s new book about baseball in Japan. It’s called: “You Gotta Have Wa”. In Japan, “wa” means team spirit.…
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Why the ‘Red Devil’ Wore Out Welcome
by Dave Kindred (Jun 7, 1989) Bob Horner’s arrival in Tokyo two years ago was considered by the Japanese an act of divine generosity. “It was like the angel of the Lord had descended,” said Robert Whiting, whose new book on Japanese baseball, “You Gotta Have Wa,” offers a convincing explanation of Horner-san’s unhappy Oriental experience.…
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You Gotta Have ‘Wa’ – Newsday Review
by Leon H. Carter (Jun 4, 1989) Darryl Strawberry probably would dominate Japanese besoboru, but does he have “wa” – a requirement of all baseball players there. “Wa” means team spirit (strike one, Darryl), unity (strike two), and the ball club always comes first (strike three). In Japan, Strawberry is out before he steps up to…
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You Gotta Have Wa Review – Pittsburgh Post Gazette
by Bruce Keidan (May 31, 1989), Pittsburgh Post Gazette I picked up “You Gotta Have Wa” because of the book’s catchy title. Now I find I can’t put it down. It’s by Robert Whiting. It’s just out. MacMillan will part with it for $17.95. “You Gotta Have Wa” examines the uneasy relationship between Japanese baseball…
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‘Wa’ Review – The Washington Post
by The Washington Post (May 28, 1989) You Gotta Have Wa, by Robert Whiting (Macmillan, $17.95). The Japanese have been playing baseball for more than 100 years, but their game is only superficially similar to the American game. Instead, Whiting argues, Japanese baseball owes more to Japanese traditions and ideals, such as wa, which means harmony.…
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“You Gotta Have ‘Wa’” – Review, Library Journal
by Morey Berger (May 1, 1989) “Wa,” Japanese for “team spirit,” is the creed of Japanese baseball, played since the 1850s and professionally since 1935. Whiting, a long-time Japan resident, concentrates on the two pro leagues. The Japanese leagues, he reports, believe their severely coached game to be superior to the U.S. game. They discourage…
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In Japan, Baseball’s Played by the Code of the Samurai
by Ed Hinton (May 17, 1989) The great gaijin Robert Whiting is at it again, reminding us that American baseball players have it even easier – by far – than we thought. To read Whiting-san’s work is to see that baseball as we play it and follow it here is more than laid back – it is…
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The Chrysanthemum and the Bat review
by Library Journal (Aug 15, 1977) Japanese baseball, even more than its American counterpart, is a game of custom and tradition, a sport which has acquired staggering appeal. Children play baseball 12 months a year; major league players are treated with deference reserved for royalty and clergymen. Whiting touches upon these topics in this definitive…
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Review: The Chrysanthemum and the Bat
by L. Vington, Fort Worth Star Telegram (Jul 17, 1977) Although baseball is a business affair in America, in Japan, despite its vast popularity, a ball club is often merely a tax write off for its sponsoring firm. Which is but one of the numerous differences in the game that seem to be the same…
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In Japan, umpires even get hits – in the head
by Abe C. Ravitz, The Plain Dealer (Jul 14, 1977) An easy ground ball is booted by the shortstop as the winning run scores. The offending player looks at the crowd and smiles. An error doesn’t bother him, it’s perfectly human. That’s baseball Samurai style. A popular .350 hitter speaks disrespectfully to his manager and…
Tokyo Junkie 