The World Cup of baseball took place last month. I had a bracket going with some of the guys here which I lost because Cuba and the Dominican Republic are rubbish. Anyway, Japan won it for the second time in a row by beating South Korea in the final (5-3).

I wanted South Korea to win it. Why?

Japan are exceptionally bad winners and losers. They seem to lack any sense of humility and respect for the opposition. When they are losing it is because the other players are taller, stronger and faster. Japanese players perform poorly because they can't eat miso soup or play in conditions that aren't the same as home. When they win... well... they let you know about it. It is far removed from the euphoria of winning that we witness back home It turns into this massive outpouring of pride, being the best and basically boasting that the rest of the world is inferior to the mighty Nihon. It's hard to explain but I've seen enough to get tired of it. They call themselves 'Samurai Japan' by the way. It's all that samurai spirit of being quiet and dignified... apparently.

Here is a quote from the Prime Minister that sums it up for me:

" Millions of people across Japan tuned in to watch the final live on television while Prime Minister Taro Aso hailed the team's efforts, saying, "We have reaffirmed the fundamental power of our country through this tournament."

It's absolutely mental. Reaffirmed the fundamental power of our country through this tournament. Every other country in the world would get hammered drunk and be proud of the achievements of their team in that sport. Not use it as a platform to heal some of the wounds that they obviously still hold from ssssssssh.... the war. They're mental.

Also, some guy was waving a Japanese military flag behind the home plate which I thought was a bit tasteless since they were playing South Korea. You know... the country they invaded and occupied and which that flag is a symbol of.

Still... Japan deserved to win and Ichiro is a machine. Also, I reckon I prefer Japanese people to Koreans so don't be too offended my Japanese tomodachis.