Earthquake in Japan affects MLB players in America
Sometimes we are so caught up with the sports that we follow; we tend to forget the players. The news of the horrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan was a shock to the whole world and one cannot even begin to imagine what the relatives of the families in
Japan must be going through. As if the earthquake and tsunami wasn’t enough, there is fear of a nuclear meltdown. There are many Japanese players in MLB who are very concerned with the state of Japan. Some have been fortunate enough to get in contact with
their families, whereas others are still waiting torturously.
Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners was one of the unlucky ones who couldn’t get into contact with his family. The cell phone connections and phone lines have been down so he hasn’t been able to contact them, or get any sort of message from them.
Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox could somehow email his family and a few friends and he knows that they are fine. His only concern is for his grandmother who lives in Aomori which is very close to where the earthquake was. He hasn’t been able to
get in touch with her.
Although Oakland’s Hideki Matsuis family is far from where the earthquake struck, he is worried for those who have been affected by the destruction. He says that it’s very hard for him to see the area where his family and friends live, get destroyed.
Boston’s pitcher Hideki Okajima isn’t sure of the whereabouts of his family but hopes that they are okay. His family home is in Kantor which was near the epicenter of the quake, he believes the house would have probably suffered damage but he is more concerned
about finding his family.
Kosuke Fukudome was successful in contacting his brother, but he couldn’t get through to his parents because of busy telephone lines. He isn’t too worried about them since they live in the southern region, far from the destruction.
Takashi Saito knows that his family is safe but he is still worried about them given that they are alone there and must be very frightened. He says that he hasn’t been able to get rid of the memory of an earthquake when he was younger till now, so he can’t
even imagine how scared his family might be back there.
Hisanori Takahshi and Yoshinori Tateyama felt relieved because they could get a hold of their loved ones immediately but they talk about their experiences of earthquakes in Japan and how scary they have been although none of them has been of this strength.
All the team members of the Boston Red Sox which include Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Junichi Tazawa and Terry Francona have been successful in their attempts to contact their relatives. They even did a double check to make sure and thankfully no one
has been directly affected.
The Yankees’ Kei Igawa was successful in contacting his family after several attempts, who reside in a town in Oarai, an area which was affected by both the earthquake and the tsunami. His family was safe and the Yankees readily granted him a leave so he
could go back and help them deal in this tense situation. The Yankees are known for their lucrative spending on their players and it’s a refreshing change to see them donate a $100,000 to help the relief efforts in Japan.
It seems that no one from the family’s of the MLB stars have been hurt. But where this news is comforting, it’s hurtful to see the rest of the people and how they have lost their lives, homes, relatives and hometowns within minutes. Six million homes have
been without electricity for the past few days and one could only ask for blessings to be showered upon the people in Japan. May all of those who lost their lives rest in peace and the ones who survived, may they find the courage to move on from this life
changing ordeal.
Tags: