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Toshio Mori (1910-80) http://tinyurl.com/TMori

Click the below to hear radio segment.

Baseball

From Lil' Yokohama, 1941. Read Online

Reader: Kevin Hearle

Californians have always been passionate about sports, especially sports that foster intense rivalries as in baseball. But forget about the Giants and the Dodgers—what about the Alameda Taiiku and the San Jose Asahis?

In his short story "Lil' Yokohama," writer Toshio Mori created an unforgettable portrait of the East Bay Japanese American community that he knew just before the second world war, a community—like many others—that celebrated America's pastime.

"Yokohama, California," 1st edition book jacket, 1949. Larger.

. . . here is the third inning. Boy, oh boy! The southpaw from San Jose, Sets Mizutani, has his old soupbone working. In three innings Alameda hasn't touched him, not even Slugger Hironaka. Along with Mizutani's airtight pitching, San Jose has managed to put across a run in the second. The San Jose fans cackle and cheer. "Atta-boy! Atta-boy!" The stands are a bustle of life, never still, noisy from by-talk and cries and shouts and jeers and cheers from across the diamond. "Come on, Hironaka! Do your stuff!". . . "Wake up, Alameda! Blast the Asahis out of the park!". . . "Keep it up, Mizutani! This is your day! Tell 'em to watch the smoke go by.". . . "Come on Slugger! We want a homer! We want a homer!"

The publication of Toshio Mori's first collection of stories Yokohama, California was cancelled after the U. S. entered World War II, but the book was finally released in 1949. Despite this unnecessary delay, it was the first collection of short stories published by a Japanese American.