SUYAMA
Average. That's perhaps the easiest way I could describe myself. I was given the position of short stop and I must say that I like it. Basically, I like my sport and Nishiura is an experience I wouldn't have traded for anything. Fighting against the top-seeded Tosei was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. But if there's any word to describe my team, ORDINARY is the one word they will never be.
Take for example, Shiga-sensei. Hs method might resemble more of a lecturer in the university or a doctor in a medical class but I for one, can't deny the effectiveness of those meditation sessions. They helped us a lot during those tough moments on the field. I seriously think that Oki and I couldn't have survived as gracefully as we did without those quiet moments in the field where we learned how to focus our energy. The third base runner concept was a god-send for everyone in the team. That and all those endless drills.
Momokan is also quite a character.Why? Because she is. I don't know of any other lady who has that much talent or knowledge about baseball—not to mention that she can be as scary as hell being that way. She gave really clear signs during the games that we played and knew just how to use each person on the team wisely. I mean, compared to the other teams there's less than ten of us and yet we played just as effectively. She also knows how to motivate us—it didn't matter that the team we were up against were the very best in the entire prefecture—she trusted us to be the very best we can be. I know that most of us had doubts and it would've been impossible not to. We were all pretty much neophytes in a game where most regular players on average are juniors. We were greenhorns and you can see it a mile away. But all those extra hours practicing sure paid off in the end.
Just look at how she trusts implicitly in Tajima. Granted there has never been a player in any of the teams I've been that's as good a ball player as him. Actually, I seriously doubt that there's any First Year player out there with as much ball sense and game genius as Tajima. No one could predict him other than the reality that he could be brilliant on the field. He took a crack at Mihoshi's forkball at first bat. I still can't get over how he stole the motion of Tosei's pitcher. And then there's that miraculous hit that made us take the lead. Tajima might be short in stature but he sure can make up the difference in talent. Now, if only he could control his tactlessness then he's all set.
Mihoshi on the other hand is like a fragile little child. I don't understand much what happened to him during middle school but I think whatever it was is now over. During that practice game, it was all we could do to stop and comfort him but Abe and Momokan was right. He had to do that—he needed to face that particular past. And look how that turned out! He was brilliant during the Tosei game. He is slowly coming out of his shell too, as evident on his birthday party. I only wished next time he'd actually tell us about the event rather than springing it on us.
There is also Captain Hanai and Abe. They're both leaders I suppose—in their own way but they have different and set of priorities. Hanai leads us off the field. He takes care of our conduct and how were interact with one another as well as our standing as students. He is a dedicated and fair leader and it's no wonder we chose him to be Captain.
Abe on the other hand is the leader on the field whether they think that way or not. Abe is not the easiest person to get along with but beneath that gruff shell think he's a remarkable player and a nice guy. He must be as close as anyone to Momokan's knowledge about the sport and he uses it with great skill. After all, he's the lead behind Mihoshi's strike outs. He is also able to draw out the best in Mihoshi--maybe because unlike most of us--excepting Tajima and Sakaeguchi--he isn't afraid of making him face facts. Abe is firm, and though for most outsiders he seemed too rough--the truth is that he is exactly what Mihoshi needed.
With them on the team--I'm sure...we can reach Koushien...someday...