Anime
Deep Frying Ookiku Furikabutte 10
Tajima: Mihashi, where’s your stack of pR0n?
Welcome to another crazy session of Deep Frying! I lot of Tajima love in this entry, some thoughts on left-handed catchers, and my BL conspiracy theory! So, gear up and join me as we rummage through Mihashi’s stash of pR0n!
I almost completely missed out this scene, thanks to leongsh for point it out to me.
Is Tajima suited to be a catcher?
A catcher must have a strong arm to be able to catch high-speed pitches and throw the ball to any baseman, quick reflexes to handle situations both at home plate and other bases, and finally, good understanding of the game. The final one being the most important since the catcher is responsible for reading the batter’s body languages and dictating the pitch. He is most often tasked to be the play maker as well as he has the perfect view of the field.
Tajima, being a third baseman, possesses both a strong arm and quick reflexes. A third baseman must be able to throw to first base. He is also required to have good reflexes as most batters are right-handed and their hits will tend to go to the third base area. Thus, the third base is also called the “Hot Corner”. Of course, Tajima possesses uncanny baseball skills as demonstrated in the practice match with Mihoshi. Not to mention, he has good rapport with Mihashi, the pitcher.
I believe these are the qualities that Momoe saw in Tajima, which are perfect for a catcher, thus her decision in choosing him. Even Abe, a catcher, saw it to be a wise decision.
Left-hand catchers?
When I was reading over at Wikipedia, it was stated that there are very few left-hand catchers. Most lefties who tend to have a strong throwing arm are groomed to become pitchers very early on. There also seems to be issues with having left-handed catchers when facing right-handed hitters. The catcher’s throw to third base will be somewhat obscured with right-handed batters, as they stand on the left side of the batters box. However, this notion is quite debatable. I’ve also read that catcher mitts for lefties are pretty hard to come by.
I cannot elaborate further, since all the baseball terms and concepts are too overwhelming for me. If anyone would like to break it down for us non-baseball players, I would appreciate it.
Further reading:
Left Handed Catchers @ Baseball Fever
Lefty Catcher @ Baseball Fever
Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
Catcher @ Wikipedia
Top 10 Left-Handed Catchers for 2006 @ The Hardball Times
Isn’t Tajima left-handed?
Since Tajima is left-handed, I wonder if he will encounter some problems with his left-handedness in future games. But, wait!!! In this episode, Tajima had the mitt on his left hand. Shouldn’t it be on his right hand? Isn’t he supposed to throw with his left arm?
[Update]
After a rather lengthy discussion with leongsh on the comments section, I’ve realized (finally) that Tajima is not left-handed. Much thanks to leongsh for being patient enough to elaborate it for me. I do apologize for solely relying on Wikipedia for confirmation. Rest assured I will be more wary of this next time. Though, I am still puzzled as to why Tajima would bat left-handed, unless this is a common practice amongst baseball players.
Again, sorry for the confusion.
Simple minds find happiness in simple things?
I really found it funny that Mihashi’s insecurities were instantly forgotten when Tajima drew the “1” on his jersey, signifying that he is the ace. Really, it seemed to be such a simple solution. Even the others found it rather hard to believe that Mishahi would be satisfied with what Tajima did.
Tajima seems to be as simple-minded as Mihashi. Momoe was able to coax Tajima into agreeing to become the catcher after describing the rather exciting life of being one. It did not really take that much effort and convincing. I was rather surprised how fast Tajima accepted it. That’s Momoe and Tajima for you.
Raise your hand if you have a stash of pR0n
I think Mihashi and Tajima could really become BFF (Best Friends Forever). They are even one in their failing grades.
Mihashi x Chiyo
The scene where Mihashi and Chiyo bumped, I cannot help but think that it could have easily been the start of something. Most anime would go that route. Having that split-second body contact, the awkward silence, and their gazes locked, that type of scene would usually open the possibilities of romance.
Mihashi was blusing more than usual. I think the would make a very cute couple :3 Chiyo’s not bad looking either. She seems to be very kind, but crazily enthusiastic about baseball. Sounds like a perfect match to me. I am hoping for some development on this in the future 
In the manga, after the little incident with Chiyo and Mihashi, this is what Momoe thought about it:
Momoe: Puberty (spring time of youth) hasn’t kicked in yet, huh?
Momoe, the hand behind all the BL
Ehhhhhhhh??? Me?? Yaoi Queen??
I just thought of how Momoe seems to be orchestrating all the BL. Remember how she convinced Abe to hold Mihashi’s hand? We all know how that ended—a confession by the bushes. Then, in this episode, we have Abe promising to be Mihashi’s for the next three years 
Wasn’t it also Momoe’s idea to go see the Best 8 game, where Abe was reunited with an old flame, Haruna? Now, her latest scheme has paired up Hanai and Tajima as pitcher and catcher. Oh~ who will she work her magic on next?
What? I’m whack with my BL conspiracy theories? So, maybe I am, but you like it :p
filed under: Discussion
14 comments for “Deep Frying Ookiku Furikabutte 10”
Trackbacks
Post a comment
Loading ...Subscribe to our blog!
Support the Library War!
The Rotating Blogroll
Powered by FireStats
Hmm, what I want to know is why left-handed pitchers? And the pr0n is in the bedsheet bundle, and of course, it’s gay pr0n.
The Mihashi x Chiyo scene was straight out of some shoujo manga. I was screaming, “No!!! AbeMiha forever!” I like Chiyo just fine; it’s just that I can’t imagine Mihashi topping…anyone…umm….yeah
Wow, excellent knowledge with baseball, I think the catcher is an underrated player in the sport but he’s actually really important, though for some reason I can’t see Tajiima fitting the role, just too used to Abe I guess but technically Tajiima sounds really good.
Were you ever into baseball or did Oofuri make you curious, how about watching it on TV? Either way it’s a really interesting sport and an intelligent one when you look at all the physics involved so it’s awesome if you get into it. I’ve grown to like it recently, but it isn’t my favorite, not violent enough :P.
I don’t think Moemoe is a yaoi queen, she’s THE yaoi queen.
@Nani? When I was trying to look up on the qualifications of a catcher in Wikipedia, I read about the interesting bit on left-handed catchers. So when I found out that Tajima was left-handed, I’d assume he would have some problems about being a catcher.
Also, I thought he’d be holding his mitt on his right hand, so that he’ll be able to throw the ball with his left. But when I checked back on the anime and in the manga, he was holding the mitt like Abe, who is right-handed.
@Chris I am not knowledgeable with baseball at all. It is not popular here in my country. I just managed to catch a few games on TV before. I know only the basics. Oofuri has sparked some interest and I read about baseball every now and then.
I like sports in general. I find the science and mechanics behind baseball fascinating enough. I’d like to try, though, I don’t think I’ll get to anytime soon.
Just based on what I read, catchers are really important. I think they are the equivalent of point guards (court general) in basketball. I’ve also read that because catcher’s should know the game thoroughly, they often become coaches :3
AMEN!
You’re mistaken. Tajima is a right-handed fielder who bats left-sided. Watch about the 15:50-16:00 mark of Episode 4 and you will see Tajima, in the background, wearing his baseball mitt on his left hand, i.e. a right-handed fielder. Hence, for him to wear the catcher’s baseball mitt on his left is natural.
Hmm… I am wondering to which part of the entry are you pointing out to be a mistake?
According to his character profile, Tajima is left-handed. That is why he bats left-sided, as you pointed out. Given that, I was just wondering why he wears his mitt like a right-hander. I would tend to think that it would be more practical to throw using his stronger arm, which is his left.
I was not insisting that he was wearing the mitt on his wrong hand. I was merely curious and was hoping someone could provide a viable explanation.
Oofuri character profiles @ Wikipedia
Sad to tell you that the Wikipedia entry on Tajima’s profile is wrong to list Tajima as left handed.
Tajima is right handed. He only bats left-handed. He fields as a 3rd baseman as a right handed fielder. Watch Episode 4 with the time mark of 15:53-15:55. He is in the background of the shot. Watch which hand he wears the baseball mitt. If he is left handed, he would wear the baseball mitt on his right hand and thus throw with his left. However, you will see in that shot that he is wearing the mitt on his left hand, i.e. he throws with his right.
Another further confirmation - look at one of the screenshots you made for Episode 10 with Tajima wrestling with Abe on wanting to write ‘2′ on the back of Abe’s baseball jersey. He’s holding the marker pen in his right hand. He’s a right hander. If you rewind a bit, you will see Tajima scribbling on the back of Mihashi’s baseball jersey and doing so right-handed.
Then there’s also the wrong entry in the wikipedia with respect to Mihashi. Mihashi a left hander? Does the person writing the Wikipedia entry know what they are writing? Mihashi is a right hander who pitches right handed but bats left handed. All because he bats on the left side does not make him a left hander. For crying out loud, is the person who wrote that so blind or so confused which is right or left when he sees Mihashi pitching?
@leongsh Thanks for clearing that out for me. Apparently, the Wikipedia entry is wrong. Sorry for all the confusion. I’ll correct my entry as soon as I can. ^^
A quick question, is it a common occurrence to not be batting using your stronger arm?
Chiyo x Mihashi, eh? It’s true that the scene had all the elements needed to make it a good starting point for romance, but I didn’t really think of it that way when watching the episode. Maybe because Mihashi seemed to have more of these blue lines on his face (how to interpret these exactly… fear?) than red blushing ones when they bumped into each other.
I have the same problem as Nani? though - Mihashi is the type of character that I could never imagine as the ‘top’. Blame that on my corrupted mind…
Chiyo’s character is still a bit of a mystery to me. You don’t find many girls who are this enthuastic about baseball and becoming manager nowadays (although you can clearly see the possible good sides of the job after watching Oofuri
). Well, I suppose this should be explained sometime in the future - the show has yet to disappoint development-wise after all.
As for our yaoi queen’s next target - I’d be tempted to say Izumi, since she seems to be picking on him in the preview for episode 11, but I rarely see him included in any pairing. Maybe she’ll somehow play a part in… (possible spoiler for episode 11, I’m only repeating what I’ve read):
Show ▼
Now it’ll be interesting to see who Mihashi ends up being the closest to. So far he seems to sympathize mostly with Sakaeguchi (thanks to a coincidence), but Tajima clearly makes for a great best friend candidate. See you in some 10 episodes for the result?
Generally, you will pitch/throw with your more dominant arm. Batting-wise, you can choose either side. It need not be your stronger arm but it would help. Quite often, you will generally settle on the side that you are most comfortable with and practice batting on that side more. Preferably, it would be best if you can bat on either side choosing the side based on which sided pitcher you are facing. A right-handed pitcher would usually have more problems striking out a left handed batter compared to a left handed pitcher striking out a right handed batter. There are a few reasons for this - you can read more about this in the Wikipedia entry on switch hitter (someone who can bat both sides) and the tactical implications in Lefty-righty switch.
I think Tajima is physically not suited as a catcher, but given the time constraint before summer tournament and the difficulty handling Mihashi, Tajima is simply the best of the worst.
Being a catcher ruins your leg/running ability, and so, that position should not be given to such an important scorer like Tajima (who is a fast runner as well). Also, I read in Japanese wiki that Abe is physically too small to be a catcher and thus he can’t block runners well without risking injuries. When I compare Abe to all catchers introduced, he is indeed way smaller than the others (55kg, the second smallest catcher I can find is Akimaru 67 kg BTW). Tajima is even smaller than Abe, he’s prone to more injuries than Abe. I guess physical wise, Hanai is the best option, but he lose in every other aspect to Tajima.
@Seleria, regarding left-handed catcher: based on the tactics employed by Nishiura in the 1st round summer tournament, it seems to be true that it is harder for left-handed catcher to throw to left part of the field if there’s batter on the left (at least it slows the catcher down), on the other hand, it is harder for right-handed catcher to throw to right part of the field if there’s batter on the right. Since there are more right handed batters, left-handed catchers will be slightly disadvantaged.
BTW, am I the only one amused by the fact that Abe is 1/2 year younger than Mihashi (and yet Abe is the one nursing Mihashi)?
@p-kun: You’re correct in terms of Tajima being physically not suitable as a catcher. He does not have the mass and strength to block runners charging in to home plate. However, his other attributes, like good understanding of baseball, i.e. baseball sense; decent strong arm; quick reflexes; and good understanding with the pitcher are strong points that cannot be tossed aside. As a relief/backup catcher to Abe, he’s definitely the best candidate after Abe.
If Tajima plays full time as a catcher, it would definitely ruin his sprinting ability (as can be seen from Episode 5 as he sprinted from 3rd base to home plate). All that squatting and lots of sitting on the ankles and bent knees in preparation of a good solid foundation to catch the ball is going to put strain on them which will beef up the muscles around those joints and lose flexibility required for sprinting.
As already mentioned, the Nishiura team has only 10 members. Thus, they need players to double up in playing positions based on what suitable attributes they have for the second position. So, as generally agreed, Tajima is the best of the lot.
With regards to left handed catchers being more disadvantaged compared to right handed catchers, think also in terms of how the players advance - it’s done counter-clockwise, i.e. 1st base is on the catcher’s right while 3rd base is on the catcher’s left. The play is moving away from him to his right while coming in from the left. The catcher needs to tag the player coming in from 3rd base and he uses the hand that he is wearing his baseball mitt. For a left handed catcher who wears the mitt on the right, there’s a slight slower response as he has to swing his mitt on his right hand around to the left whereas the right handed catcher would have the mitt on his left hand and has a shorter distance travel to block the home plate approach to tag the incoming player. It’s a small difference but every little bit counts.
Does not surprise me that Abe is more serious although he is younger. Abe toughened up when he had to face and deal with Haruna as his pitcher in middle school whereas Mihashi withdrew and lost confidence at the same time. Abe is determined not to be pushed around by pitchers after his experience with Haruna. In turn, Mihashi never had the trust nor guidance of his catcher and now with Abe, Abe is giving the guidance that Mihashi can see that Abe is the difference in how good a pitcher he can be with Abe as his catcher. He automatically goes into subservient mode so as not to lose it.
@leongsh: I completely agree with you regarding Tajima and Abe/Mihashi. I’m sorry if my previous post gives the opposite impression.
I’m personaly rooting for Mihashi-Abe and also praying for Momoe’s yaoi plots
I’m not very confident on my baseball terms, but I believe that “left-hander” here means that he bats left-handed, not that he is left-handed.