MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- A wisp of dust rises off the field as men in white and black pin striped uniforms prepare the ground for a ritual more than a century old. The air takes on a smell of dirt and dampness in the early morning sun and the cool breeze lifts the smell of the fresh cut grass into the stands.
For two Iwakuni Marines, and one retired Marine living in Iwakuni, the all-American ritual of baseball is something that will always be a part of their life, even if it means playing for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force team.
"Baseball first came into my life back in Brooklyn, N.Y., where I grew up," said Angel Lopez, JMSDF pitcher. "Stick ball was the main game out there. We played in the red brick streets beating a rubber ball against the walls of the factories and breaking windows."
Lopez, as well as Robert Woodruff, JMSDF left fielder, and Shawn Benjamin, JMSDF pitcher, have come a long way from their childhood sandlots in America to play for the JMSDF team.
"I'm from the middle of nowhere, upstate Vermont, where they only play baseball a few months out of the year, and 'Woody' is from Texas, where they play baseball every day of the year," Benjamin said. "It's the same thing with Lopez. He's from New York and just doesn't have the wide-open spaces that I've got. So we all have a different baseball background."
However different the players backgrounds, what they found when they got to Japan was more than they ever expected.
"I was interested in playing baseball because I just came from Camp Pendleton where I was a member of the Marine base team," Lopez said. "When I got to Iwakuni I was still interested in baseball, and I found out that JMSDF had a team so I started going out there and pitching."
Benjamin and 'Woody' became affiliated with the team through Lopez, and the three Americans eventually worked their way into the fibers of the team despite the language barrier and cultural differences. However difficult, they succeeded where other Americans have failed.
"You really have to be dedicated to the game of baseball with these guys," Benjamin said. "The Japanese treat baseball like Americans did back in the 1930s and 40s. It means everything to them."
The Japanese practice every free moment they have, Benjamin noted. In addition, the Americans equally show their dedication to the team and game.
"I stay out until 9:30 (p.m.) practicing with these guys," Woodruff said. "I like playing with them a lot. It was a little tough at first because they weren't used to me and I wasn't used to them. Now at practice we always joke around with each other. They are good guys and hard workers."
Although they don't speak much Japanese and there are slight differences in the way the game is played, Lopez, Woodruff and Benjamin have adapted.
"Baseball is an international language," said Benjamin. "There may be a language barrier as far as English and Japanese, but everybody here still knows baseball, and that's how we communicate. No matter what, the game is still the same."