Okay, so the other day I was watching this game, right? Dodgers against the Padres. And Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ manager, he comes out to argue a call or something. But then, get this, he starts talking to the umpire in Japanese! I was like, “Whoa, did that just happen?”
So, naturally, I got curious. Turns out, Roberts was actually born in Japan, in Okinawa. His mom’s Japanese, and his dad’s American. They met while his dad was stationed there in the Marines. That’s a pretty cool backstory, isn’t it? I started digging around a bit more because, you know, once you get that little bit of info, you gotta know more.
I found out he spent most of his childhood moving around because of his dad’s job. But he did live in Japan for a few years when he was a kid. So, I guess that’s where he picked up the language. Still, it’s pretty impressive to see him use it like that, especially in a baseball game! I was really trying to find a video of that moment, but no luck. I searched through all the usual sports news, but nothing yet.
- Checked sports websites
- Looked on social media
- Even browsed through some Japanese baseball forums (using a translator, of course)
I just want to see it! If anybody out there finds a clip, let me know. Then I tried to learn a few basic Japanese phrases myself, just for fun. “Hello,” “thank you,” that kind of stuff. It’s a lot harder than it looks! I practiced saying “Konnichiwa” and “Arigato” like a hundred times, and I still sound like a total foreigner. And I downloaded a language learning app on my phone to make things easy.
Aha Moment
This whole thing got me thinking about how cool it is to be multilingual. Imagine being able to connect with people from different cultures so easily. It just opens up a whole new world. I’m definitely inspired to keep learning, even if it’s just a few words here and there. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to have a full conversation in Japanese. Or at least order some sushi without sounding like an idiot. And I realized how important it is to stay curious and always be learning.
This Dave Roberts thing was just a random thing I stumbled upon, but it turned into a mini-adventure in language and culture. You never know where a little curiosity will take you! It showed me how unexpected things can be a great starting point for learning something new. I’m planning to keep exploring, keep learning, and see where it all leads.
