Sports

STANFORD — Stanford University Baseball welcomes Rikkyo University of Tokyo for a special exhibition game on Tuesday, March 2, at 2:30 p.m. at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond on campus.

Admission and parking are free. Gates open one hour prior to first pitch. Sunken Diamond is located just off El Camino Real, near the south end of Stanford's football stadium.

Rikkyo, also known as St. Paul's University, is one the "Big Six" schools of Japanese college baseball, and is the alma mater of Yomiuri Giants legend Shigeo Nagashima.

The baseball team from Rikkyo University in Tokyo will visit Los Angeles, Fresno and San Francisco during its 2010 U.S. tour. The schedule is as follows:

Feb. 22 — Arrival at LAX. Light workout at Reggie Smith Baseball Center, Encino. Game
Febat at UC Irvine at 6 p.m.

Feb. 24 — Game at USC at 6 p.m.

Feb. 25-26 — Batting and pitching session by Reggie Smith and Brad Lesley at Reggie Smith Baseball Center, Encino.

Feb. 27 — Welcome reception by L.A. Rikkyo Kai (alumni club) at Lawry's, Beverly Hills.

Feb. 28 — Game at Fresno Pacific University at 5 p.m.

NEW YORK —  Wat Misaka, who was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1947, was recently honored by the Knicks basketball franchise at a presentation during a game at Madison Square Garden.

Misaka was the first non-white person to play in the National Basketball Association, which was then known as the Basketball Association of America or BAA.

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) congratulated Misaka for this recognition. He and his wife Katie, who accompanied him to the Knicks game, are long-time members of the JACL and belong to the Salt Lake City Chapter.

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors will hold Asian Heritage Night on Friday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Oracle Arena during a game against the New Jersey Nets.

A portion of each ticket will benefit San Francisco Hep B Free (www.sfhepbfree.org), a campaign to turn San Francisco into the first hepatitis B free city in the nation. This unprecedented campaign will provide free and low-cost hepatitis B testing and vaccinations to Asian and Pacific Islander adults at locations throughout San Francisco.

OAKLAND — A fundraiser for “Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful,” Yuriko Gamo Romer’s documentary about 96-year-old judo master Keiko Fukuda, will be held on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Mills College’s Haas Pavilion Gymnasium, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland.

Co-sponsored by Mills College and the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists (PAWMA), the event will feature demonstrations of such martial arts as judo, karate, aikido, kajukenbo, and kung fu.

Following is the synopsis for Romer’s film, which is scheduled for release next summer:

SACRAMENTO — Kochi Kenjin Kai of Sacramento will host the Striper Fishing Derby on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Weigh-in will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at Tenrikyo High Sacramento Church, 2216 6th St.. Sacramento. Fish must be caught on the day of the derby. Cash prizes will be given for first, second and third place.

The cost is $5 per fisherman. For details, contact:

Lloyd Tadokoro, (916) 371-0302
Ray Tadokoro, (916) 443-5427 or rtadokoro@yahoo.com
Eddie Tadokoro, (408) 209-8959 or freespool_66@yahoo.com

by KATE POST
Hokubei Mainichi

OAKLAND — The fifth annual Wadokai Karatedo Federation’s Ajari Cup was held Oct. 11 at the YMCA in Oakland, drawing competitors from all over Northern California, including several outstanding teens fresh from the Pan-American Championships held in El Salvador last month.

OAKLAND — The U.S. Wadokai Karatedo Federation of Northern California will host the 2009 Ajari Cup Karatedo Tournament, an all-day event starting at 9 a.m., on Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Oakland YMCA, 2350 Broadway, Oakland.

Once a year, the Wadokai welcomes karate practitioners from all over Northern California to join in the spirit of open competition and this year, over 30 dojos from all over the Bay Area have been invited to participate.

SAN MATEO — The Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California invites all golfers to the seventh annual JCCNC Open Golf Tournament, to be held Sunday, Oct. 18, at Coyote Creek Golf Course, 1 Coyote Creek Drive in San Jose.

Check-in is at 8:30 a.m. and shotgun start is at 9 a.m.

JCCNC holds the fundraising tournament so that it may continue to aid local organizations and educational institutions that promote and teach the culture, traditions, language and art of Japan.

The 13th and final year of the Shinzen USA Nikkei Youth Goodwill Sports Program saw nearly 80 participants from the Bay Area — 21 basketball players, their families and staff — traveled to Japan on July 27 for a weeklong grassroots exchange trip.

The program was created by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California and the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco to create a connection between youth in Japan and Japanese American youth.