Major League Baseball: Rising Sons

A departure from the usual MLB highlights video, this stirring production celebrates the "baseball bond" between the United States and Japan. From the San Francisco Giants' Masanori Murakami to the New York Mets' Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Rising Sons profiles "Japan's baseball pioneers," who in addition to the pressure of succeeding at the major league level, carry the hopes of their native land on their shoulders. Thrilling game footage captures such triumphs as Hideo Nomo's no-hitter for Boston, 2000 AL Rookie of the Year Kazuhiro Sasaki's 37 saves, and Seattle Mariner teammate Ichiro Suzuki's rebound from an unproductive spring training to take AL Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in 2001 and establish himself as one of the game's premier players. Archival footage of Babe Ruth's 1934 visit to Japan and the Chicago Cubs' and Mets' historic 2000 season opener on Japanese soil further illustrate the goodwill the international pastime has generated between the two baseball-loving nations. --Donald Liebenson