The guests' plane is late. The director has already gone to call somebody, so I don't know if they are coming or not. I've never been on a plane. Amazing, all the way from Taipei. The coach wanted us to change into our game day uniforms. We practiced for such a long time, then the guests finally came rushing in, and we all got together to take a picture.

We already finished our morning calisthenics, but the coach had something to do at home and hasn't come yet. So we pick up a wooden stick, take an old broom that's always laying around as home plate, and Lin Chang-ming takes the glove he bought himself to use for a base, so we could start to play. Little Kuo in the back there is always arguing with the team captain to let him play awhile. Our equipment is kept in a storeroom; the coach said that we can take it out and use it only if there's a formal practice or game. The coach says that if you take them out all the time then they won't be so special.

Coach is here! Everybody huddle up for practice. But the older kids from the Hsin Sheng Middle School are using the field. We just have to sit and watch. The guys that don't want to watch fool around off to the side, playing wrist wrestling with the reporter. Everybody wants to have a turn, but Uncle reporter wants us to play by ourselves. Later he says to Auntie, the other reporter, that it's really frightening how we copy adults. If the adults are off to one side drinking or playing cards, who knows how long it will be before we're drinking and playing cards like them. What do they mean? I don't understand. But when we are having a formal game, there really are adults off to the side drinking.

During afternoon practice Hou Yan-yu got hit. The coaches are very strict, and you can't goof off. First we have batting practice, then we practice base-running. It hasn't rained for a long time, the sun is really hot, and there's a lot of wind and dust--your clothes just get dirty so fast. Coach says that we have to wash our clothes ourselves. First take a shower, then wash the clothes. It's the same every day. Uncle reporter had to make Auntie leave. What do you want--you can't have women watching when we guys are tak ing a shower.

Time to eat. Auntie reporter sits with the coach and the director at one table. She looks hungry--she just started eating as soon as she sat down. Why does Uncle reporter just keep taking pictures?

At night Teacher Li comes for class, and we can't play anymore. Little Kuo's grandma sent us some "dragon eye" fruit to eat, but we only had a chance to eat for five minutes--then we had to start our lessons. The teacher doesn't even let us put some dragon eyes in our pocket to take with us. That stinks. I was thinking during math class that a base hit means to get to base safely--that's easy. And a home run means getting around the bases to score a run. I can do that too. But if you ask how much eight plus nine is, I have to think about it. The teacher says he wants to watch the game we're playing against Japan tonight in the Olympics. Kuo-li Chien-fu, the pitcher, is my favorite player.

I'll tell you a secret. That tree by the practice field is our guardian tree. Last semester during games, the tree really saved us. When you stand in the batter's box, you can look over at the tree and ask it for help--I swear this is true--and then get a hit. I'm not lying. Uncle reporter was really amazing. As soon as he got there he discovered there are bats in the guardian tree. But he wasn't much fun. He told us we couldn't try to catch them, that we have to "protect nature." Bats are good luck, and they can help the tree protect us. In the future, I most want to play professional baseball. If I can't, I want to be a coach. Otherwise I'll drive a taxi or help Dad at the store....