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Sunday, August 18, 2002
Talkin' baseballThis must be why they hate us. Apparently mean ol' Americans -- the ones accused of being only interested in oil, and killing foreigners -- are teaching Afghan kids to play baseball. It's a touchy-feely, heartwarming story, and it's great:"Baseball is here to show them the American way, to show them that we're not here for any other reason than to help out," says Sgt. Jay Smith, of the US special forces. "We're not against [Afghans], we're not against Islam. We can be here together, Afghans and Americans."And as for certain nitwits who claim that Afghans were better off under the Taliban, they could read this: However, Monty admits that the Americans are guilty of at least a degree of cultural imperialism.There are still some bugs to be worked out, like the fact that kids are having a hard time learning the mechanics of the game: Enthusiasm doesn't make for a perfect swing though. Afghanistan's fledgling Little Leaguers, most of them between the ages of 10 and 16, tend to confound the mechanics of baseball with cricket, which is popular in neighboring Pakistan. Batters in Orgun-e tend to take underhanded golf swings at pitches, and often bring the bat with them as they round the bases, itself far from a straightforward affair.That's okay; the Tampa Bay Devil Rays aren't any good at these skills, either.
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