Bob and Rob,

I just wanted to take a minute before we leave town again to thank you for giving all of us the opportunity to have the "Japan Experience."

Wonderful, interesting, exhausting, fun, amazing, competitive, and exciting are all words that describe what we experienced.  We saw players who didn't know each other and hardly spoke to each other at the airport before we left, become wonderful friends in 2 weeks time. (The parents also bonded quite quickly.)

You, your organization, and the Japanese Baseball Federation planned a great trip for the boys as well as for the parents.  I know that the parents' arrangements were mostly made at the last minute since so many decided to come ~ at the last minute.  Even with that thrown into the pot of arrangements to be made, we experienced almost no problems or hitches..  My husband and I felt that the arrangements for the parents were great and the hotels were very nice.  

I understand that the Australia and China trips don't involve moving around like we did in Japan. It was exhausting for all of us, but we got to see a lot of Japan and enjoyed all of the different cities and baseball parks.  We were in awe of the Japanese teams¹ talent and dedication to the sport of baseball. I know that if we had had more time to get into the groove of a team by practicing a few times more, we would have done much better.  I was pleased though that my son was one of the pitchers during one of the games that we won.  He did well considering the adjustments the pitchers have to make pitching from a short mound and to batters that can hit almost anything.  

The gracious Japanese hospitality was overwhelming.  Everyone treated us as if we were celebrities ~ parents included.  I hope that we all left them with a good impression of our country also.  

My husband and I have been involved with hosting and placing foreign exchange students for the past 14 years.  We feel that we have contributed to world peace in our own small way.  I also feel that the "Goodwill Series" is a wonderful contribution to creating a world where people can be different, and at the same time appreciate those differences instead of wanting all people to think and feel the same way.

This is a memory that my son, Russ, will never forget.  Thank you again for having the confidence in my son to let him be a part of this adventure.  Hope to see you again in Modesto for the Area Code tryouts.

Russel and Gail Warthen