(Mt. Fuji on January 1, 2009 over a long, white anti-noise wall of an express way)Free Kicks Started on 11:30 P.M. of January 1
Last night, around 11:30 P.M., I happened to turn on the TV, as somehow customarily.
I have rarely watched entertainment TV programs these days, though allowing myself to check NHK regular news programs and other informative ones, but the midnight program showed a kind of sport entertainment with a Japanese comedian to be matched against Shunsuke Nakamura, a Japanese professional soccer player, now a member of a Scotch team.
The Japanese comedian and his crew flew to Scotland to compete with Nakamura in a free-kick strike trial. Each was going to deliver maximum five-times free kicks, successful goals of which would be counted for a showdown.
They employed two groups of defenders, one with all taller Scotch rugby players for Nakamura’s kicks and another with shorter players for comedian’s kicks, in addition to a kind of foreign personality challenging Nakamura so badly as a goal keeper against Nakamura.
Nakamura first aimed at kicking the ball through a gap of a tall defending line so as to directly deliver the fast ball on a lower trajectory to the challenging goal keeper. Nakamura’s first ball dangerously passed the flank of the goal keeper to hit the central part of the net.
For the second free kick, Nakamura changed the angle. He positioned the ball on the right hand side against the tall rugby-player defending line and the goal. The Japanese No.1 soccer player in winter sport clothes rather slowly started to access the ball and gradually sped up with motions of arms and legs to deliver a fast free-kick. The ball flew over the head of the tallest Scotch defender to a right-hand corner of the back net.
For the third time that eventually decided the entertainment matching since the Japanese comedian failed in all his three free-kicks, Nakamura changed the angle to the left-hand side against the goal. Nakamura’s power is on his left leg. So, the defending line covered the left-hand course to the goal and the goal keeper positioned himself at the center of the goal. Nakamura started to move rather with professional concentration to deliver the free-kick strike. The ball flew again over the head of the jumping tallest defender who was on the most left hand side of the defender line. It curved slightly before the edge of the goal to avoid hitting the goal post but stab the net at its left edge. This success seemed to make Namaura really rejoice.
In reviewing the three free kicks Nakamura took, he first tried to deal with the challenging goal keeper. For the second time, Nakamura showed his professional skill to slightly delay his approaching the ball but quickly kicking it so as to make the defender delay his jumping. For the third time, he tested his own professional talent to confirm it successfully.
In short, the personal response to a challenge, the display of his skill for audience, and the duty as a professional to himself he all performed so successfully, which corresponds to a professional pattern that satisfies me watching the midnight TV program.
The lesson here is that a fighting spirit, a service mind-set, and the sense of loyalty to one’s own professionalism.
Nakamura has been a nice player. Even compared with retired Nakata, Nakamura is a genius.
But, once a still-young Japanese woman asked me who the best Japanese soccer player was when everybody praised Nakata even globally. I said to her that it was Nakamura, though she seemed to have no ability to appraise a real potential of male professionals. However it is common among Japanese women. And it is one of common shortcomings of Japanese women that they cannot professionally appraise a hidden talent and ability of men. Indeed, Japanese women are not expected to fight and die with men. However, they have other merit of living and dying with whatever foolish and timid man if they think they love. Japan is indeed a nice country for men and probably for most of women.
Now, I want to advise some European-race women: even with an ability to correctly appraise men’s ability in fighting, it would be futile if you choose a bad guy as your partner.
Truly, the foolish of God is better than worldly smart men; the weak of God is better than worldly tough guys.
Yet, do you think I look strong and smart against those worldly smart men and worldly tough guys?
Change the angle for yourself to score a goal, since when a real player runs a ball follows him into the goal.
Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Mat 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
Mat 1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;