This year marked a first for a football game; it was the first regular season game to be played in London, England.

At the start of the baseball season, the Boston Red Sox will be traveling to Japan with the Oakland Athletics to play a regular-season game.

This is an incredible step for Japan and Major League Baseball.

Japan has been a baseball phenom. They have been sending the United States player after player.  They've given us Ichiro, Matsui, Okajima and Matsuzaka. They have become the new baseball capital.

Japan does have one fatal flaw: Japan's average player is definitely not the same caliber as the U.S. They have given away their extraordinary players.

In my mind, Japan has to keep the players that show real talent.  They need to contend with the U.S.  The U.S. has been on top of the baseball world, but Japan is like a bomb, just waiting to blow.  They have given away their former stars for money, but now their new stars are ready to stay for the chance of stardom in their home country. 

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