<Begin Segment 8>

RP: You said that you gave up baseball for kendo. Baseball was kind of a real important part of sort of social life in Terminal Island.

TI: Yes, uh-huh, very, very so. Because I wasn't very good at it for one thing.

RP: How about your team?

TI: The Terminal Islander had a very, very good team. The highest group I think was one of the, I would say, the strongest here in California, among the Japanese teams.

RP: What were their names?

TI: Skippers, San Pedro Skippers. Very good name.

RP: And where was the field located on the island?

TI: Field, well, I showed you on the map. Field was close to the Baptist church, and like I said, it was a manmade island with all sand there that they had, the parents had to buy truck and truckload of dirt to make a playing field.

RP: And did you often go to watch games there?

TI: Oh yes, uh-huh. There was almost a game every weekend.

RP: I was reading about the team that, the fact that the fishermen actually kind of taxed themselves to create money to support the team.

TI: Well, I believe they did, yes. And they were all interested and they'd come watch the ballgame and as soon it was over, why, they'd all hastily go to their ship, go fishing. Yeah. Fishing was important but at the same time baseball, they couldn't get enough baseball.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.