Baseball amounted to more than a diversion for many who lived in World War II internment camps in the United States, Kerry Nakagawa said in a phone interview last week.

“For those in internment camps all across the country, baseball was a bright spot during a dark time The Nisei pre-war players took baseball skills and dynamics into camps once World War II came.

“Leagues formed throughout internment camps. Every camp had a baseball field. There were 10 camps throughout the United States. Focusing on baseball in the camps was a positive ... for the internees, who really didn't have many positives.”

“Baseball has been in my family for four generations,” Nakagawa said. “I had the blessing to have uncles who competed with Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson. It's been a kind of family, genetic dynamic. It's very much a part of my family's history.”

The Fresno resident is a third generation (Sansei) Japanese American. He was so moved by contributions from Nisei (second generation Japanese American) and Issei (first generation Japanese American) players to the game of baseball that he founded the Nisei Baseball Research Project, a non-profit organization.

“It was started 12 years ago to honor the Nisei and Issei pioneers who played in the pre-war era,” Nakagawa said.

“It kind of escalated to multi-media projects that I've also been involved in.” Nakagawa said the project's work has been moved “To Cooperstown (the national baseball Hall of Fame) and all over the nation.”

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Tsuneo “Cappy” Harada is one who has followed the NBRP's work with particular interest. Harada was born in 1921 and is a Nisei. He is a Santa Maria High School graduate.

“I played four years there,” he said in a recent phone interview from his home in Palm Springs. “I played second base.”

While he was at Santa Maria, he played in exhibition games against Ted Williams, Bob Lemon and Jackie Robinson. “The year that I played against them, my freshman year, they were just leaving high school then,” Harada said.

The documentary “Diamonds in the Rough: Baseball and Japanese-American Internment,” a work about baseball in the internment camps, came out of the NBRP.

“We recruited Pat Morita, who was the instructor in ‘The Karate Kid,' - he was a narrator in the documentary,” said Nakagawa. “The documentary led to a book, to a curriculum guide, and then to a high school curriculum project co-produced with Stanford University.”

Nakagawa co-authored the book with Gary Mukai. The “Diamonds in the Rough,” display opened in Fresno in 1996. It is now a traveling exhibition that, in the words of the niseibaseball.com website, seeks to tell Japanese Americans' contribution to baseball through “words, images and memorabilia.”

Harada, along with Kenichi Zenimura, Sotoshi “Fibber” Hirayama and George “Hats” Omachi, are part of Hall of Fame Nisei and recognized as Nisei Legends on the niseibaseball website.

Those four are recognized as Nisei baseball pioneers for the work they did in fostering Japanese American baseball's rich history. Barnstorming Japanese American teams and leagues, with a big Central Valley pipeline, thrived throughout the American west during the war era.

“Sure,” he's followed the NBRP, Harada said. “I just talked to Kerry Nakagawa on the phone (this past week). A lot of Niseis were in baseball. There were some good players - some very good players.”

George Aratani, Harada said, was one of those.

“He was a shortstop the year Santa Maria won the state championship,” Harada said. “If he didn't get hurt in football, he probably would have been the first Nisei player in the major leagues. Andy DeVine of the New York Yankees was scouting him.”

Nakagawa said his uncle, Los Osos native Lefty Nishijima, pitched three times to Jackie Robinson.

“I asked him how he did. He said ‘Jackie took me over the right field fence twice. At least it was a Hall-of-Famer. I was very happy I gave Jackie a lot of confidence.'

“He said it in a joking way, but in a way he was serious....in many ways, he was a very proud pitcher. He grew up in Santa Maria and played in 1937 as a starting pitcher. He played for Hancock College.

“He was very shy about his accomplishments - all of my relatives were very modest about their accomplishments. My uncle Johnny Nakagawa was kind of the Babe Ruth of Nisei. He (was on a team that) beat the Los Angeles White Sox in 1925. That team was filled with all-stars from the Negro Leagues.

“He was on a team that beat an All-Star team Babe Ruth was on during a barnstorming tour. A lot of players from the Central Valley played for professional baseball teams in Japan for very meager salaries.”

Nakagawa added, “Here were all these great stars from the Negro Leagues, the Japanese leagues, who never got their chance in Major League Baseball because of, mostly, discrimination. It's certainly nice to see today players from around the world play in the major leagues.

“The Boston Red Sox just signed a pitcher (Daisuke Matsuzaka) for $50 million. I hope guys like these understand the legacy and give appreciation to the pioneers.”

Harada said he predicted “many years ago,” that there would be a big influx of Asian players into the majors. With the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki, among others, that influx began awhile back.

“When you look at a player like Ichiro, 5-10, 165 pounds,” said Nakagawa, “He continues to raise the bar every year.”

Harada said he made his prediction when he began scouting Manasori “Massy” Murakami, a left-handed pitcher who became the first Japanese player to play in the major leagues.

The niseibaseball website said that Harada is credited with signing Murakami to a Major League contract with the San Francisco Giants.

For 25 years, Harada worked the San Francisco Giants as a special assistant in the scouting and player personnel department. He worked in player development, basic business operations and Trans Pacific scouting. During that time, the Giants acquired Murakami from Japan's Nankai Hawks in 1964.

Murakami played two seasons in the majors. He had a 5-1 career record.

When Harada lived in the area after graduating from high school, he was active on the local sports scene. He was a member of what is now the Northern Santa Barbara County Athletic Roundtable, an organization that recognizes area high school and college athletes.

“Bob Fisher was the head of it then, and I advised him,” Harada said.

Harada said he worked in then-Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn's office from 1978-85. For four years of that time, Harada said, he was the state of Washington Athletic Commissioner.

“'Cappy' is quite a guy,” said Nakagawa. “When you look back at what he's done, the ambassador for the game he's been...He built a bridge across the Pacific really, when there really needed to be healing between the two countries.”

According to the niseibaseball website, the St. Louis Cardinals were scouting Harada when World War II broke out. He joined the military intelligence service and was shipped out to help the United States in the Pacific Theater campaigns.

Wounded twice, he continued with the United States military for 10 years during the occupation of Japan.

Harada's baseball roots in the United States and Japan run deep.

Besides his work with the Giants, Harada arranged baseball goodwill tours in Japan in the 1940's and ‘50's. Lefty O'Doul and the San Francisco Seals played a series in Japan.

The Joe DiMaggio All-stars and the New York Giants brought major league stars to Japanese ballparks in 1951 and ‘53. Harada managed the Tokyo Giants of the Japanese Baseball League from 1951-54. Harada guided the Giants to four straight JBL championships.

He also pioneered a two-league format and the World Series-style playoffs in Japan. Harada became the Lodi Crushers' general manager in 1965, making him the first Nisei to become a general manager in the Minor Leagues. He was the California League's Executive of the Year in 1966.

While he was in Japan, the niseibaseball website states, Harada hosted DiMaggio and the Hall of Famer's wife, actress Marilyn Monroe, on their honeymoon.

“We had a celebrity golf tournament (in Santa Maria) every year for 20 years,” said Harada. “Joe DiMaggio was a regular. Pete Rose was as well. The purpose of the tournament was to help the Hancock College athletic program.”

Nakagawa is co-producer of a film titled “The American Past-Time,” a film about Japanese Americans who turned to baseball in the Topaz Internment Camp near Abraham, Utah.

“That will hopefully come out in the spring,” he said.

“The ‘Electronic Field Trip' live from the former Mansanar Internment Camp,” is another project to come out of the NBRP, said Nakagawa. It is designed for youngsters in the fifth-through-ninth grades and is due to come out Feb. 13.

“It will be produced by Ball State, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the National Parks Association,” Nakagawa said.

Nakagawa re-called one particular highlight for internment camp teams.

“The Tucson Badgers were basically a high school team that was part of the Gila River Internment Camp,” Nakagawa said. The Badgers defeated the Gila River Eagles, a semi-pro team comprised of players from Butte High School, in what was considered a major upset.

“The players from those teams had a reunion that took place Oct. 14 and 15.”

Nakagawa said the NBRP has taken him on quite an odyssey.

“My skills as author, filmmaker and producer made the journey pretty magical for the last 10 years. I've been able to meet new friends in areas I never thought I'd venture into.

“Recognizing these pioneers, from the Negro Leagues, the Nisei and so forth, I hope fills a hole in baseball's history. I think every Major League team will have an Asian player. I hope all these players will recognize the Nisei.”

For additional information about the Electronic Field Trip, Hall of Fame Nisei and more, visit niseibaseball.com.

Dec. 25, 2006