Baseball's Losers Live It Up

The gods of baseball work in mysteriousand intercontinentalways. In Japan, where baseball is considered only slightly less important than breathing, Osaka's famously hapless Hanshin Tigers (one Series title in 68 years) cruised to a pennant this year and will face the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in the Japan Series this week. Across the pond, the Boston Red Sox, who haven't won a title since the end of World War I, are alive in the post-season, just one step away from the World Series. There are other similarities: each team plays second fiddle to an imperial rival: the Tokyo Giants for the Tigers,...