Yakult Rookie Takai

Thinking of Vietnam

Newly minted Yakult Swallows rookie pitcher Yuhei Takai says that he would like to build a hospital in Vietnam, according to a story in Sports Nippon. Having seen the plight of the average Vietnamese on television and read about it in books, he was so moved that he has made that his goal. Toward that end, he will be journeying to Vietnam next year.
"There's a big difference between the facilities in tourist areas and places that aren't geared to visitors," he noted. Sports Nippon checked into what it would cost to attain his goal. For a three floor, eight bed, two ward hospital, it would cost only about $100,000. But a bigger plan would run into the millions. Takai's teammates, Akinori Iwamura and Tetsuya Iida, are famous for their charitable activities, but they are concentrated on Japan. So this would be a formidable undertaking for a Japanese ballplayer, though Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki has been involved in some international charitable work for many years.

(BASEBALL GURU.COM)