Japan planting seeds of baseball throughout Africa

Dakar, Senegal

BABACAR Ndiaye, 12, does not know Babe Ruth from Bryce Harper. The boy's favourite baseball player is Ryoma Ogawa, who teaches Senegalese children to catch, throw, field and hit.

Baseball is called America's pastime, but Japan has been cultivating the sport in soccer-crazed Africa for years. Mr Ogawa, 24, is the latest in a long line of Japanese baseball missionaries.