Commentary by Hank F. Miller Jr. (Hank is former resident of Gloucester City who lives in Japan)  

I read about this bit of interesting news in the local Japanese newspaper. 

Edgewater, N.J.-A Kyoto based tofu maker is poised to make inroads into the U.S. market on the back of strong popularity of its products in Japan and health-conscious American consumers. A brand of tofu named Otokmae  

(Handsome Guy) that created a sensation among young Japanese when it appeared in July 2004.It made its full fledged U.S. debut last Friday at a Japanese supermarket near New York. 

Shingo Ito, president of Otokomae Tofu ten Corp., based in Namtan, Kyoto Prefecture, plans to sell his unique brand of tofu that boasts a big kanji character for\”otoko\”(male) on the package at Japanese specialty stores first before hitting regular supermarkets. 

It is still uncertain whether the tofu, made with Japanese-grown soybeans and more than twice as expensive as regular tofu in the United States, will win over American consumers. 

\”I created my tofu with meticulous attention to ingredients and techniques,\”Ito said.\”I am confident that health-conscious Americans will love them.\” 

Ito\’s tofu, which is flown from Japan to be on the shelf the day after it is made, sells for $1.99 to $ 6.99, compared 110 yen to 320 yen for the same products in Japan. A regular block costs about $1 to $2 in the U.S. 

Through Sunday, Ito will lead in-store demonstrations himself, aiming to sell 2,000 packages of tofu in three days. He sold several dozen Friday morning alone. 

Fans gave high marks, saying \”it is much richer with a stronger soybean flavor than regular tofu. One of the products, Johnny, is sold in a shallow, surfboard-shaped package, distinguishing it from the usual square containers. The design is to allow consumers to eat the tofu, as soft as yogurt, directly from the container using a spoon. 

\”I used several times more soybeans than regular tofu to create the rich flavor. I am sure Americans can taste the difference once they try my tofu,\”Ito said. 

In fact I had Mr.Ito\’s Johnny tofu last night, yes it was delicious. We here at the Miller household eat tofu at least four times per week with our meals.\”I am sure Otokomae (Handsome Guy) Johnny will firmly establish a sizeable consumer base in the U.S. especially around Gloucester City once it catches on\” 

Warm Regards from Kitakyushu City, Japan 

UPDATE: Rutgers played Louisville today at 10 A.M. Final Rutgers 12, Louisville 10.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The second-seeded Rutgers baseball team used three home runs and a complete-game performance from sophomore pitcher Matt Gianinni (Millington, N.J.) to defeat sixth-seeded Villanova, 11-0, in the BIG EAST Baseball Championship at KeySpan Park Thursday afternoon.

The Scarlet Knights (38-19) earn a re-match with third-seeded Louisville Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. RU needs to defeat the Cardinals twice on Friday to advance to Saturday\’s championship game. The Scarlet Knights and Cardinals met on Wednesday with the Cardinals posting an 8-1 win over the Scarlet Knights.

Junior All-American Todd Frazier (Toms River, N.J.) led the Scarlet Knights offensively with a 4-for-6 day that included a home run and three doubles. Junior Ryan Hill (Hillsdale, N.J.) and sophomore Tom Edwards (Caldwell, N.J.) also hit homers for RU, while Giannini record the first complete-game shutout of his career.

\”I was very pleased with the all-round effort our guys showed today,\” said Rutgers head coach Fred Hill. \”Todd [Frazier] certainly had a magnificent day but we also had other guys perform well and Matt [Gianinni] was working his pitches well. We take it one game at a time and next up is Louisville.\”

Rutgers capitalized on a Villanova error to push across its first two runs with two outs in the third. With Dave Williams (Franklin, N.J.) (double) on third and Edwards (single) on second, Jon Gossard (Harrington Park, N.J.) hit what appeared to be an inning-ending flyout but the second baseman kept drifting back into the outfield and the ball hit off the fielder\’s glove, allowing both Scarlet Knights to score.

Frazier doubled to leadoff the fourth, stole second and came around to score on a Mike Bionde (Pompton Plains, N.J.) RBI single. The Scarlet Knights weren\’t finished in the inning, however as Edwards singled home Bionde later in the frame off new pitcher Josh Eidell to make it 4-0.

RU added to its lead with four runs in the fifth highlighted by home runs by Frazier and Hill. Frazier\’s home run was a two-run blast – his school record 20th of the season and 40th of his career – that cleared the Cyclones\’ scoreboard in left-center field, traveling an estimated 470 feet. Hill followed two batters later with a solo shot to right field.

The Scarlet Knights continued their power hitting barrage when Edwards opened the sixth with an opposite-field blast – his seventh of the season – to make it 9-0.

RU tacked on two more runs in the ninth to make it 11-0 and after Villanova loaded the bases in the bottom-half of the ninth, Bionde preserved the shutout with a nice stop at second base and throw to first for the final putout of the contest.

Gianini scattered 11 hits with six strikeouts to earn the first complete-game shutout of his career. He improved to 5-4 on the year with his second victory over Villanova in less than a week. His counterpart, Bill Hoffman of Villanova, fell to 4-8 on the season with four runs (two earned) on seven hits and five strikeouts in 3.1 innings of play.

Frazier recorded 10 total bases on Thursday to break the Rutgers single-season mark with 166 this year. He recorded his 200th run, moving him into second place on the Rutgers all-time runs scored list. The All-American also moved into third place on the school\’s all-time hits chart with 231 in his career and stole his 64th career base to tie Eric Young (1987-89) for third place all-time.

Frazier and Williams each have 83 hits on the year, good enough for ninth-place in school history.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Second-seeded Rutgers scored a run in the fourth and two in the fifth and Sean Spicer (Pearl River, N.Y.) pitched a complete game five hitter as the Scarlet Knights advanced to Saturday\’s BIG EAST Championship game with a 3-1 victory over third-seeded Louisville Friday night at KeySpan Park.

The Scarlet Knights, who entered the day needing to defeat the Cardinals twice to reach the finals, did just that with a 12-10 win earlier in the day before the 3-1 decision in the nightcap. RU reaches its fifth BIG EAST title game (2003, 2002, 2000 and 1998) in school history and first since the 2003 season, improving to 40-19 overall. The Scarlet Knights earn a championship date with the winner of Friday night\’s other semifinal game between USF and Connecticut Saturday at 1 p.m. in front of a national television audience on ESPNU.

Rutgers broke the scoreless stalemate in the fourth when junior National Player of the Year candidate Todd Frazier (Toms River, N.J.) singled down the left-field line to lead off the inning, was sacrificed over and scored two plays later on a Dave Williams (Franklin, N.J.) RBI double to the gap in right center.

continued

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child\’s work.

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, \”They will in a minute.\”

UPDATE: The elimination game is over…..Rutgers 3 Louisville 1

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Down 7-5 in the seventh-inning, No. 2 Rutgers scored six runs en route to a 12-10 win over No. 3 Louisville in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Baseball Championship at Keyspan Park in Brooklyn. The win forces an elimination match between the Scarlet Knights and Cardinals today at 5:00 p.m.

Rutgers (39-19) struck quickly with runners on first and second in the opening frame, senior Dave Williams (Franklin, N.J.) hit a sharp grounder back up the middle to score Mike Bionde (Pompton Plains, N.J.) from second. The Scarlet Knights weren\’t finished in the inning however, loading the bases with two outs. Senior Tim Querns (Cherry Hill, N.J.) drew a full-count walk to bring home the second run of the frame and stake RU out to a 2-0 lead.

Louisville (40-19) responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by a two-out, two-run home run from Jorge Castillo to give the Cardinals a 3-2 advantage.

Louisville cleanup hitter Isaiah Howes hit a solo home run with two outs in the third to make it 4-2.

Rutgers rallied for three runs in the fifth to surge out to a 5-4 lead. Junior National Player of the Year candidate Todd Frazier (Toms River, N.J.) led off the inning with his second home run in as many days, clearing the left-field wall by a considerable distance. Following two outs, Williams and Tom Edwards (Caldwell, N.J.) hit consecutive singles to set up the next two runs with runners on second and third. With DH Jon Gossard (Harrington Park, N.J.) at the plate, Louisville starter Colby Wark allowed Williams to score the tying run on a wild pitch before a passed ball later in the at bat gave the Scarlet Knights the 5-4 lead with Edwards crossing home.

Another two-out home run by Howes, this time a two-run blast, quickly gave the lead back to Louisville in the bottom half of the fifth. The Cardinals took a two-run advantage when Chris Dominguez led off with a single, stole second came around to score two plays later on a squeeze bunt.

Rutgers came right back with a sixth-run sixth inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from Frank Meade (Linden, N.J.) over the center-field fence with two outs in the frame.

Frazier led off the inning with his 57th walk of the season to break the school\’s single-season walk record (Craig Badger 1998). Bionde followed with a single and Ryan Hill\’s (Hillsdale, N.J.) attempt to sacrifice both runners over was scooped up by the pitcher, who elected to go for the lead runner at third. However, the throw was wild, allowing Frazier to come around and score. Williams collected his fourth hits of the day to drive in another run and Edwards recorded an RBI groundout to plate a third score before Meade\’s punishing blow.

RU extended its lead to five runs when Frazier came around to score from second base on a deep sacrifice fly from Hill.

Louisville mounted a comeback, plating two runs in with two outs in the eighth, forcing Scarlet Knight reliever Kevin Lillis (Fair Haven. N.J.) in with the bases loaded. Lillis balked on his first delivery to allow a third run in, but came back to strikeout Howes to get out of the inning.

Lillis sealed the victory with a 1-2-3 ninth to give Rutgers its first-ever victory in seven games against Louisville.

Williams lead RU\’s 10-hit attack with a 4-for-4 performance, to improve his average to .529 (9-for-17) in the tournament for Rutgers.