Move over Frosty, make room for Snowhei

1 year ago
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In much of the world, there’s snow on the ground as we hit the home stretch of winter, eagerly anticipating the sunshine of spring and the return of baseball season. Surely there are countless children out and about building snowmen before warmer weather arrives.

But they’re probably not building “Snowhei Ohtani.”

A giant snow sculpture of Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani? That’s exactly what will be on display at the 73rd annual Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan beginning Saturday. As Ohtani, who spent the first five seasons of his professional career in Nippon Professional Baseball, prepares to play for Team Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, his likeness has been captured in a work of art that will surely leave viewers in awe, much like his performances on the mound and at the plate.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time a “Snowhei Ohtani” sculpture has been featured at the Sapporo Snow Festival — back in 2013, Ohtani was already such a hyped phenom that he made his snow festival debut in the same year as he made his NPB debut.

It may not be the last appearance Ohtani makes in the Sapporo snow. But there’s no need to worry about running out of poses. This year, Ohtani is depicted as a hitter, wearing his Angels batting helmet and holding a bat on his left shoulder. Next time, he could be pitching.

Speaking of which … can you imagine Ohtani, with an arm that regularly unleashes 100 mph fastballs, taking part in another classic snow activity, the snowball fight?

That could be a dicey proposition. Better stick with building “Snowhei” sculptures.