MLB.com - Eri Yoshida, a 17-year-old with a wicked sidearm knuckleball, took her 5-foot, 114-pound frame to the mound to become Japan's first female professional pitcher... The result? Not too bad. Yoshida walked the first batter on four straight pitches, then gave up a stolen base, but struck out the next batter swinging before being taken out... "I wasn't thinking about anything other than just going out there and giving it my all," Yoshida, who emulates Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, was quoted as saying by AP.

If you know me, you know that my whole life is focused on the pursuit of equality. Well, drunkness, celebrity nudity and equality, in that order. One of the things I love most about sports is that they give everyone the opportunity to be whatever they choose, from a 7 foot tall Chinese center to a half Black golfer to a Navajo leadoff hitter to whatever Johnny Damon is. Sports are the great equalizer. That said, I'm not ready for Eri Yoshida. I'm not saying I could never accept a woman in men's sports. I can definitely see the day when we'd have a female field goal kicker, say. Or a woman golfer doing better on the men's tour than Annika Sorrenstam. My town high school hockey team won the state championship with a girl in net. And a knuckleballer is not out of the realm. But not this chick. Making it in pro baseball is tough enough without having to face the indignity of being struck out by a 17 year old girl. I can't imagine what life will be like for this poor bastard after being rung up by some anime-watching Shibuya girl with a plaid skirt and a Hello Kitty backpack. I'd be shocked if this guy doesn't commit Hari Kari before the first pitch tonight.