So, what exactly does Naota have with baseball? He carries a bat around him, alot.

Nothing. hell, Naota isn't even good at baseball (his team doesn't like him that much ¬¬;; evil, evil.) He carries his bat around, and plays because his brother did.

"again, cellie? damn, you've already got other pages dedicated to talking about Tasaku. what's wrong with you? we don't even see him in the series! he's in America, dumbass. Isn't this a Naota shrine, NOT a Tasaku shrine? -_-"

i know, i know. Naota' got some issues with his brother, okay? -_-; jeebus. anyways. It's all about Tasaku, people. His entire town (well, at least it's goddamn baseball team) seems to be obsessed with his brother. They looked up to him, the star of bleak little Mabase, where nothing ever happened. he's like Haruko, in a way. a big bit of buzz, in a town where nothing ever happens. He was Mabase's exictement, he brought life to the town.

And when he left, finding more promising prospects in America, as so many do, there was Naota, who'd been hiding in Tasaku's shadow all this time.

Naota wants to fill the place of his brother. The only way this kid knows how to, is to play baseball. to be another Tasaku? maybe. All he wants is for his town to feel like they haven't lost anything, that Mabase can still feel excited.

But it doesn't work. So what happens to Naota, our lovely protagonist? He withdraws from everything, seeking comfort within himself (think: when Ellone leaves Squall... i'm making too many FFVIII comparisons here, yo.) He becomes the slightly cold, indifferent, bored, and cynical kid we come to know in the series (hm. probably what Squall was like at that age... okay, i'll stop the FFVIII refrecnes now. i promise.)