Los Angeles Times, Sunday 29th July 1951 (Part 2 page 10)

SPORTRAITS
By AL WOLF

    Kibitzers at the San Francisco - Hollywood ball games this afternoon will see a touching reunion - between Lefty O'Doul of the visiting Seals and enormous Maedayama, sumo wrestling great of Japan.
    Maedayama, in common with many of his countrymen, is a real baseball fan. He first met O'Doul San, as he is called 'throughout the Orient, many years ago when the San Francisco skipper toured Nippon with a team of barnstormers.
    Our Mr. Paul Zimmerman, a fast man with information except on winning horses – already has commented on sumo wrestling in general and Maedayama in particular, but we shall go over the course again in somewhat more detailed fashion.
    Maedayama. who stands 6 feet 3 inches on bare but calloused feet and hefts in the -neighborhood of 320 pounds, has not lost a match in seven years. No doubt O'Doul wishes he could make that same boast about Seal baseballing.
     Nevertheless, Maedayama no longer is the champion of all Japan - and it's all O'Doul San's fault.

Here's the why of it:

    Just after the Coast League campaign ended last fall, O'Doul collected a squad of players and took off for Tokyo.
    Now, baseball, although a Johnny-come-lately pastime in Japan when compared to sumo, which dates back a good 2000 years, is tremendously popular. And after the long war years, visits by players from America are the occasion for parades, parties and mob scenes at the diamonds where they appear.
    Maedayama was booked to wrestle in a tournament at Osaka just at the time when O'Doul & Co. was to open an exhibition series at Tokyo. Wrestler Maedayama suddenly discovered that he didn't feel so good. He went to a doctor, got a certificate that his health wasn't up to the task of defending his championship and hastened to the ball park.
    The Sumo Association, all-powerful governing body of the sport, learned of his whereabouts. It didn't take much detective work. For when the baseball promoters heard of his coming they proclaimed the fact far and wide. For Maedayama is almost a god in his country and his mere presence was good for extra thousands of admissions. Baseball and Maedayama, too . , . Well!
    So the ball game was a huge success and the wrestling tournament was a huge bust.
    The sumo fathers were infuriated. They not only booted Maedayama off his throne, but added insult to injury by ordering that his topknot, prize symbol of a sumo wrestler, be scissored off - in public. The thrifty fathers weren't bad enough, though, to overlook a good bet. They charged admission for the public haircut and collected from 30,000 pop-eyed citizens,
    (Wonder if 30,000 Pittsburghers would turn out - pay hard cash even - to see President Ford Frick break both of Ralph Kiner's arms at Forbes Field?)
    Another bloated grappler was named champion. And Maedayama decided forthwith to head for the U.S.A. He was aided in making that decision by Toots Mondt and Al Richardson, who showered him with those lovely green things called dollar bills.
    We are told that Maedayama's decision to forsake Nippon for America rated more space in the Japanese dailies than the sacking of Gen. MacArthur. And when Maedayama sailed, in company with three other sumo stars, 365-pound Onoumi, 290-pound Yatakayama and 300-pound (and five-by-five) Fujitayama, a crowd of 10,000 saw them off at the docks.
    So Messrs., Maedayama, Onoumi, Yatakayama and Fujitayama - and it there a chiropractor in the house who can untangle our typewriting fingers? - came over and will appear on the mat card at the Olympic Auditorium Wednesday night.
    Maedayama invited O'Doul San to attend and occupy a chair of honor in the corner of the ring itself. Lefty, though, has sent his regrets. For he'll still be busy at Gilmore Field Wednesday, trying to mastermind his Seals to victory over the Stars in the long-drawn-out series
    So Lefty invited Maedayama to visit him at the ball park, which he'll do today. Maedayama won't sit in the dugout, though, for there wouldn't be room for anybody else but the bat boy.
    And if we don't go on a diet pretty soon, the Sumo Association scouts may try to sign ss up for a tour of Japan.