It's always a pleasure when our community bands together to help stage a special event.

That's been the case for the Japan-Metro All-Star Classic that will be held at Veterans Memorial Stadium Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Metro Sports Report has received terrific support from the local community to make sure this will be a special night for baseball. Topping that list are the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Kernels CEO Doug Nelson, who have graciously made the stadium available and helped in every way possible.

The Premier Mortgage Company of Cedar Rapids happily climbed aboard as one of our sponsors, and the folks with the Iowa Amateur Athletic Union have coordinated the itinerary for the Japan team's trip to Iowa this week.

Julie Cain, who teaches Japanese at Cedar Rapids Washington High School, has arranged for all the host families for the Japanese players for their overnight stay here Thursday night, just as she did three years when we held this event in 2012.

Our friends in the media have kindly let me appear on their talk shows this week, including lengthy interviews with Mark Dukes on KGYM, Bob Brooks on KMRY and Gary Rima on KXEL to promote the game. The Gazette gave us a nice plug in the newspaper and the Kernels have been promoting the event at the stadium this month.

The Cedar Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau has helped supply gifts for the Japanese team. Steve Ehlert and his folks at ESP3 have done a terrific job with our special T-shirts for the event, and Allegra has done a fine job with the game programs.

Carol Montag, a superb graphic artist and singer/songwriter, did all the design work for the shirts and program.

Kirkwood Community College let our team practice on their field Tuesday afternoon, so many thanks to athletic director Doug Wagemester and coach Todd Rima for making that happen.

We couldn't hold the game without our players, of course, so many thanks to the 15 talented guys who will play in Thursday night's game before heading off to college in the coming days and weeks.

A special thank-you, of course, goes to Jim VanScoyoc, the coaching legend from Norway who enthusiastically agreed to coach our team when he could be spending a quiet night at home. And thanks to assistant coaches Casey Pauli, Scott Shulista and Kentaro Yasutake for lending a hand.

Thanks, too, to our dedicated staff at the Metro Sports Report for pitching in. And thanks to all the fans who will be coming to Veterans Memorial Stadium Thursday to enjoy a night of baseball, which truly is an international game.

Thanks to umpires Chris Oberbroeckling and Randy Schulte. Thanks to Mercy Sports Care for providing a trainer for the game. And thanks to the Cedar Rapids Reds 11U team for serving as ballboys.

This will be a nine-inning game. The gate opens at 6 p.m. All tickets cost $5. Children 5-&-under will be admitted for free. One of the concession stands will be open.

Let's play ball!