Monkeys are awesome. End of discussion. Now that we've established that inarguable fact, let's see what awesome things monkeys are doing now. With their awesomeness. Because they're awesome.

This week: baseball, the American past time that Japan seems to love. The genius chimpanzee Pan-kun seems to have a little trouble throwing at first, which makes me worry about just how good an idea this could possibly be, and it's not helped by the less-than-stellar batting results exhibited by chimpanzees in the past. But looking like a pro, Pan-kun pulls through, taking charge of setting up his own batting assist and knocking the ball away powerfully. And when he's actually pitched a ball - let's just say I stood up and cheered in my own home.

If they keep teaching this game to enough monkeys, there might be a simian version of A League of Their Own playing out before our eyes. That would certainly be enough to make me buy a ticket to a baseball game for the first time in years. Pay attention, MLB!