The Yomiuri Shimbun
Jan 31, 2008
Pacific League President Tadao Koike ruled Wednesday that both the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Orix Buffaloes have valid contracts with pitcher Jeremy Powell for the 2008 season.
A day after the Hawks announced they had signed Powell, Koike was unable to settle the issue in a meeting with representatives from both teams.
The Buffaloes announced Powell's acquisition on Jan. 11 but did not have a signed contract in their hands until Jan. 22. The club had expected to complete the formalities of the signing after Powell arrived in Japan.
In the meantime, the Hawks confirmed with the league that no team had a claim on the pitcher and quickly worked out a deal. The Buffaloes filed a protest with the league soon after learning the Hawks had stolen a march on them.
"The recognition that our contract is valid is a step forward," said Orix's director of baseball Katsuhiro Nakamura.
"Camp is beginning and we don't want to carry over any grudges, but we're not going to back down."
However, Hawks team representative Masashi Tsunoda was stunned.
"We confirmed he was unsigned and I believe we contracted with him according to the rules," said Tsunoda. "Our contract is an original, while Orix's is a fax. I am astonished that he was ruled to have two valid contracts."
(Jan. 31, 2008)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Japan Post firm looks to make a hit with Daisuke Matsuzaka stamps
Jan 29, 2008
Japan Post Network Co. is cashing in on Matsuzaka fever with Monday's announcement of a new set of stamps featuring major league baseball pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Each sheet contains 10 80-yen stamps showing some of Matsuzaka's finest moments, including his first victory in his first game as a starting pitcher, and when he held up the trophy celebrating victory in the World Series.
The stamps will be sold in sets, along with special folders and postcards. The sets, which will be on sale until Feb. 22, are priced at 4,950 yen each, including postage. Stamps can be ordered at post offices across the country.
Softbank signs deal with Powell
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
FUKUOKA — The Softbank Hawks said Tuesday they have signed a contract with Jeremy Powell, nearly three weeks after the Orix Buffaloes announced the acquisition of the right-hander.
Softbank stressed the legitimacy of its contract with Powell, claiming that the completion of the deal between Orix and the 31-year-old has yet to be announced officially by the Pacific League, leaving it ineffective. Powell, who is 67-59 in seven seasons in Japanese baseball, joined the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 2001 and led the league with 17 wins the following year. He played for the Yomiuri Giants the last two seasons and a knee injury limited him to seven starts with an 0-2 record in 2007.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
NPB: Giants welcome Kroon to fold
Jan 26, 2008
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The Yomiuri Giants welcomed closer Marc Kroon, one of their key offseason acquisitions, to the team at the club's Tokyo offices on Friday.
The 34-year-old Kroon earned a career-high 31 saves last season with the Yokohama BayStars. He was 8-8 with 84 saves and a 2.82 ERA in 145 games in three years with Yokohama.
Kroon, who holds the record for the fastest pitch in Japanese baseball at 161 kph, signed a one-year deal with the Giants thought to be worth 350 million yen with both sides having the option for a second year.
Yomiuri also signed starting pitcher Seth Greisinger and slugger Alex Ramirez--both former Yakult Swallows--over the offseason.
Red Sox To Wear Ad On Uniforms In Japan
Jan 23, 2008
TOKYO (WBZ) ― The Red Sox will look a little different during their season-opening trip to Japan in March. For the first time, they will have an advertisement on their uniform for a regular season game.
The Sox and Oakland A's will open the 2008 season with a two-game series on March 25-26 at Tokyo Dome. The Sox will also play two exhibition games against Japanese teams.
During those games, the Red Sox will wear sleeve patches featuring the EMC and "Japan 2008" logos.
EMC is a data storage provider based in Hopkinton. They will be an official sponsor of the series.
Major league teams normally are not permitted to wear corporate logos on their uniforms, but the rule will be lifted for the games in Japan.
EMC has had a relationship with the Red Sox for several years and is looking to build its brand in Japan.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Whiting pays tribute to Boyer, Halberstam
By ROBERT WHITINGSpecial to The Japan Times
In an exclusive piece, best-selling author Robert Whiting reminisces about two men, Clete Boyer and David Halberstam, both of whom died in 2007, who had a profound impact on his distinguished career.
Clete Boyer, seen here with the New York Yankees in 1960, played four seasons (1972-75) in Japan with the Taiyo Whales. Robert Whiting first met him in 1975. AP PHOTO
This is a tribute, long overdue, to Clete Boyer and David Halberstam, two class individuals who died last year.
The former was an All-Star baseball player, one of the greatest fielding third basemen of all time.
The latter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, who was perhaps the greatest reporter of his generation.
I was fortunate enough to get to know both of them well and each one had a special impact on my life and career.
Clete Boyer was a fixture on the great New York Yankee teams of the early 1960s. Behind the famed Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra, the club which won five pennants and two world championships from 1960-64.
Boyer was the team's defensive anchor at third, a standout who led the American League third basemen in putouts, assists and double plays for three years running during that period. His specialty was the diving grab, then throwing out baseball runners from his knees.
The appraisal of Bobby Richardson, who played second for the Yankees was typical: "When I think of Clete, I think of the outstanding defensive third basemen in baseball. Brooks Robinson got all the Gold Gloves, and he's every bit deserving of the Hall of Fame, but Clete was as good as anyone who ever played the game."
I first met Clete Boyer in February 1975, in Japan, where he wound up after a circuitous route that had first taken him to Atlanta, traded there by the Yankees after a last-place finish in 1966, and then Honolulu.
He had been released by the Braves in 1971 after a spat with Braves management over the training of young players and after a season with the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders, he was traded to the Central League's Taiyo Whales.
At the time, I was based in New York City, where I had moved after studying and working in Japan for several years. I had written a draft of my first book, "The Chrysanthemum and The Bat," and had flown to Tokyo to do some followup research and interviews.
I had visited Wally Yonamine, then manager of the defending CL champion Chunichi Dragons, at the Dragons camp in Hamamatsu. He was kind enough to introduce me to Boyer, who was then ensconced at the Whales camp in Shizuoka, starting his third year, but I wasn't prepared at all for what was about to happen.
I was a 32-year-old, unpublished writer, but Boyer, thanks to Yonamine's introduction, was waiting for me in the lobby of the Shizuoka Grand Hotel, standing there in his Taiyo Whales uniform, his 182-cm, 86-kg frame towering over most everyone else.
He introduced me all around — to his manager, his coaches and his fellow players and gave me a guided tour of the camp, showing me the 1,000-fungo drill, among other sadomasochistic exercises, conducted in the freezing cold.
Then, much to my surprise, he offered me, and another an editor from New York I had been traveling with, the full use of his expensive Tokyo apartment in Hiroo, which stood empty while he was away during training and the preseason exhibition game tour.
We stayed there for about a month, along with a pile of assorted baseball gear and a refrigerator full of frozen steaks and cold beer.
A steady flow of Boyer's acquaintances dropped by, at Boyer's instigation, to sit for interviews — a former Whales manager, a front office official, a coach, a retired slugger, and a clean-cut young shortstop, a Boyer protege.
Returning to Tokyo for one night, Clete held a party and invited every gaijin player in town, including many who had been stars in America.
That evening, they put on a seminar and bitch session on Japanese baseball — nice people, crazy practice routines, excessive discipline — until a succession of attractive young women showed up to change the topic of conversation.
Boyer, who had movie star good looks, had been known as a man who had a certain zest for life.
(Among his many escapades had been a fistfight with a male model in the Yankees' 1964 spring camp in St. Petersburg, Fla.)
He took me along on several forays to Ginza bars and acquainted me with several Taiyo Whales groupies. A favorite hangout was Byblos, site of a famous fistfight pitting ex-MLB players Charlie Manuel, Clyde Wright and Roger Repoz against the East German ice hockey team.
I don't know exactly why Clete Boyer was so kind to me. MLB ballplayers are not noted for their affection for journalists.
Maybe it was because I was someone from home. Maybe it was because Wally and his wife Jane, two extraordinarily hospitable people, had asked him. Maybe it was just because that's the kind of guy Clete Boyer was.
But Boyer, who was living alone in Japan, appeared to me to be in the midst of a mild depression. He had been one of the most famous players in North America. He had batted cleanup behind Hank Aaron. He had won the National League Gold Glove in 1969.
David Halberstam, seen here in 1993, was a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who met Robert Whiting when he came to Japan in 1983 to research "The Reckoning." AP PHOTO
Yet here he was in far-off Japan. Thirty-eight years old, he was coming off his best season in Japan, one in which he had hit .282 with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs in 118 games, winning his second straight Golden Glove. But nobody back in the States was paying attention."Playing in Japan," he drawled in his Missouri accent, "I might as well be on Mars."
One night, over several beers, he turned to me and said, "sometimes I wonder what the point of going on is. Sometimes I think about going up to the roof and jumping off and ending it all."
But Boyer rallied. He began to take Vitamin B shots to keep up his energy level and he doubled as a coach on the Whales that year, working with the younger players.
He urged Japanese fielders to be more flexible, to stick out a glove and catch a ball hit to the side, rather than doing the two-handed, time-consuming, by-the-numbers "crow hop," moving the body in front of the ball, as taught by form-obsessed Japanese coaches. The aforementioned shortstop became an All-Star infielder.
Boyer was always interesting to listen to. He would talk in awe about Mickey Mantle — hitting home runs despite epic hangovers and throwing up in the clubhouse, or the thrill of playing the 1964 World Series game against the St. Louis Cardinals, in front of 60,000 people at Yankee Stadium, with his older brother Kenny batting cleanup and playing third base opposite him.
I once asked him if he had ever been scared to stand in the batter's box against big power pitchers like Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson. "Hell, yes," he replied. "You see that ball coming in toward you at 95 miles (153 km) an hour and you don't know whether it is going to curve over the plate or keep going and hit you in the head. You're damn right I was scared."
He viewed the game in Japan with a mixture of respect and dismay.
The respect was over the work ethic of the players, the astonishing skill of pitchers like Yutaka Enatsu, Tsuneo Horiuchi and Masaji Hiramatsu, and many others whom he thought could be stars if only they had a chance to play in the U.S. major leagues.
He was particularly impressed with the batting prowess of Sadaharu Oh.
"People in America just don't know how great an athlete Oh is," Boyer would say, "I think he's super. If he played in the MLB, he would be a Hall of Famer. He is like Hank Aaron and Ted Williams. In his own way, he is that good."
The dismay was over the brutal abuse of players in training camp, where coaches would kick and slap those who displeased them, and the overworking of pitchers' arms, which often caused premature retirement.
He was also bemused at the favoritism showed by the umpires toward Yomiuri Giants idol Shigeo Nagashima, then at the end of his career. "Naggie," he said with a laugh, "had the smallest strike zone I've ever seen."
But, above all, Boyer had respect for Japan and the organization he played for. He was the only gaijin player I ever knew who signed a contract without discussing salary, leaving it up to the team owner to decide later what figure to put in.
Said Tadahiro Ushigome, a Whales official who served as his interpreter, "The man had class. He understood how Japanese felt."
Clete retired as a player at the end of 1975. He stayed on as a coach for the Taiyo Whales for the 1976 campaign, and then moved back to the States where he became a coach for Billy Martin, who was managing the Oakland Athletics.
I called him from time to time, gradually losing touch, over the years, but I kept up with his activities through Ushigome, who saw him often on trips to the United States.
In later years, I read where he opened up a restaurant in Cooperstown, N.Y., called Clete Boyer's Hamburger Hall of Fame.
He died last year on June 4, after a cerebral hemorrhage in an Atlanta-area hospital. He was survived by six children, 10 grandchildren, and older brother Cloyd Boyer, a former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher.
Thanks in great measure to Clete, I had assembled enough material for two books by the end of that '75 trip.
I heard last year his health was declining. I regretted not having called him up and telling him once more how much his generosity had meant to me.
And then there was David.
I first met David Halberstam in late May 1983. He had been living in Japan for several months researching "The Reckoning," a book on the Japanese auto industry, and while there, he had also been asked to write a piece for Playboy about Reggie Smith, the former Los Angeles Dodgers slugger who had just been signed to a million-dollar contract to play for the vaunted Yomiuri Giants.
Robert Whiting, seen here speaking at a Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan meeting in Tokyo in 2004, is the author of such classics as "You've Gotta Have Wa" and "The Chrysanthemum and The Bat." FSAJ PHOTO
Halberstam had contacted the Giants front office well before the season started about an interview with Smith, but despite repeated inquiries, he had yet to receive an answer.
The Giants were an organization not renowned for their cooperation with the press — unless that press involved the Yomiuri media group which owned the team.
Reporters and Giants players were not allowed to engage in sit-down interviews without the express permission of the front office — and without paying a substantial fee to the team for the privilege of submitting the finished piece for review — a substantial departure from the way things were done in the United States, but a pattern that was followed by other teams in Japan).
Moreover, in this case, Giants executives were afraid of what Smith, who had a reputation for being outspoken, might say to a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist known for his hard-hitting pieces about powerful institutions.
Smith had not had a good start in Japan. He had been limited to pinch-hitting duties for much of the first half of the season because of an injured knee and was only hitting about .250 with a handful of home runs.
The Japanese press was crucifying him over his meager power production and high strikeout total. Smith, for his part, was unhappy with Japanese umpires and what he perceived was a deliberate attempt to embarrass him by giving him and outsized strike zone.
He complained about lack of support from the Giants management in this regard. Moreover, he had branded opposing Japanese pitchers as "gutless" for their refusal to challenge him at the plate.
When Halberstam grew weary of the Giants procrastination, he got in touch with me, having digested "The Chrysanthemum and The Bat" in the interregnum.
I had already interviewed Reggie back in February at the Giants spring camp in Miyazaki, when he had first arrived and was full of glowing words for Japanese baseball.
I had gotten to know him well and he told me that prior to coming to Japan, he had heard of the Giants' excessive control of their players and had thus had a clause written into his contract that allowed him to talk to anyone in the press he wanted to, when he wanted to. One thing led to another and he agreed to go outside regular channels and meet Halberstam.
Halberstam also wanted to see a game at the Giants' home park, Korakuen Stadium, which presented a problem because the Giants were always sold out, and, predictably refused my request for complimentary tickets and/or special press passes.
So, as a last resort, I went to see the commissioner of Japanese baseball to ask for his help. The commissioner was one Takezo Shimoda, a former Japanese ambassador to the United States. Surprisingly, he gave me tickets to his own personal box.
I took David to the game and afterward we proceeded to the clubhouse area, where I introduced David and Reggie to each other — in full view of a representative from the Giants PR department who asked testily, "This your doing, Whiting?"
That evening, we went to dinner and David did his interview. Then, after a second visit to Korakuen, courtesy again of Ambassador Shimoda, and a quick trip to Koshien, David wrote his story, which was not entirely complimentary to the Giants.
In it, among other things, Smith compared Japan to the former Confederate states of the South, "still fighting the last war."
Of the proud Kyojin and the overall lack of aggressiveness in the Japanese game, Halberstam said, "They play baseball as if they are wearing blue suits."
The Playboy piece came out while Reggie was in the midst of a second-half hot streak that almost single-handedly carried the Giants to a pennant. He suffered no repercussions, but I, who until then had enjoyed a rather cordial relationship with Yomiuri, went on the Giants blacklist for having subverted their control of the press and violating protocol.
It turned out that Smith's First Amendment clause had been omitted from the Japanese-language version of his contract and to the powers-that-be within Yomiuri, that was all that mattered.
But David and I hit it off.
He told me that he liked the idea of using sports to make social commentary and said later that my work had prompted him to write "Summer of '49" and "October 1964."
I went on to become good friends with him and his terrific wife, Jean. Every year when I was in New York, I would visit his apartment, on West 67th Street, across from the ABC studios, for dinner.
He introduced me to many important people in the New York publishing world, starting with my agent Binky Urban, at ICM, regarded as the top literary agent in the United States.
One day in late March 2004, I arrived in New York to begin the first leg of a nationwide book tour for "The Meaning of Ichiro." As soon as I checked into my hotel, the phone rang. It was David, with an invitation to dinner.
Then he asked asked me if I had any television appearances scheduled in the city. None yet, I replied. Five minutes later, the phone rang again. On the line was Tim McCarver inviting me to appear on his TV show.
That was David Halberstam. He liked to help people.
Halberstam was a huge talent with a huge intellect, a big man with a big voice who talked just the way he wrote, in long, intelligent paragraphs.
He had been a Pulitzer Prize winner at The New York Times, he had been author of some of the most important books of our times, and he had an unbroken string of best sellers dating back to 1972 and "The Best and the Brightest."
He employed the circle method, in which he would interview everyone connected in any way with his key subject, first starting with casual acquaintances and then moving to colleagues and close friends, before finally interviewing the person himself.
"The reason I'm successful," he liked to say, "is not because I'm smarter than everyone else, but because I work harder than everyone else. I might not know much about a subject when I start a book, but after four years of research, I usually know what I'm talking about.
"I always go out of my way to get that one extra interview and to read one more book than the other guy."
He certainly had more energy than anyone I knew. He wrote "The Amateurs" at the same time he was doing "The Reckoning," over the objections of his editor who didn't think he would make his deadline. David delivered both books on time and, of course, both made The NY Times' best-seller list.
The last time I saw David was in December 2006. He was just finishing up work on the "The Coldest Winter." He said he believed that it was the best work he had ever done, which was saying something.
As was his practice, he was following a "serious" book — "Winter" — with one on sports. This next one, he said, would be about the NFL and the 1958 historic championship game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts, won by the Colts, behind Johnny Unitas and Alan Ameche, in sudden-death overtime.
It had been telecast live, nationwide and it had marked the beginning of professional football's surge to the top of the U.S. sports market, replacing baseball as America's most popular sport.
Over a glass of wine, as we killed time before dinner, he gave me a mini-lecture about how much faster the speed and reaction time of modern NFL defensive players was compared to those of Unitas' era, down to the tenth of a second. Consequently, he said, modern-day quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have it much tougher than their predecessors ever did.
David was visiting California in April 2007, being driven to an interview with Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle when the car in which he was riding was broadsided and he was killed.
Both Clete Boyer and David Halberstam taught me the value of hard work, humility and generosity.
Red Sox, A's looking forward to Japan trip
Jan 22, 2008
TOKYO (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox are more than happy to start the season with a road trip worthy of the title World Champions.
The Oakland Athletics are just happy to finally get the chance to play in Japan.
The Red Sox and the A's will open the 2008 regular season with a two-game series on March 25-26 at Tokyo Dome, thousands of miles from home.
"We want to expand Red Sox Nation and further establish it in one of the greatest baseball nations in the world _ Japan," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said at a media conference Tuesday in Tokyo.
The Red Sox and A's will tune-up for the series with exhibition games against the two most popular teams in Japan -- the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants -- on March 22-23, also at Tokyo Dome.
Boston will take March 27 off and then play a three-game exhibition series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers from March 28-30.
The Red Sox and A's will resume their regular-season schedule with a two-game series at Oakland on April 1-2.
Red Sox fans back home will have to get up early to watch their team start its title defense. The major league season opener will start at 6:07 a.m. EDT.
Boston's home opener will be on April 8 against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway.
Boston left-hander Hideki Okajima may be the lone Japanese pitcher for the Red Sox in the two-game series. Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka may miss the series because his wife is expecting to deliver their second baby around that time.
"As the CEO of the team, I try to stay on top of details but the due date is beyond my job description. I know he wants to play here and we want him to play here," Lucchino said.
Boston and Oakland will be the third set of teams to open the regular season at the Tokyo Dome, following the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs (2000), and the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004). A scheduled 2003 series between Oakland and Seattle at the Tokyo Dome was canceled because of the threat of war in Iraq.
"We were disappointed when the series was canceled in 2003," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "When we got the opportunity this time, it took us about two seconds to say we're happy to come."
（Mainichi Japan） January 22, 2008
TOKYO (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox are more than happy to start the season with a road trip worthy of the title World Champions.
The Oakland Athletics are just happy to finally get the chance to play in Japan.
The Red Sox and the A's will open the 2008 regular season with a two-game series on March 25-26 at Tokyo Dome, thousands of miles from home.
"We want to expand Red Sox Nation and further establish it in one of the greatest baseball nations in the world _ Japan," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said at a media conference Tuesday in Tokyo.
The Red Sox and A's will tune-up for the series with exhibition games against the two most popular teams in Japan -- the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants -- on March 22-23, also at Tokyo Dome.
Boston will take March 27 off and then play a three-game exhibition series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers from March 28-30.
The Red Sox and A's will resume their regular-season schedule with a two-game series at Oakland on April 1-2.
Red Sox fans back home will have to get up early to watch their team start its title defense. The major league season opener will start at 6:07 a.m. EDT.
Boston's home opener will be on April 8 against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway.
Boston left-hander Hideki Okajima may be the lone Japanese pitcher for the Red Sox in the two-game series. Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka may miss the series because his wife is expecting to deliver their second baby around that time.
"As the CEO of the team, I try to stay on top of details but the due date is beyond my job description. I know he wants to play here and we want him to play here," Lucchino said.
Boston and Oakland will be the third set of teams to open the regular season at the Tokyo Dome, following the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs (2000), and the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004). A scheduled 2003 series between Oakland and Seattle at the Tokyo Dome was canceled because of the threat of war in Iraq.
"We were disappointed when the series was canceled in 2003," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "When we got the opportunity this time, it took us about two seconds to say we're happy to come."
（Mainichi Japan） January 22, 2008
Red Sox looking to extend fanbase in Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) - Boston CEO Larry Lucchino arrived in Japan promising a mini-World Series parade and extending an invite for the Land of the Rising Sun to join the 'Red Sox Nation'.
"We want to be the most popular Major League Baseball team in Japan," the business chief of the 2007 World Series champion said at a news conference to promote Tokyo games in March.
"You will see the Red Sox presence continue to increase, given the success we had as a result of Japanese contribution."
That input came from reliever Hideki Okajima and 15-game winner Daisuke Matsuzaka, for whom Boston paid over $100 million and Lucchino personally lobbied by visiting Japan in late 2006.
Matsuzaka and his Red Sox team will open the new season in Tokyo against the Oakland Athletics and Lucchino said the World Series trophy would be on hand for Japanese fans to see.
"It will be a great joy to bring it here to Japan and have it shared by members of Red Sox Nation -- Japan," Lucchino said.
Many Japanese became supporters after pitching sensation Matsuzaka joined the Red Sox, while over the last 13 years the success of exports such as Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui has similarly drawn fans to their MLB teams.
The "Dice-K" (Matsuzaka) arrival dovetailed with increased Japanese broadcast of MLB games and his Fenway Park debut in April against Ichiro's Seattle Mariners topped last season's ratings.
Japan is MLB's second biggest market, worth hundred of millions of dollars in TV and marketing rights, and Lucchino said the country was a key part of Boston's global strategy.
"Our brand is potentially a worldwide brand and there's an appeal to the Red Sox that will translate internationally and you'll see us being very active for years to come," he added.
Boston has team ties to Japanese baseball's Chiba Lotte Marines, which Lucchino said he wanted to expand, but his pitch in Tokyo was aimed more at the real home team.
"Japanese baseball fans will have their own local teams to support, but when it comes to MLB, we want to be Japan's team.
(Editing by John O'Brien)
"We want to be the most popular Major League Baseball team in Japan," the business chief of the 2007 World Series champion said at a news conference to promote Tokyo games in March.
"You will see the Red Sox presence continue to increase, given the success we had as a result of Japanese contribution."
That input came from reliever Hideki Okajima and 15-game winner Daisuke Matsuzaka, for whom Boston paid over $100 million and Lucchino personally lobbied by visiting Japan in late 2006.
Matsuzaka and his Red Sox team will open the new season in Tokyo against the Oakland Athletics and Lucchino said the World Series trophy would be on hand for Japanese fans to see.
"It will be a great joy to bring it here to Japan and have it shared by members of Red Sox Nation -- Japan," Lucchino said.
Many Japanese became supporters after pitching sensation Matsuzaka joined the Red Sox, while over the last 13 years the success of exports such as Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui has similarly drawn fans to their MLB teams.
The "Dice-K" (Matsuzaka) arrival dovetailed with increased Japanese broadcast of MLB games and his Fenway Park debut in April against Ichiro's Seattle Mariners topped last season's ratings.
Japan is MLB's second biggest market, worth hundred of millions of dollars in TV and marketing rights, and Lucchino said the country was a key part of Boston's global strategy.
"Our brand is potentially a worldwide brand and there's an appeal to the Red Sox that will translate internationally and you'll see us being very active for years to come," he added.
Boston has team ties to Japanese baseball's Chiba Lotte Marines, which Lucchino said he wanted to expand, but his pitch in Tokyo was aimed more at the real home team.
"Japanese baseball fans will have their own local teams to support, but when it comes to MLB, we want to be Japan's team.
(Editing by John O'Brien)
EMC makes Sox deal: Logo on Japan uniforms
Jan 23, 2008
Red Sox players will sport EMC logos on their sleeves during the team’s season opening series in Japan, the first time the storied franchise has turned its uniforms into potential ad space.
EMC Corp. is betting the deal will help accelerate its drive into the lucrative Japanese tech market. The Pacific region representing the fastest growth area for the Hopkinton-based data storage giant, said David Farmer, director of corporate communications.
The deal, which is with MLB Japan, is likely to cost EMC in the six figures, one leading sports business expert said.
“The fact that it is on the uniform makes it a unique sponsorship,” said Marc Ganis, head of Chicago-based SportsCorp.
Sox players and coaches, including Terry Francona, will wear specially designed sleeve patches featuring both the EMC and Japan 2008 logos.
The games will be broadcast both in the Japanese market and back home through the New England Sports Network (NESN).
EMC will also get hundreds of tickets to the two March games against the Oakland As, which the company will use to entertain customers and business partners.
The deal, which runs for a year, gives EMC the rights to use the Sox logo and those of other major league teams in its marketing efforts in Japan, said Sam Kennedy, a top Sox marketing executive.
While such uniform logos are routine in Japanese baseball, there are no plans to start selling ad space on Sox uniforms in the United States, where the practice is banned by MLB, Kennedy and other officials noted. Still, the deal is a landmark one for the Sox, Kennedy said.
“It’s a groundbreaking deal. No corporations are allowed to have their logos on uniforms in the United States,” Kennedy said. “It is very, very valuable from a corporate perspective to be branded on the players, on the content.”
But the benefits may not be long lasting, said Ganis. “You get a lot of pop for the short time period, but it is short lived,” he said.
Red Sox players will sport EMC logos on their sleeves during the team’s season opening series in Japan, the first time the storied franchise has turned its uniforms into potential ad space.EMC Corp. is betting the deal will help accelerate its drive into the lucrative Japanese tech market. The Pacific region representing the fastest growth area for the Hopkinton-based data storage giant, said David Farmer, director of corporate communications.
The deal, which is with MLB Japan, is likely to cost EMC in the six figures, one leading sports business expert said.
“The fact that it is on the uniform makes it a unique sponsorship,” said Marc Ganis, head of Chicago-based SportsCorp.
Sox players and coaches, including Terry Francona, will wear specially designed sleeve patches featuring both the EMC and Japan 2008 logos.
The games will be broadcast both in the Japanese market and back home through the New England Sports Network (NESN).
EMC will also get hundreds of tickets to the two March games against the Oakland As, which the company will use to entertain customers and business partners.
The deal, which runs for a year, gives EMC the rights to use the Sox logo and those of other major league teams in its marketing efforts in Japan, said Sam Kennedy, a top Sox marketing executive.
While such uniform logos are routine in Japanese baseball, there are no plans to start selling ad space on Sox uniforms in the United States, where the practice is banned by MLB, Kennedy and other officials noted. Still, the deal is a landmark one for the Sox, Kennedy said.
“It’s a groundbreaking deal. No corporations are allowed to have their logos on uniforms in the United States,” Kennedy said. “It is very, very valuable from a corporate perspective to be branded on the players, on the content.”
But the benefits may not be long lasting, said Ganis. “You get a lot of pop for the short time period, but it is short lived,” he said.
EMC to sponsor major league baseball games in Japan
TOKYO (AP) -- Data storage provider EMC Corp. announced Wednesday that it will be an official sponsor of Major League Baseball Japan in support of the 2008 season-opening series between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics in Japan.
Hopkinton, Massachusetts-based EMC, a leader in information infrastructure solutions, has had a relationship with the Red Sox for several years and is looking to build its brand in Japan.
"We are happy to welcome EMC to the Major League Baseball family and are pleased that we are able to launch the partnership on such a grand stage in Tokyo," Paul Archey, senior vice president of MLB International, said in a statement.
The Red Sox and the A's will open the 2008 regular season with a two-game series on March 25-26 at Tokyo Dome. The two teams will tune-up for the series with exhibition games against the two most popular teams in Japan -- the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants -- on March 22-23, also at Tokyo Dome.
As part of the agreement, the Red Sox will wear sleeve patches featuring the EMC and "Japan 2008" logos for the four games in Japan.
MLB teams are not permitted to wear corporate logos on their uniforms but the rule will be lifted for the four games the Red Sox will play in Japan.
"EMC is the official information infrastructure provider of the Boston Red Sox and we are proud to have EMC on our uniforms during the games in Tokyo," said Red Sox president Larry Lucchino.
（Mainichi Japan） January 23, 2008
Hopkinton, Massachusetts-based EMC, a leader in information infrastructure solutions, has had a relationship with the Red Sox for several years and is looking to build its brand in Japan.
"We are happy to welcome EMC to the Major League Baseball family and are pleased that we are able to launch the partnership on such a grand stage in Tokyo," Paul Archey, senior vice president of MLB International, said in a statement.
The Red Sox and the A's will open the 2008 regular season with a two-game series on March 25-26 at Tokyo Dome. The two teams will tune-up for the series with exhibition games against the two most popular teams in Japan -- the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants -- on March 22-23, also at Tokyo Dome.
As part of the agreement, the Red Sox will wear sleeve patches featuring the EMC and "Japan 2008" logos for the four games in Japan.
MLB teams are not permitted to wear corporate logos on their uniforms but the rule will be lifted for the four games the Red Sox will play in Japan.
"EMC is the official information infrastructure provider of the Boston Red Sox and we are proud to have EMC on our uniforms during the games in Tokyo," said Red Sox president Larry Lucchino.
（Mainichi Japan） January 23, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Ichiro's career 1st home run in JPB from Nomo in 1993
Back in 1993, Ichiro was an unknown player in his 2nd year with JPB. He was playing as Suzuki, not Ichiro, as his uniform shows. Nomo was already a BIG NAME in JPB (Nomo joined MLB two years later). It must have been a great shock for Nomo. "Who is that guy? He made perfect contact with my fast ball" was his comment after the game.
Ichiro hits 100th homerun in JPB from Dice-K Matsuzaka in 1999
Dice-K joins JPB in 1999. What a coincident that Ichiro's 100th homerun was from Dice-K.
Ichiro hits 3-run and grandslam in highschool baseball games in 1991
Ichiro's highschool batting average (1989-1991) was over 500!
Shingo Takatsu agrees to minor league deal with Chicago Cubs
Jan 19, 2008CHICAGO (AP) -- Japanese reliever Shingo Takatsu agreed to a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs on Friday and was invited to spring training.
The 39-year-old Takatsu pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 2004 and 2005 and also with the New York Mets in 2005.
He had a Japanese Central League record 286 saves for the Yakult Swallows from 1991-2003 and again in 2006-7. He has 27 major leagues saves in 31 chances, including 19 of 21 for the White Sox in 2004.
（Mainichi Japan） January 19, 2008
CHICAGO (AP) -- Japanese reliever Shingo Takatsu agreed to a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs on Friday and was invited to spring training.
The 39-year-old Takatsu pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 2004 and 2005 and also with the New York Mets in 2005.
He had a Japanese Central League record 286 saves for the Yakult Swallows from 1991-2003 and again in 2006-7. He has 27 major leagues saves in 31 chances, including 19 of 21 for the White Sox in 2004.
（Mainichi Japan） January 19, 2008
62 foreign players signed by Japanese teams for 2008 season
By WAYNE GRACZYK
This column, identifying the foreign players signed by the 12 Japan pro baseball teams, normally gets written in mid-to-late February. That's about the time the clubs have usually announced most of their non-Japanese acquisitions for the coming season.
However, this year, the Central and Pacific League teams appear to be already just about finished with their import-hiring. Only the Chunichi Dragons have fewer than four non-Japanese names on their roster, and a total of 62 players, four managers and six coaches are set to participate in the 2008 Japan pro ball campaign.
We have men from the United States, Canada, Australia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, South Korea and Taiwan, one born in Spain and another in Anchorage, Alaska, that hotbed of baseball excitement.
Following is the roll call of those 72 guys who will report to spring camps, which open on Feb. 1:
Yomiuri Giants (8) — P Adrian Burnside, P Chang Chien Ming, IF Luis Gonzalez, P Seth Greisinger, P Marc Kroon, P Wirfin Obispo, OF Alex Ramirez and IF Lee Seung Yeop.
Chunichi Dragons (3) — P Rafael Cruz, OF Lee Byung Kyu and IF Tyrone Woods.
Hanshin Tigers (4) — P Scott Atchison, OF Lew Ford, P Ryan Vogelsong, P Jeff Williams.
Yokohama BayStars (6+1) — IF Larry Bigbie, IF J.J. Furmaniak, P Travis Hughes, P Matt White, P Dave Williams, P Mike Wood and coach John Turney.
Hiroshima Carp (6+2) — P Ben Kozlowski, P Colby Lewis, P Victor Marte, OF Alex Ochoa, IF Scott Seabol, P Mike Schultz, manager Marty Brown and coach Jeff Livsey.
Tokyo Yakult Swallows (5) — P Dicky Gonzalez, OF Aaron Guiel, IF Adam Riggs, P Daniel Rios and P Lim Chang Yong.
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (4) — P Ryan Glynn, OF Mitch Jones, OF Terrmel Sledge and P Brian Sweeney.
Chiba Lotte Marines (6+4) — P Winston Abreu, OF Benny Agbayani, IF Jose Ortiz, P Brian Sikorski, P Wu Szu Yo, IF Julio Zuleta, manager Bobby Valentine, farm team manager Lenn Sakata, coach Frank Ramppen and coach Lyle Yates.
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (5) — P Rick Guttormson, P C.J. Nitkowski, OF Michael Restovich, P Jason Standridge and P Yang Yao-hsun.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (5) — P Lin En-yu, IF Jose Fernandez, P Domingo Guzman, IF-OF Rick Short and P Lin Ying-chieh.
Saitama Seibu Lions (5) — OF Hiram Bocachica, IF Craig Brazell, P Alex Graman, P Matt Kinney and P Hsu Ming-chieh.
Orix Buffaloes (5+3) — IF Alex Cabrera, P Tom Davey, IF Greg LaRocca, P Jeremy Powell, OF Tuffy Rhodes, manager Terry Collins, coach Mike Brown and coach Jon Debus.
Last week I wrote about Hughes being a promising replacement for Kroon as the BayStars closer, and here are a few more comments about newcomers looking to make an impact in their debut year.
The Softbank Web site quotes Hawks manager Sadaharu Oh as saying he thinks Restovich "could be the second coming of Randy Bass." Not sure if the Rochester, Minn., native and former Twins player can hit 54 home runs in a season or win Triple Crowns as Bass did with Hanshin, but he's got some power.
Restovich, 29, hit 20 homers in only 97 games last year at Columbus, the Class AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals. He's also had years in Triple-A where he hit 29 and 27 homers and appears to be one of those "4-A" players, as was Bass when he joined the Tigers in 1983, who excel in the highest level in the minors but just can't seem to achieve stardom in the majors.
Seabol, 32, is the successor to Takahiro Arai, who left the Carp as a free agent and signed with Hanshin. Hiroshima has given Seabol Arai's uniform No. 25, his position at third base and probably his cleanup slot in the batting order.
Seabol, from McKeesport, Pa., is coming off an excellent 2007 season with Albuquerque, the Florida Marlins' top farm team. He hit .300 with 32 homers and 105 RBIs in 139 games.
Rios was the 2007 MVP in the Korea Baseball Organization. He won 22 games for the Doosan Bears and comes to Yakult to pick up for Seth Greisinger, another right-hander who pitched in the KBO in 2006 and led the Japan Central League with 16 wins in 2007, then moved on to Yomiuri.
A six-year veteran of Korean baseball, Rios is 35 and a one-time New York Yankees hurler (1997-98). He's the one born in Madrid.
Yokohama pitcher Dave Williams is the guy who began life in the cooler climes of Alaska almost 29 years ago. Like his namesake Jeff Williams of the Tigers, Dave is a situational lefty who has won 22 major league games over five seasons with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and the New York Mets.
* * * * *
Finally this week, Jim Bouton, the former New York Yankees speedballer, Seattle Pilots knuckleballer and author of "Ball Four" and other books about his wacky baseball career, is looking for a Japanese team to participate in the Vintage Base Ball Federation World Series, which will be held Aug. 14-17 in Westfield, Mass.
Bouton says, "It's a four-team tournament featuring a California League champion, a Northeast Regional tournament winner, the host Westfield Wheelmen and hopefully a team from Japan.
"We would pay for lodging, plus the vintage uniforms, balls, bats and gloves sent over early, so they could practice with them; they will learn quickly."
Pictures of last year's event may be viewed at www.VintageFederation.com, and Japanese teams interested in participating this summer may contact Bouton through this Web site.
* * * * *
Contact Wayne Graczyk at: wayne@JapanBall.com
This column, identifying the foreign players signed by the 12 Japan pro baseball teams, normally gets written in mid-to-late February. That's about the time the clubs have usually announced most of their non-Japanese acquisitions for the coming season.
However, this year, the Central and Pacific League teams appear to be already just about finished with their import-hiring. Only the Chunichi Dragons have fewer than four non-Japanese names on their roster, and a total of 62 players, four managers and six coaches are set to participate in the 2008 Japan pro ball campaign.
We have men from the United States, Canada, Australia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, South Korea and Taiwan, one born in Spain and another in Anchorage, Alaska, that hotbed of baseball excitement.
Following is the roll call of those 72 guys who will report to spring camps, which open on Feb. 1:
Yomiuri Giants (8) — P Adrian Burnside, P Chang Chien Ming, IF Luis Gonzalez, P Seth Greisinger, P Marc Kroon, P Wirfin Obispo, OF Alex Ramirez and IF Lee Seung Yeop.
Chunichi Dragons (3) — P Rafael Cruz, OF Lee Byung Kyu and IF Tyrone Woods.
Hanshin Tigers (4) — P Scott Atchison, OF Lew Ford, P Ryan Vogelsong, P Jeff Williams.
Yokohama BayStars (6+1) — IF Larry Bigbie, IF J.J. Furmaniak, P Travis Hughes, P Matt White, P Dave Williams, P Mike Wood and coach John Turney.
Hiroshima Carp (6+2) — P Ben Kozlowski, P Colby Lewis, P Victor Marte, OF Alex Ochoa, IF Scott Seabol, P Mike Schultz, manager Marty Brown and coach Jeff Livsey.
Tokyo Yakult Swallows (5) — P Dicky Gonzalez, OF Aaron Guiel, IF Adam Riggs, P Daniel Rios and P Lim Chang Yong.
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (4) — P Ryan Glynn, OF Mitch Jones, OF Terrmel Sledge and P Brian Sweeney.
Chiba Lotte Marines (6+4) — P Winston Abreu, OF Benny Agbayani, IF Jose Ortiz, P Brian Sikorski, P Wu Szu Yo, IF Julio Zuleta, manager Bobby Valentine, farm team manager Lenn Sakata, coach Frank Ramppen and coach Lyle Yates.
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (5) — P Rick Guttormson, P C.J. Nitkowski, OF Michael Restovich, P Jason Standridge and P Yang Yao-hsun.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (5) — P Lin En-yu, IF Jose Fernandez, P Domingo Guzman, IF-OF Rick Short and P Lin Ying-chieh.
Saitama Seibu Lions (5) — OF Hiram Bocachica, IF Craig Brazell, P Alex Graman, P Matt Kinney and P Hsu Ming-chieh.
Orix Buffaloes (5+3) — IF Alex Cabrera, P Tom Davey, IF Greg LaRocca, P Jeremy Powell, OF Tuffy Rhodes, manager Terry Collins, coach Mike Brown and coach Jon Debus.
Last week I wrote about Hughes being a promising replacement for Kroon as the BayStars closer, and here are a few more comments about newcomers looking to make an impact in their debut year.
The Softbank Web site quotes Hawks manager Sadaharu Oh as saying he thinks Restovich "could be the second coming of Randy Bass." Not sure if the Rochester, Minn., native and former Twins player can hit 54 home runs in a season or win Triple Crowns as Bass did with Hanshin, but he's got some power.
Restovich, 29, hit 20 homers in only 97 games last year at Columbus, the Class AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals. He's also had years in Triple-A where he hit 29 and 27 homers and appears to be one of those "4-A" players, as was Bass when he joined the Tigers in 1983, who excel in the highest level in the minors but just can't seem to achieve stardom in the majors.
Seabol, 32, is the successor to Takahiro Arai, who left the Carp as a free agent and signed with Hanshin. Hiroshima has given Seabol Arai's uniform No. 25, his position at third base and probably his cleanup slot in the batting order.
Seabol, from McKeesport, Pa., is coming off an excellent 2007 season with Albuquerque, the Florida Marlins' top farm team. He hit .300 with 32 homers and 105 RBIs in 139 games.
Rios was the 2007 MVP in the Korea Baseball Organization. He won 22 games for the Doosan Bears and comes to Yakult to pick up for Seth Greisinger, another right-hander who pitched in the KBO in 2006 and led the Japan Central League with 16 wins in 2007, then moved on to Yomiuri.
A six-year veteran of Korean baseball, Rios is 35 and a one-time New York Yankees hurler (1997-98). He's the one born in Madrid.
Yokohama pitcher Dave Williams is the guy who began life in the cooler climes of Alaska almost 29 years ago. Like his namesake Jeff Williams of the Tigers, Dave is a situational lefty who has won 22 major league games over five seasons with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and the New York Mets.
* * * * *
Finally this week, Jim Bouton, the former New York Yankees speedballer, Seattle Pilots knuckleballer and author of "Ball Four" and other books about his wacky baseball career, is looking for a Japanese team to participate in the Vintage Base Ball Federation World Series, which will be held Aug. 14-17 in Westfield, Mass.
Bouton says, "It's a four-team tournament featuring a California League champion, a Northeast Regional tournament winner, the host Westfield Wheelmen and hopefully a team from Japan.
"We would pay for lodging, plus the vintage uniforms, balls, bats and gloves sent over early, so they could practice with them; they will learn quickly."
Pictures of last year's event may be viewed at www.VintageFederation.com, and Japanese teams interested in participating this summer may contact Bouton through this Web site.
* * * * *
Contact Wayne Graczyk at: wayne@JapanBall.com
Red Sox's Okajima relishes return to Tokyo Dome
Jan 17, 2008Jim Allen / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
Hideki Okajima is keeping his focus on his second major league season with the Boston Red Sox, but said Wednesday he can't escape the emotion of his return to Tokyo Dome in March.
When the World Series-champion Red Sox open Major League Baseball's 2008 season with a pair of games against the Oakland Athletics on March 25 and 26, it will be a homecoming for Okajima--who began his pro career at Tokyo Dome with the Yomiuri Giants in 1995.
"I am trying not to think of it, but the fans will have big expectations and I want to do my best," Okajima told a press conference in Tokyo. "I think this is a great opportunity for us, the World Series champion Red Sox, to appeal to the Japanese fans.
"I am excited to open the season in Japan. This is really going to happen and I vow to do my best here and all season."
The left-handed reliever played 11 years for the Giants before a March 2006 trade to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters re-energized his career.
After impressing Boston scouts in 2006, Okajima signed as a free agent but quickly found himself in the shadow of the Red Sox's marquee acquisition, right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka.
"My experience after this season was markedly different from what happened to me in the past," said Okajima, who pitched in 66 games with 3-2 record and five saves. "So many more people came up and said, 'Congratulations!' On top of that I met so many new people, so it was a wonderful experience.
"I am the kind of guy who just tries to make the most of every day. I got into a good situation and...Things worked out better than I had hoped."
Although things ended well, they started poorly: Okajima's first major league pitch was hit for a home run.
"I threw a fastball on the outside part of the plate and the guy took it over the center-field fence," Okajima said. "That wasn't supposed to happen.
"I turned it over and over in my mind that night. It was a good lesson for me because I realized things were not going to be easy in the majors."
It might not have been easy, but Okajima proved to be a quick learner. Although the major league season is not longer, there are more games and much more travel.
"You don't have many days off," he said. "It seems you are playing every single day and that is tough."
Although Okajima announced at season's end he wanted to develop a new pitch, that is still on the back burner.
"Right now I'm planning to go with the same fastball, change and curve," he said. "Of course if I get hit alot, I will try something new--even though I know the first time I throw it I might get hit for a home run like last yea's first pitch."
Tickets for the Red Sox's and A's opening games and the exhibitions against the Giants and Hanshin Tigers will go on sale on Feb. 9, with pre-sale Internet registration for a chance to buy field seats beginning on Jan. 18.
(Jan. 17, 2008)
Hideki Okajima is keeping his focus on his second major league season with the Boston Red Sox, but said Wednesday he can't escape the emotion of his return to Tokyo Dome in March.
When the World Series-champion Red Sox open Major League Baseball's 2008 season with a pair of games against the Oakland Athletics on March 25 and 26, it will be a homecoming for Okajima--who began his pro career at Tokyo Dome with the Yomiuri Giants in 1995.
"I am trying not to think of it, but the fans will have big expectations and I want to do my best," Okajima told a press conference in Tokyo. "I think this is a great opportunity for us, the World Series champion Red Sox, to appeal to the Japanese fans.
"I am excited to open the season in Japan. This is really going to happen and I vow to do my best here and all season."
The left-handed reliever played 11 years for the Giants before a March 2006 trade to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters re-energized his career.
After impressing Boston scouts in 2006, Okajima signed as a free agent but quickly found himself in the shadow of the Red Sox's marquee acquisition, right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka.
"My experience after this season was markedly different from what happened to me in the past," said Okajima, who pitched in 66 games with 3-2 record and five saves. "So many more people came up and said, 'Congratulations!' On top of that I met so many new people, so it was a wonderful experience.
"I am the kind of guy who just tries to make the most of every day. I got into a good situation and...Things worked out better than I had hoped."
Although things ended well, they started poorly: Okajima's first major league pitch was hit for a home run.
"I threw a fastball on the outside part of the plate and the guy took it over the center-field fence," Okajima said. "That wasn't supposed to happen.
"I turned it over and over in my mind that night. It was a good lesson for me because I realized things were not going to be easy in the majors."
It might not have been easy, but Okajima proved to be a quick learner. Although the major league season is not longer, there are more games and much more travel.
"You don't have many days off," he said. "It seems you are playing every single day and that is tough."
Although Okajima announced at season's end he wanted to develop a new pitch, that is still on the back burner.
"Right now I'm planning to go with the same fastball, change and curve," he said. "Of course if I get hit alot, I will try something new--even though I know the first time I throw it I might get hit for a home run like last yea's first pitch."
Tickets for the Red Sox's and A's opening games and the exhibitions against the Giants and Hanshin Tigers will go on sale on Feb. 9, with pre-sale Internet registration for a chance to buy field seats beginning on Jan. 18.
(Jan. 17, 2008)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Japanese veteran Kuwata signs minor league contract with Pirates
TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese pitcher Masumi Kuwata has signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the veteran right-hander said on his official Web site Tuesday.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity," said Kuwata, who will turn 40 in April. "As I did last year, I really have to compete in spring training for a spot on the major league roster."
Kuwata made his major league debut with the Pirates on June 10, 2007, and had a 0-1 record with a 9.43 ERA in 19 relief appearances. He was designated for assignment in mid-August.
In September, Kuwata underwent surgery on damaged right ankle ligaments he suffered in a collision with an umpire during a spring training game in late March.
Kuwata has a 173-141 career record with 14 saves and a 3.55 ERA in 21 seasons in Japan, all with the Yomiuri Giants.
（Mainichi Japan） January 9, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Cabrera stays in Japan league, joins Orix for $2.2 million
January 9, 2008
TOKYO -- Alex Cabrera, whose name appeared in the Mitchell report issued last month, agreed to a $2.2 million, one-year contract Wednesday with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan's Pacific League.
The deal is expected to be finalized in the next few days, and comes with the condition that Cabrera pass a doping test when he arrives in Japan in February.
American Terry Collins manages the Buffaloes.
Cabrera, who played for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000, denied using steroids after his name appeared in the report published by former Sen. George Mitchell.
Since playing for the Diamondbacks, Cabrera has spent seven seasons in Japanese baseball -- all with the Seibu Lions. In 2002, he tied the Japanese single-season home run record of 55 homers.
He has a career .306 batting average with 273 homers and 686 RBIs in Japan. Last season, Cabrera hit .295 with 27 homers and 81 RBIs.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
TOKYO -- Alex Cabrera, whose name appeared in the Mitchell report issued last month, agreed to a $2.2 million, one-year contract Wednesday with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan's Pacific League.
The deal is expected to be finalized in the next few days, and comes with the condition that Cabrera pass a doping test when he arrives in Japan in February.
American Terry Collins manages the Buffaloes.
Cabrera, who played for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000, denied using steroids after his name appeared in the report published by former Sen. George Mitchell.
Since playing for the Diamondbacks, Cabrera has spent seven seasons in Japanese baseball -- all with the Seibu Lions. In 2002, he tied the Japanese single-season home run record of 55 homers.
He has a career .306 batting average with 273 homers and 686 RBIs in Japan. Last season, Cabrera hit .295 with 27 homers and 81 RBIs.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Saito to miss start of 2008 season
The Japan Times Jan 7, 2008
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) Softbank Hawks right-hander Kazumi Saito will have endoscopic surgery to repair a damaged rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder at a U.S. hospital on Wednesday, the club said Sunday. It is unknown how long Saito will be out for, and Softbank likely will be forced to spend the early part of the season without the ace pitcher. Saito once opted to rehab the shoulder when he underwent an examination in the United States after a 2007 season plagued by shoulder muscle fatigue. But Saito revisited the United States and the latest examination found he has not recovered enough muscle strength. "I decided to undergo surgery due to an increased possibility that I might be in a situation similar to last season's," Saito said. He had a 6-3 record with a 2.74 ERA in 12 starts in 2007 after sweeping four major Pacific League pitching titles the previous year with 18 wins, a 1.75 ERA, a .783 winning percentage and 205 strikeouts.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Nomo aiming for MLB return after signing Royals deal
MIAMI (Reuters) - Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo is bidding to return to Major League Baseball after a three-year absence by signing a minor-league deal with the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals said on Friday that the 39-year-old Nomo would take part in their spring training camp.
Right-hander Nomo spent 11 seasons in MLB after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 when he became just the second Japanese player in the Majors.
In his first season he was named 'Rookie of the Year' and also made the All-Star team for the National League.
"He's obviously been a very successful pitcher and we're going to give him an opportunity to compete for a job out of spring training," Royals' general manager Dayton Moore told the team's Web site (kansascity.royals.mlb.com).
Nomo had two spells with the Dodgers which were separated by seasons with the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.
His final club was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 and he has most recently been playing in the Venezuelan league.
Nomo will become the Royals' second Japanese pitcher at camp next month in Arizona after they earlier signed reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta, a right-hander from the Chiba Lotte Marines.
(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by John Mehaffey)
The Royals said on Friday that the 39-year-old Nomo would take part in their spring training camp.
Right-hander Nomo spent 11 seasons in MLB after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 when he became just the second Japanese player in the Majors.
In his first season he was named 'Rookie of the Year' and also made the All-Star team for the National League.
"He's obviously been a very successful pitcher and we're going to give him an opportunity to compete for a job out of spring training," Royals' general manager Dayton Moore told the team's Web site (kansascity.royals.mlb.com).
Nomo had two spells with the Dodgers which were separated by seasons with the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.
His final club was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 and he has most recently been playing in the Venezuelan league.
Nomo will become the Royals' second Japanese pitcher at camp next month in Arizona after they earlier signed reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta, a right-hander from the Chiba Lotte Marines.
(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by John Mehaffey)
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Questions still linger for Japan
Japan won a ticket to what could be the final baseball tournament in the Olympic Games with the Asian Championship victory in early December, led by strong pitching, solid defense and timely hitting.
Takahiro Arai was one of the leaders at the plate for Japan at the Asian Championship in Taiwan last month. Japan won the tournament to earn a berth in the 2008 Olympics. KYODO PHOTO
While some baseball observers respect the type of baseball Senichi Hoshino's players showed in the championship — hitting for singles and trying to score one run at a time, instead of swinging for the fences, others are concerned about a lack of power in the lineup.
Japan had a total of 40 hits in beating the Philippines, South Korea and host Taiwan in the Dec. 1-3 final round of the championship in Taichung.
Seven of those were extra-base hits, with three coming from cleanup hitter Takahiro Arai and two from Shinnosuke Abe, who batted fifth and was named the tournament MVP after going 10-for-13 with four RBIs.
Michihiro Ogasawara, Yoshinobu Takahashi and Hitoshi Tamura, who have could hit in the heart of the lineup, had to pull out of the roster because of injuries.
The two Yomiuri Giants players were members of the bronze-winning Athens Olympic team, while Softbank Hawks outfielder Tamura played a significant role in Japan's World Baseball Classic victory in March 2006.
Their withdrawals put more pressure on the pitchers to keep opponents from scoring, in addition to the tournament's tiebreaker rules that put an emphasis on the defensive part of the game.
Hideaki Wakui, Yoshihisa Naruse and Yu Darvish were all expected to put up quality starts, or at least keep the team in the game if they did not last six innings.
Wakui, the Pacific League's winningest pitcher with 17 wins in 2007, threw a one-hitter over six scoreless innings in a 10-0 win over the Philippines.
Naruse, who led the PL with a 1.817 ERA and a .941 winning percentage (16-1), was relieved by Chunichi Dragons ace Kenshin Kawakami with two outs in the fourth inning against South Korea but left with a 3-2 lead. Japan went on for a 4-3 win in a four-hour contest.
PL MVP and Sawamura Award winner Darvish allowed Taiwan to take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning on a two-run homer by former Los Angeles Dodger Chen Chin-feng, but Japan came right back to score six runs in the seventh on its way to a 10-2 rout of the host.
Darvish became the winning pitcher after working seven solid innings.
The three young pitchers apparently hold the key to Japan's success in Beijing.
Hoshino has called them "the ones who will lead Japanese baseball in the years to come." Wakui and Darvish are 21 years old and Naruse 22.
Koji Uehara and Shunsuke Watanabe are the top candidates to join the three starters as the number of games each team plays increases to a maximum of nine in the Olympics from three in the Asian Championship.
Uehara was the closer in Taiwan but is likely to be in the starting rotation in Beijing, in line with a change in his role for Yomiuri following the club's acquisition of Marc Kroon.
Watanabe was cut when Hoshino reduced the roster to the final 24 players shortly before the Asian Championship final round.
But he was one of the three starters on the WBC team, along with Uehara and Daisuke Matsuzaka, and is one of the rarest and most successful submarine pitchers in the world.
Kawakami and Hiroyuki Kobayashi are also starter candidates and likely will also be used in middle relief.
Hitoki Iwase and Kyuji Fujikawa are expected to handle late-inning duties, while Japan manager Hoshino will see how Kohei Hasebe, who was the only amateur player on the Asian Championship roster, performs in his rookie season with the Rakuten Eagles.
Whether to proceed in bringing the best players to the national team in August when the regular season heats up in Japan is also an issue.
Club owners agreed in January 2007 to provide full support for Hoshino and that there will be no regulations such as two players from each club for the national team in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine, whose team sent six players to the Olympic qualifying tournament, has said national team members should be selected equally from each club.
Japan has appeared in the baseball tournaments of all six previous Olympics, including the 1984 and 1988 Games when the sport was a demonstration event.
Japan beat the United States in the 1984 final in Los Angeles and lost to the United States in the 1988 final in Seoul.
Since baseball became an official medal sport in 1992, Japan has won a silver and two bronzes, with one fourth-place finish.
The International Olympic Committee has decided to drop baseball and softball from the 2012 London Games.
"I know the next one could be the final Olympic baseball competition, so I'll try to have people around the world rediscover the excitement of the game," Hoshino said.
"I want to meet the United States in the final because baseball is a national sport for both nations," he said.
Aside from Japan, the United States, Cuba and the Netherlands have booked their places in the Olympic tournament.
China automatically qualified as host and will be joined by three more teams to be decided at the final qualifying competition next March.
Takahiro Arai was one of the leaders at the plate for Japan at the Asian Championship in Taiwan last month. Japan won the tournament to earn a berth in the 2008 Olympics. KYODO PHOTO
While some baseball observers respect the type of baseball Senichi Hoshino's players showed in the championship — hitting for singles and trying to score one run at a time, instead of swinging for the fences, others are concerned about a lack of power in the lineup.
Japan had a total of 40 hits in beating the Philippines, South Korea and host Taiwan in the Dec. 1-3 final round of the championship in Taichung.
Seven of those were extra-base hits, with three coming from cleanup hitter Takahiro Arai and two from Shinnosuke Abe, who batted fifth and was named the tournament MVP after going 10-for-13 with four RBIs.
Michihiro Ogasawara, Yoshinobu Takahashi and Hitoshi Tamura, who have could hit in the heart of the lineup, had to pull out of the roster because of injuries.
The two Yomiuri Giants players were members of the bronze-winning Athens Olympic team, while Softbank Hawks outfielder Tamura played a significant role in Japan's World Baseball Classic victory in March 2006.
Their withdrawals put more pressure on the pitchers to keep opponents from scoring, in addition to the tournament's tiebreaker rules that put an emphasis on the defensive part of the game.
Hideaki Wakui, Yoshihisa Naruse and Yu Darvish were all expected to put up quality starts, or at least keep the team in the game if they did not last six innings.
Wakui, the Pacific League's winningest pitcher with 17 wins in 2007, threw a one-hitter over six scoreless innings in a 10-0 win over the Philippines.
Naruse, who led the PL with a 1.817 ERA and a .941 winning percentage (16-1), was relieved by Chunichi Dragons ace Kenshin Kawakami with two outs in the fourth inning against South Korea but left with a 3-2 lead. Japan went on for a 4-3 win in a four-hour contest.
PL MVP and Sawamura Award winner Darvish allowed Taiwan to take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning on a two-run homer by former Los Angeles Dodger Chen Chin-feng, but Japan came right back to score six runs in the seventh on its way to a 10-2 rout of the host.
Darvish became the winning pitcher after working seven solid innings.
The three young pitchers apparently hold the key to Japan's success in Beijing.
Hoshino has called them "the ones who will lead Japanese baseball in the years to come." Wakui and Darvish are 21 years old and Naruse 22.
Koji Uehara and Shunsuke Watanabe are the top candidates to join the three starters as the number of games each team plays increases to a maximum of nine in the Olympics from three in the Asian Championship.
Uehara was the closer in Taiwan but is likely to be in the starting rotation in Beijing, in line with a change in his role for Yomiuri following the club's acquisition of Marc Kroon.
Watanabe was cut when Hoshino reduced the roster to the final 24 players shortly before the Asian Championship final round.
But he was one of the three starters on the WBC team, along with Uehara and Daisuke Matsuzaka, and is one of the rarest and most successful submarine pitchers in the world.
Kawakami and Hiroyuki Kobayashi are also starter candidates and likely will also be used in middle relief.
Hitoki Iwase and Kyuji Fujikawa are expected to handle late-inning duties, while Japan manager Hoshino will see how Kohei Hasebe, who was the only amateur player on the Asian Championship roster, performs in his rookie season with the Rakuten Eagles.
Whether to proceed in bringing the best players to the national team in August when the regular season heats up in Japan is also an issue.
Club owners agreed in January 2007 to provide full support for Hoshino and that there will be no regulations such as two players from each club for the national team in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine, whose team sent six players to the Olympic qualifying tournament, has said national team members should be selected equally from each club.
Japan has appeared in the baseball tournaments of all six previous Olympics, including the 1984 and 1988 Games when the sport was a demonstration event.
Japan beat the United States in the 1984 final in Los Angeles and lost to the United States in the 1988 final in Seoul.
Since baseball became an official medal sport in 1992, Japan has won a silver and two bronzes, with one fourth-place finish.
The International Olympic Committee has decided to drop baseball and softball from the 2012 London Games.
"I know the next one could be the final Olympic baseball competition, so I'll try to have people around the world rediscover the excitement of the game," Hoshino said.
"I want to meet the United States in the final because baseball is a national sport for both nations," he said.
Aside from Japan, the United States, Cuba and the Netherlands have booked their places in the Olympic tournament.
China automatically qualified as host and will be joined by three more teams to be decided at the final qualifying competition next March.
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