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November 22, 2024
 

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Wayne Graczyk
Wayne Graczyk has written the "Baseball Bullet-In" column in The Japan Times since 1976. A native of New Jersey, he came to Japan in 1969 with the U.S. Air Force and is a 1977 graduate of Tokyo's Sophia University. Wayne was the long-time (1977-2004) sports editor of the Tokyo Weekender newspaper, he covers Yomiuri Giants baseball games for Nippon TV and, since 1976, he has compiled the Japan Pro Baseball Fan Handbook & Media Guide. He is a member of the Tokyo Sportswriters Club and the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan. Notice Wayne Graczyk, the baseball columnist for The Japan Times for the past 40 years, passed away at the age of 68 on April 19. His final column was posted on April 8. Readers can continue to access his coverage of Japanese baseball through the online archives.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 27, 2009
Wendy's decision triggers memories of a unique pre-game tradition
A brief news article on Page 1 of the Dec. 12 edition of The Japan Times reminded me of former Yakult Swallows and Rakuten Eagles pitcher Kevin Hodges. "Wendy's pulling out of Japan by end of month," read the headline above the story about the U.S. hamburger chain ending its operations in this country....
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 20, 2009
Foreign players likely to be in Meikyukai, Japanese Hall of Fame
How soon will it be before foreigners in Japanese baseball become members of the Meikyukai (Golden Players Club for batters accumulating 2,000 hits and pitchers racking up 200 career victories)?
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 13, 2009
Tuffy hopes to extend career in Japan another year
It remains to be seen if Tuffy Rhodes will return to play a 14th season in Japanese baseball in 2010. The all-time leader among foreign players in home runs and RBIs says he's ready for another year — or two — but, if he is unable to attract an offer from a Pacific or Central League club, he will...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 6, 2009
Turney breaks ground as first foreign coach in history of Giants
Cheers to the Yomiuri Giants for hiring strength and conditioning coach John Turney, recently let go by the Yokohama BayStars after leading the players on that team through stretching and calisthenics during pre-game drills for nine seasons.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 22, 2009
Hot Hibachi League prepares to heat up as season draws to a close
The final game of the 2009 baseball season in Japan takes place on Sunday at Tokyo Dome. Billed as the "U-26" it features a select team of college players against a group of professionals, most of whom are under the age of 26.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 15, 2009
Matsui could extend career in field with a move to first base
Japan is justifiably proud that native son Hideki Matsui was named the MVP of the 2009 World Series, and Japanese fans of Matsui and the New York Yankees are eagerly watching to see what happens now.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 8, 2009
Brown confident of success in new role as manager of Golden Eagles
Japanese baseball will have at least one American manager for the eighth consecutive year in 2010, as Marty Brown takes over as field boss of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles after four years managing the Hiroshima Carp.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 1, 2009
Giants-Fighters Japan Series matchup a world away from 1981 clash
The ongoing Japan Series between the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the Yomiuri Giants marks the second time these two clubs have met to decide the championship of Japanese baseball. They also faced each other in 1981, and there have been a lot of changes since that first meeting 28 years ago.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 25, 2009
Managerial wheels spinning as NPB teams change bench bosses
Three Japanese teams have already filled managerial vacancies while two others are expected to name their choices sometime soon as the Climax and Japan Series draw to a close, in time for fall camp, the Oct. 29 amateur draft and the printing of the 2010 team calendars.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 18, 2009
Time for NPB to get its act together on regular-season schedule
As we are into the Central and Pacific League Climax Series, with the Japan Series coming up later this month, a reader has a complaint we've heard many times before about the way Japanese baseball ends its the regular season.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 11, 2009
Doi was integral part of V-9 Giants
Shozo Doi's decades in baseball left a lasting impression.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 4, 2009
Tracy working miracles for playoff-bound Rockies
"Mile High Miracle, Mile High Magic, Rocky Mountain High, whatever you want to call it, but baseball in Colorado is spectacular again this year." So says Ken Shimada, a Japanese fan living in Denver who dumped the team but is now back at Coors Field as an avid supporter.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 27, 2009
Atchison helping Tigers make late run at Central League playoffs
During the Hanshin Tigers batting practice prior to a recent game at Tokyo Dome, I asked Tigers first baseman Craig Brazell if Scott was in the outfield getting loose with the other Hanshin pitchers.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 20, 2009
Put a hold on earlier explanation of the 'hold' rule
You may recall in the column of July 19 I explained what is a "hold" and how a relief pitcher gets credit for one. I quoted Boston Red Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo, who on a Red Sox telecast had coincidentally defined the conditions under which a middle reliever or setup man qualifies for the...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 13, 2009
Golden Week 2 set to be windfall at gate for NPB
Golden Week has always been a golden time for Japanese baseball. That series of consecutive holidays between April 29 and May 5 usually sees capacity or near-sellout crowds at all games scheduled during the period.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 6, 2009
Slugger Ramirez tells life story in new book
"Rami Ryu," a book written by Yomiuri Giants star Alex Ramirez, hits bookstores in Japan on Thursday. Its English title is "Rami's Way," with the subtitle "How to Succeed and Be Positive."
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 23, 2009
Fighters in command of PL with just over month to go
Last week we took a look at the six Central League teams and where they stand at this point in the season as compared to what had been expected at the beginning of the year. Now let's check the status of the Pacific League clubs and see who is up and who is down.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 16, 2009
CL looks like a two-horse race as stretch drive nears
With roughly six weeks and 40 games remaining in the 2009 Japan pro baseball season, we are taking a look this week at the Central League clubs, where they stand and their chances of qualifying for the Climax Series, with mention of some key players and their ups and downs.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 2, 2009
Forgotten Igawa continues to toil for Yanks in minors
Last week we examined the situations of pitchers Masahide Kobayashi (recently released by the Cleveland Indians) and Yasuhiko Yabuta (still treading water on the Kansas City Royals farm team at Omaha) and suggested they give up the major league dream, return home and pitch for a Central or Pacific League...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 26, 2009
Kobayashi, Yabuta might have better luck pitching back home
It is obvious 2009 has not been a great year for Japanese pitchers in the major leagues. Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox and Koji Uehara of the Baltimore Orioles have spent a lot of time on the disabled list, while Kenshin Kawakami of the Atlanta Braves has posted a losing record of 5-6 through...
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ex-yokozuna Kitanofuji dies at 82
Yokozuna Kitanofuji enters the ring during the May 1970 grand sumo tournament in Tokyo.
Man charged with murder allegedly made victim date other men for money
A car carrying suspect Ryotaro Masuda, who was indicted for allegedly beating his 25-year-old girlfriend to death, leaves the Shibuya Police Station in Tokyo on Thursday.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.

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