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November 23, 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
Mar 2, 2008
Carp's Matsuyama could be surprise of new season
A year ago, almost no one had reason to expect Chiba Lotte Marines left-hander Yoshihisa Naruse would be one of the top players in Japanese baseball for 2007. After all, the 21-year-old pitcher had turned in a mediocre 5-5 record the previous season.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 24, 2008
Will rookie slugger Nakata live up to hype in Hokkaido?
One guy getting a lot of attention these days, including gaudy front-page coverage in Japan's daily sports newspapers and on TV "Camp Report" segments, is Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie phenom Sho Nakata.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 17, 2008
Veterans Kudo, Rhodes approaching longevity milestones
Among players within reach of milestones this season are two guys making the most of their longevity: Yokohama BayStars left-handed pitcher Kimiyasu Kudo and Orix Buffaloes slugger Tuffy Rhodes.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 10, 2008
Tickets for Red Sox-A's openers not expected to last long
The posters are up on the trains and ads in the Japanese sports papers are ballyhooing the sale of tickets to the Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics openers and the preceding exhibition games at Tokyo Dome March 22-26.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 3, 2008
Teams open training camp, begin countdown to start of season
Sounds of baseballs popping into gloves and the crack of bat against ball are ringing out in Okinawa, south Kyushu and Shikoku as the 12 Central and Pacific League teams began spring training Feb. 1 in preparation for what promises to be an exciting Japan pro ball season that begins in just 46 days with...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 27, 2008
Japan pro baseball teams gear up for preseason training camps
The 12 Japan pro baseball teams open spring camps this week on Feb. 1, in Okinawa, south Kyushu and Shikoku, and next week we'll give a rundown of who's training where and for how long. Meanwhile, here is a look at what has been happening in the final days of the off-season break.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 20, 2008
62 foreign players signed by Japanese teams for 2008 season
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.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 13, 2008
Loads of talent on the foreign side for Buffaloes this season
The 2008 foreign contingent on the Orix Buffaloes is looking good to me, and it seems to be getting better as we inch toward the opening of spring camp on Feb. 1.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 6, 2008
Hara, Giants should have it easy with stacked roster in 2008
A Happy New Year to all readers of the "Baseball Bullet-In."
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 23, 2007
CL's second-division teams stock up on foreign players
The Yokohama BayStars and Hiroshima Carp, realizing they need to do something in order to compete with the powerhouse Yomiuri Giants and Chunichi Dragons, are bringing in a slew of foreign players to fill in the body spaces and — hopefully — the talent void left by the loss of star American and Japanese...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 16, 2007
Readers chime in about Giants 'jinx'
A couple of readers sent me their opinions about the subject of last week's column: the supposed "Giants jinx." It seemingly afflicts foreign players who play in Japan for one team, then cannot reach agreement on a new contract, so they move to the Yomiuri Giants, only to find bad luck, coincidental...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 9, 2007
Kroon latest player to attempt to break 'Yomiuri jinx'
Can Marc Kroon break a jinx with the Giants?
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 2, 2007
Preliminary baseball schedules reveal stretched-out season
The 2008 Japan pro baseball preliminary schedules are out, and it is always interesting for me to look ahead and see what quirks or oddities are on the agenda for the coming season.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 25, 2007
Carp manager Brown optimistic despite loss of key players
In 2008, Hiroshima Carp manager Marty Brown will be entering his third season as skipper of the Central League club without his two best players.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 18, 2007
Hot hibachi league seems likely to burn all winter long
About this time of year, someone usually asks me, "Are you going to keep writing the column through the winter?" or "What is there to write about during the offseason?"
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 11, 2007
Kroon's agent pessimistic over BayStars contract negotiations
You read here a couple of days ago what the Yokohama BayStars have to say about contract negotiations with ace closer Marc Kroon. Now, here's a word from the other side: Kroon's agent, Tony Cabral, says it is not looking good for the fire-balling right-hander to remain with the Central League club.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 4, 2007
Seeing World Series at Fenway Park an amazing experience
I have been to a major league All-Star Game (Seattle Kingdome, 1979) and seen big league action at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium in New York and Wrigley Field in Chicago. But, until two weeks ago, there were still three ambitions to fulfill for me as a baseball fan.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 28, 2007
Having rebuilt Fighters, Hillman faces new challenge in K.C.
Outgoing Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Trey Hillman obviously has only one thing on his mind right now — beating the Chunichi Dragons again and winning a second consecutive Japan Series title.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 21, 2007
Denver fan from Japan proud of Kazuo Matsui, Rockies
I knew we would hear from Ken Shimada, the Japanese fan living in Colorado who always boasts about Kazuo Matsui and the Rockies. Ken's most recent e-mail states:
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 14, 2007
Will CL champion Giants be rusty after 15-day layoff?
The Yomiuri Giants will host the winner of the on-going Stage 1 of the Central League Climax Series when Stage 2 of the CLCS begins Oct. 18 at Tokyo Dome.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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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