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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
Jun 20, 2010
Swallows find themselves in similar situation to 1977
The year was 1977.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 13, 2010
Hillman enjoying break after departure from Royals
Former Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman will be taking a family break and then moving on after being fired as the K.C. skipper on May 13 after a little more than two years guiding the Royals.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 6, 2010
Pacific League dominating Central in interleague play
There was a rumor going around prior to the beginning of this season's interleague schedule that Pacific League teams were thinking about dropping games against the Central League in the future because of the strength of the CL clubs, especially the Yomiuri Giants.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 23, 2010
Niigata hoping to lure an NPB team to new stadium
City officials in Niigata have, at least three times in the past five years, expressed their desire to land a Nippon Professional Baseball franchise to play in a beautiful new ballpark opened in 2009.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 16, 2010
Three-time CL batting king Powell relishing chance to coach Mariners
Congratulations are in order to Alonzo Powell on being named batting coach with the Seattle Mariners last week. As one who played seven years with the Chunichi Dragons and Hanshin Tigers, Powell is well remembered in Japan by fans and friends, and it would not be surprising to see him become a major...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 9, 2010
One time zone, shinkansen help NPB clubs on travel
Have you wondered how teams in Japanese baseball move from one city to another and how it differs from the hectic, rat race travel schedule endured by their cousins in the major leagues?
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 2, 2010
Schedule packed for Golden Week; interleague next
Ah, Golden Week, when the weather is warm and windy, the koi nobori carp streamers are flying and Japan's ballparks are full with spectators from Showa Day on Thursday through Children's Day on May 5. I have said it before; if every week was Golden Week, Japanese pro baseball would never have an attendance...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 25, 2010
Perseverance pays off for 'slashers' Ruiz, Monna
Remember Kordell "Slash" Stewart, a former NFL player with the Pittsburgh Steelers?
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 18, 2010
NPB boxscores now available in English
The question is often raised by fans in Japan and in other countries, relatives and friends of foreign players in Japan, major league team scouts and player agents: Where can I get box scores of Japanese professional baseball games in English?
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 11, 2010
Death of Giants coach Kimura shocks NPB
He seemed fine two weeks ago, but, on Wednesday Yomiuri Giants infield and running coach Takuya Kimura died at a hospital in Hiroshima of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 37. He was pronounced dead five days after collapsing on the field at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium as he was about to fulfill his pre-game...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 4, 2010
Corey out to make most of second chance in Japan
Chiba Lotte Marines right-hander Bryan Corey is back in Japan for a second chance, following a turbulent half-season in 2004 with the Yomiuri Giants, and he is determined to make the most of this opportunity.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 28, 2010
Japan's preseason schedule growing ever smaller
The Central and Pacific Leagues have started their regular seasons, and it seems almost as if we went from the beginning of spring training right into the games that count.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 21, 2010
Davis put up numbers, stories in Japan stint
Last week I read three obituaries about Willie Davis, the former Los Angeles Dodgers great center fielder who died March 9 in Burbank, Calif.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 14, 2010
Okinawa's new Onoyama Stadium is the latest 'Field of Dreams'
We mentioned last week going to Okinawa to visit spring training camps last month, and baseball on that island is about to get an upgrade from the completion of construction on the 30,000-seat Onoyama Stadium.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 7, 2010
Southern swing through camps brings news, views
Spring training camps are finished, we're into the exhibition season and Opening Day is less than two weeks away, as the Pacific League gets set for its lid-lifters on March 20.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 7, 2010
Female knuckleballer Yoshida plugging away despite the odds
I have never met Eri Yoshida, so I do not have her meishi (name card) but wonder if it reads, "Eri Yoshida, Female Knuckleballer."
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 31, 2010
Universal count, use of one ball will boost status of NPB
How about that?
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 24, 2010
Angels fans excited about Godzilla's move to Southern California
We can expect to see a lot more Los Angeles Angels games than the New York Yankees on NHK and J Sports in 2010 because of Hideki Matsui, especially when the Angels play the Seattle Mariners with Ichiro Suzuki.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 17, 2010
Time is now for MLB, NPB to act on 'True World Series'
The proposal by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to Nippon Pro Baseball Commissioner Ryozo Kato for a "True World Series" seemed to come out of the blue but is a most welcome idea and, as many would say, it is about time.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 10, 2010
'Stars seek reversal of fortune with multiple moves
Happy New Year, and 2010 may be a happy year for fans of the Yokohama BayStars, a team that deserves a lot of credit for a series of transactions during the offseason in an effort to improve the standing of the 2008 and 2009 Central League last-place team.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?