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July 17, 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
Aug 3, 2008
Clubs take advantage of extended deadline to sign new foreigners
The deadline for signing new foreign players by Japanese teams was extended from June 30 to July 31 this year because of the Beijing Summer Olympics.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 27, 2008
Nomo's MLB heroics rekindle memories of chaotic, unforgettable 1995
Much has been written about ex-major league pitcher Hideo Nomo during the 10 days since he announced his retirement as an active player on July 17.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 20, 2008
Writer takes memorable trip to Victor Starfin Stadium in Asahikawa
ASAHIKAWA, Hokkaido — Last week I had the pleasure of attending a regular-season baseball game in the central Hokkaido city of Asahikawa, as the Yomiuri Giants played the Chunichi Dragons at the 25,000-seat Victor Starfin Stadium. It was the first appearance by the Giants in 16 years at the ballpark...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 13, 2008
Royals skipper Hillman fondly recalls time spent with Fighters
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This week I would like to wrap up the comments of Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman with whom I visited last month at Kaufmann Stadium in Missouri.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 6, 2008
Hillman aims for Sapporo-like success in K.C.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last November at his sayonara party in Tokyo, I semi-promised outgoing Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Trey Hillman I would travel to Kansas City in 2008 to see him in action as skipper of the American League Royals. Last month, I made good on that promise.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 22, 2008
Countryside games offer charming change of pace
FUKUSHIMA — I am writing this column on June 17 at the Yomiuri Giants-Orix Buffaloes interleague game at Azuma Stadium in Fukushima Prefecture, north of Tokyo. It is one of seven regular-season games the Giants will have played this year at countryside ballparks, and have you ever wondered why...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 15, 2008
Graman just one of many leaders for resurgent Lions
The Seibu Lions "sugoi dasen" (spectacular hitting lineup) is getting most of the ink and most of the credit for the team's surge from an also-ran "B Class" standing in 2007 to compiling the best record in the Pacific League, as we approach the halfway point in the 2008 Japan pro baseball season.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 8, 2008
Eagle takes a wrong turn, but will Golden Eagles remain on course?
"Match" is a Chilean blue eagle who lives at Nasu Animal Kingdom in Tochigi Prefecture. He sometimes shows up at Kleenex Stadium Miyagi to appear at Rakuten Eagles home games where he goes to entertain the fans with a pregame flight that is supposed to take him from the center-field back screen to home...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 1, 2008
MLB's greatest finishes, memorable moments chronicled in new book
I received a new book this week titled "Walkoffs, Last Licks and Final Outs," written by Bill Chuck and Jim Kaplan. The sub-title is "Baseball's Grand (and not-so-grand) Finales," and the foreword is by Jon Miller, the popular play-by-play broadcaster who does "Sunday Night Baseball" with Joe Morgan...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 25, 2008
Carp need more production from Kurihara
Kenta Kurihara is somewhat disappointed in his statistics so far this season, and a bit embarrassed as well.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 18, 2008
Foreigners have never caught on as backstops in Japan pro ball
Reader Jim Gallagher from New Jersey wrote, "I was watching on TV (Kenji) Johjima catching for the Seattle Mariners and wondered if there has ever been a gaikokujin catcher to play in Japan. I can't think of one. Is this the last barrier to be broken?"
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 11, 2008
Minchey comes back to Japan as scout for Indians
One-time Hiroshima Carp and Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Nate Minchey was back in the country this week in his current capacity as a scout for the Cleveland Indians.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 4, 2008
Golden Week offers a bonanza for Japanese baseball teams, fans
Japanese baseball would not have any attendance problems if every week was Golden Week.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 27, 2008
Versatility gives veteran Gonzalez solid opportunity with Giants
Yomiuri Giants utility man Luis Gonzalez is determined to take advantage of his opportunity to play for the club's varsity team after replacing slumping Korean first baseman Lee Seung Yeop, as Kyojin manager Tatsunori Hara plays the up-and-down yo-yo game with respect to Japanese baseball's four-man...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 20, 2008
Uehara turns up pressure on self with MLB talk
Yomiuri Giants ace Koji Uehara may be putting too much pressure on himself after announcing on April 7 he will definitely exercise his right to free agency at the end of the current season and look to play in the major leagues in 2009.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 13, 2008
Early results not always a barometer for final standings
American baseball agent Alan Nero tells the story of his client, Randy Johnson, who thought he was going to the World Series when he joined the New York Yankees in 2005. The "Big Unit" figured he would help bolster the pitching staff of that powerhouse club and it would breeze to the championship.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 6, 2008
NPB trying to speed up play in effort to shorten games
Japanese baseball has been known for long, drawn-out games, and it is rare when you see a final score accomplished in less than three hours of play.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 23, 2008
Time for facts, trivia about MLB games in Japan
Keep your eyes on the players participating for the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics in this week's exhibitions and regular-season American League games at Tokyo Dome. Someone from those rosters will come back to play for a Japanese team, and you can take that to the bank.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 16, 2008
Jingu Stadium gets long overdue face-lift; Kaneda stops by
Have you been to an exhibition game yet this year at Jingu Stadium?
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 9, 2008
Will 2008 season be as magical as 1964 campaign was?
Will the 2008 Japan pro baseball season, I wonder, be anything like 1964?
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Japan pharma startup developing world-first drug to grow new teeth
A new tooth is seen in a ferret's mouth after it was administered a drug to stimulate the growth of tooth buds.
Don’t worry about global population collapse
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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