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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.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 18, 2014
Cuban players experienced mixed success this season
The first season of the so-called "Cuban invasion" into Japanese baseball has ended with mixed results and the uncertainty as to whether it will continue in 2015 or was a one-time fad that will fade quickly. Eight Cuban-born players were signed to contracts in Japan in 2014, and their performances ranged...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 4, 2014
Issues with weight followed 'Dokaben' Kagawa
Sad news came last week with the death of Nobuyuki "Dokaben" Kagawa, the roly-poly rotund catcher of the 1980s Nankai Hawks. He died of an apparent heart attack on Sept. 26 in Fukuoka at the age of 52.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 20, 2014
MVP awards up for grabs in both leagues
Who do you think should be selected as MVPs in the Central and Pacific Leagues this season? There does not appear to be any clear-cut favorite in either league. Ask any Japanese media person or beat writer at the bal park, and they think about it for a moment and answer with a puzzled expression, saying,...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 6, 2014
O'Malley, Ramirez are worth a look as skippers
Now in the final month of the 2014 Japanese baseball regular season, the "A-Class" teams in the Central and Pacific leagues look forward to October's Climax Series of playoffs, while the three also-rans in both divisions begin thinking about next year.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 16, 2014
Skipper Nakahata building new identity with BayStars
Three years ago, it might have been difficult to identify Kiyoshi Nakahata with a Japanese professional baseball team other than the Yomiuri Giants. He played his entire career with the Kyojin, served as a coach with the team after his playing days were finished and stayed in the family as a commentator...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 2, 2014
Hair-raising trend sweeps across NPB diamonds
The year 2013 turned out to be the "Year of the Beard" for the Boston Red Sox. They won the World Series with most of the regular players sporting thick, full facial bushy growths that became somewhat of a team trademark.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 19, 2014
DiMuro has witnessed umpire challenges, changes over the years
Back in 1972, in the early years of NFL's "Monday Night Football" on ABC, the broadcasting trio of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and "Dandy" Don Meredith were calling the gridiron action. A play occurred whereby, because of a rule change, the result was substantially different than what it would have...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 5, 2014
Infield replacements making presence felt
Friday marked the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's "Luckiest Man" speech delivered at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. Strange that one so sick at the age of 37 is known as a baseball iron man who played while healthy in 2,130 consecutive games, and that streak began when Gehrig was inserted in the New...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 14, 2014
Proposed NPB expansion appears unlikely
The office of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a suggestion on May 22 that Japanese professional baseball should expand from its current 12 teams to 16. Prospective locations for four new franchises were listed, and the idea would be to help further economic growth in some of the more rural areas of the...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 31, 2014
Events of 10 years ago still reverberate today
Ten years ago this month, Japanese baseball went into its deepest and most memorable crisis. In case you were not in Japan then — or have forgotten — here is a brief review of what happened.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 17, 2014
Foreign fans revel in ballpark fun
A beat writer for one of the Japanese papers called the other day and said, "I am seeing a lot of foreign fans at Japanese baseball games recently. What's going on?"
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 3, 2014
'Reverse DH' adds intrigue to interleague play
The 10th season of interleague play in Japanese pro baseball begins in two weeks with a new twist. For the first time, a "reverse designated hitter" rule will be in place. Instead of the DH being used in games where the Pacific League club is the home team, it will be in effect in Central League parks....
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 19, 2014
Carp roster built to contend for title in 2014
There is excitement in Hiroshima where the Carp are off to a nice start in the Central League pennant race.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 5, 2014
Umeno has chance to make presence felt
One of the more interesting young players in Japanese baseball this season and in years to come should be Hanshin Tigers rookie catcher Ryutaro Umeno. The 24-year-old native of Fukuoka Prefecture was Hanshin's No. 4 choice in the autumn 2013 amateur draft but got some playing time during last month's...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 15, 2014
Bilingual skills useful tool for baseball players
The ever-increasing internationalism and players from many nations joining professional baseball ranks in whatever countries where the game is played has inspired sports news articles regarding the way teammates communicate.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 1, 2014
Many have fallen victim to NPB's 'false spring'
As a high school student back in the early 1960s, I can recall reading a book titled, "A False Spring." It was authored by Pat Jordan, a Connecticut native and a superb teenage baseball pitcher who, according to Wikipedia, was pursued by more than 15 major league organizations in 1959. Interesting, as...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 15, 2014
Tips for purchasing tickets at Japanese ballparks this season
It will cost a little more this season for tickets to Japanese professional baseball games, like everything else in Japan. Because of the rise in the consumption tax rate from 5 to 8 percent effective April 1, most teams are increasing ticket costs by¥100 or ¥200 across the board from 2013 prices....
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 1, 2014
Maru, Kajitani on verge of NPB stardom
As spring training camps for the 12 Japanese pro baseball teams opened on Saturday, let's take a look at a couple of young players on the verge of becoming two of the best in the Central League; Hiroshima Carp outfielder Yoshihiro Maru and Yokohama BayStars infielder Takayuki Kajitani.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 18, 2014
Giants' Terauchi shows importance of putting smile on fans' faces
Professional athletes have been known to have different attitudes when dealing with fans. Autograph-seekers have been told, "Take a hike, son" by players in a bad mood or on a bad day.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 4, 2014
Looking ahead at what 2014 may hold
Happy New Year, and a reminder as we are in 2014, it was 10 years ago when Japanese baseball went into a crisis. There was a threat of contraction to 10 or even eight teams and a long hot summer of uncertainty as team owners and players negotiated and finally agreed to maintain the two-league, 12-team...
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.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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