author

 
Menu
Search
 
November 22, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

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.
MORE SPORTS / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 24, 2013
WBC delivered quality drama on the diamond
The third World Baseball Classic is now history, and congratulations to the Dominican Republic on the victory. The WBC has gotten better each time, I believe, and it has become an excellent showcase for the game on a worldwide basis, especially since baseball was removed as an Olympic event following...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 17, 2013
Speeding up long, slow games should be a priority
The March 7 decision by Japanese baseball's executive committee to drop the 3½-hour time limit on extra-inning games came as welcome news. We have observed the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, the subsequent tsunami and nuclear power plant problems that led to...
SPORTS / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 10, 2013
Buffaloes appear headed in the right direction
No doubt the Hanshin Tigers are the more popular of the two Japanese professional baseball teams in the Kansai area. Their games at historic Koshien Stadium between Osaka and Kobe draw packed crowds most of the time, and the fans are arguably the most boisterous in the country.
SPORTS / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 3, 2013
Many stories behind names for foreign players in Japan
While Japan and the rest of the baseball universe are deep in the World Baseball Classic fever, the conventional major league and Japanese teams are going about their business getting ready for their respective April 1 and March 29 opening days.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 24, 2013
Power-hitting catchers still in short supply in Japan
Recall our column from last summer pointing out how there are very few catchers in Japanese baseball who can hit?
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN,WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Feb 17, 2013
Upcoming WBC sparks excitment for Japanese baseball enthusiasts
It's time once again to gear up for the World Baseball Classic.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 10, 2013
Murakami ideal man for new U.N. goodwill ambassador role
Kudos to Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player in the major leagues, on his recent appointment as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. "Mashi" is highly qualified to take the leadership role in supporting charities and, having been acquainted with him for...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 3, 2013
Eagles facing big challenges in bid to make playoffs
Will this be the season the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles make it to the Pacific League Climax Series for the second time in their nine years of existence?
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 27, 2013
Farewell games in Japan usually teary affairs
There was a news item saying the New York Yankees were considering signing Hideki Matsui to a one-day contract so he can officially retire as a major leaguer with that club. The Jan. 10 Kyodo report quoted Yankees team co-owner Hal Steinbrenner as saying the team might also invite Matsui "to throw out...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 20, 2013
Tigers aim for return to respectability after two woeful seasons
The 2013 season will surely be a pivotal one for the Hanshin Tigers and their fans as the team attempts to halt a downward slide that has seen the club finish in the Central League's second division the past two seasons. Hanshin dropped from fourth place in 2011 to fifth last year.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 13, 2013
Anniversaries abound around NPB
The year 2013 will mark a season of notable anniversaries for Japanese baseball franchises and ballparks. It is Japanese year Heisei 25, the 25th anniversary for Tokyo Dome, Japan's first indoor stadium, and the 20th for Fukuoka Yahoo Japan Dome, the country's first-and still the only-retractable roof...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 6, 2013
Matsui's stellar career, easy charm won admirers on, off baseball diamond
Happy New Year and welcome to 2013. One of the bigger stories to close out the 2012 baseball news year was the retirement of former Yomiuri Giants and New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui at the age of 38. The Dec. 28 announcement ended the career of one of the more memorable players in Japanese baseball...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 23, 2012
Popular slugger Ramirez, family opening Latin-style cafe in Tokyo
Most foreigners who come to Japan to play baseball do just that — and only that. Whether a career lasts a few games or several years, the guys go back to their home country to continue playing ball, stay in the game as coaches or managers or find another job outside the game. A few, however, have stayed...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 16, 2012
Otani made right decision by choosing to play for Fighters
So, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters got a nice Christmas present with the decision by 18-year-old fire-balling right-handed pitcher Shohei Otani to play for the defending Pacific League championship club rather than head straight for a career in the major leagues. From this point of view, the boy did...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 2, 2012
BayStars, Hawks complete unusual swap of veterans
Trades are not a common occurrence in Japanese baseball, and deals involving star players — or at least starting players on most teams — are rarely made.
BASEBALL
Nov 25, 2012
Samurai Japan fans will miss nation's MLB players in upcoming WBC
They are dropping like flies. Talking here about Japanese players in the major leagues who have decided they will not play in the World Baseball Classic in March. Yu Darvish, Hisashi Iwakuma, Norichika Aoki, Ichiro Suzuki and Hiroki Kuroda, members of their country's championship teams in 2006 and 2009,...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 18, 2012
Miyamoto dedicated 2,000th hit to late friend, mentor Higuchi
Three Japanese players joined the Meikyukai (Golden Players Club) during the 2012 season by reaching the career 2,000-hit mark. Tokyo Yakult Swallows infielder Shinya Miyamoto, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters veteran Atsunori Inaba and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks retiring slugger Hiroki Kokubo are the newest...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 11, 2012
Carp rely on scouting expertise of Schullstrom, McClain
The Hiroshima Carp again failed to make the Central League Climax Series this time, but manager Kenjiro Nomura has been given another year — his fourth at the helm — to try to get the team into the postseason for the first time.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 28, 2012
Rookie manager Kuriyama deserves credit for job well done
Choosing the 2012 Pacific League manager of the year is a no-brainer for me. It is Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie skipper Hideki Kuriyama, who led his club to a pennant victory, a Climax Series sweep of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and into the Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 21, 2012
NPB playoff format less than ideal
There's nothing like October baseball. On a given day in Japan, fans with cable or satellite TV systems can watch games — sometimes non-stop — from the wee hours of the morning until late at night. American and National League Division Series and Championship Series and the Japanese Climax Series...
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’
Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER