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December 22, 2024
 

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Rob Smaal
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 23, 2002
Dodgers closer Gagne would rather be chasing a hockey puck in NHL
Eric Gagne is a 25-year-old pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After three rather unspectacular years as a starting pitcher with the Dodgers, the Montreal native was converted to a closer prior to this past season.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 17, 2002
Move north paid off for Blue Jays' Hinske
Funny how things work out sometimes.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 12, 2002
Japan draws first blood
The fans may have come out to see major-league stars like Ichiro Suzuki, Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, but it was a local boy who stole the show.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 8, 2002
Lil' Angel packs big league punch
The knock on Japanese players used to be that they were too small and underpowered to make it in North America's big leagues. But with the recent success of the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki, that argument has been laid to rest.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 27, 2002
Giants upstage Lions' Matsuzaka
The Koji Uehara Show took center stage Saturday night, playing to a packed house at the Tokyo Dome in Game 1 of the 2002 Japan Series.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 5, 2002
Thai challenger Srichaphan boots Hewitt at Japan Open
Lleyton Hewitt may be the No. 1 tennis player in the world, but Friday afternoon at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum he played second fiddle to a little-known slugger from Thailand.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 20, 2002
Life is good in Serena's world
Closing in on her 21st birthday, Serena Williams seems to have it all: No. 1 in the world in women's tennis, four Grand Slam singles titles to her credit, 17 victories on the WTA Tour, an Olympic gold medal (in doubles with sister Venus), over $9 million in prize money (plus who knows how much in lucrative...
MORE SPORTS
Sep 19, 2002
Serena blasts out of blocks
The Serena Williams traveling tennis clinic rolled into Tokyo on Wednesday and, in this land of sushi, it was doughnuts that Williams had on her mind.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 1, 2002
'Rami' has Swallows fans squealing with delight
Call him the Shigeki Maruyama of Japanese baseball, with a little Tony Robbins thrown in for good measure.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 21, 2002
The Cro pipes off on juiced players, bad-karma Bud
Just wind him up and watch him go! Warren Cromartie, who thrilled Yomiuri Giants fans from 1984-1990 not only with his stellar play but also with his banzai-inducing antics in the outfield, was back in Japan recently over the All-Star break.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 14, 2002
Another stop on All-Star circuit for Powell
Jeremy Powell took the mound Saturday for the Pacific Leaguers in the second installment of the 2002 All-Star Series, it marked the first time in 41 years that a foreign pitcher from the Kintetsu Buffaloes had taken part in Japan's annual midsummer classic.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 28, 2002
Brazil's Ronaldo hopes to cap comeback with World Cup title
SAITAMA -- "I had two years of suffering," Brazil striker Ronaldo said Wednesday evening after putting his side into the World Cup final. "Every time I score a goal is a victory, every time I enter the pitch is a joy and an honor."
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE EXTRA
Jun 27, 2002
Observations from the other side
It's almost over now, and I have to admit it's been a lot less painful than anticipated.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 9, 2002
Croatians stun Italy to stay alive
IBARAKI -- After an opening match loss to Mexico, it looked like the Croatian soccer team would be here just long enough to sample a little sushi, maybe check out Tokyo Tower and then jet off back to Europe.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 6, 2002
Ireland holds Germany to 1-1 draw
IBARAKI -- Once again the opposition wore green, but this time they actually put up a fight.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 3, 2002
England thwarted by Swedish jinx as teams draw 1-1
SAITAMA -- Thirty-four years and counting.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 27, 2002
Trey bien! Hanshin hurler Moore off to hot start
Don't be fooled by the menacing fu-manchu and the pitcher's glare. Hanshin Tigers left-hander Trey Moore is actually a friendly, down-to-earth family man from Texas, but don't tell opposing hitters that.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 28, 2002
Bunnies slip past Bears in final
It may be a Canadian game, and it was being played in Japan, but when all was said and done, it was the Swedish connection that came through at crunch time.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 25, 2002
Kokudo squares series, sets up deciding Game 5
It's down to one more game for all the marbles, the whole ball of wax, the big enchilada (* insert own cliche here).
MORE SPORTS
Mar 22, 2002
Revenge time: Bunnies jump all over Seibu
It was time for a little payback.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

Podcast

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

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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