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Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 5, 2013

Antics of 'Animal' hard to forget more than 25 years later

He wasn't the best foreigner to ever play in Japanese baseball, but Brad "The Animal" Lesley was surely one of the most colorful and unforgettable characters to ever put on the uniform of a Central or Pacific League team.
Reader Mail
Mar 15, 2012

No cheerleading for Wall Street

Regarding economist Kenneth Rogoff's March 13 article, "Public acceptance of high salaries for athletes contrasts with low regard for finance superstars": Rogoff is overlooking several comparison factors that most people regard as natural markers in determining the justice of financial rewards based...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 11, 2012

Disaster had major impact on NPB

Here we are, exactly one year after the Great East Japan Earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011. Japanese baseball has been greatly affected by the quake, the tsunami triggered by it and the subsequent radiation threats from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 4, 2011

Red Sox manager Valentine should be right at home in return to MLB

So, Bobby Valentine will be the new manager of the Boston Red Sox. Surprised? Not me. The now 61-year-old former skipper of the Texas Rangers, New York Mets and Chiba Lotte Marines said a few years ago while still working in Japan, "I plan to be in uniform until I'm 70 years old."
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 13, 2011

PL champion Hawks are vital part of vibrant Fukuoka

While I was flying from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Fukuoka for the Pacific League Climax Series final stage last week, a thought occurred to me. What if the Wright Brothers could come back and take a similar flight today? What would they think of the advances made in aviation since they made that...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Apr 22, 2011

NHK hopes for a home run with new anime

It's a quintessential scene of Japanese youth: Young boys out in baseball uniforms jog across their school grounds, the white and maroon of their gear contrasting with a clear blue sky. In the bleachers, an earnest-looking high school girl named Minami, in a jersey that matches the team's uniforms, eyes...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 17, 2011

Umpires fully integrated under NPB banner

A big change in Japanese baseball this year may be seen in the umpires. The former Central and Pacific League men in blue have been fully integrated under the NPB banner, each man now has his own assigned roster and sleeve number and there are crew chiefs for the first time in Japan.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 27, 2011

Circumstances certain to make for challenging season

When it finally gets under way, this is going to be what one fan has called a "patchwork" baseball season in Japan.
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Mar 22, 2011

Central League's reputation takes hit in scheduling row

The show must go on. At least so says the Central League.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 9, 2011

Remembering when 'Larry King Live' came to Tokyo

It is sad and somewhat lonely not seeing the "Larry King Live" program on CNN. The 77-year-old suspendered one retired at the end of 2010 after 25 years and thousands of interviews on what was arguably the most well known talk show on TV; a program that enjoyed immense popularity in the U.S. and around...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 23, 2010

Ballplayer is in a league all her own

Bessie Noll won't celebrate her 16th birthday for another year, but she's already got a sweet swing on her future.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Oct 19, 2010

Playoff schedule denies NPB center stage

Major League Baseball, as it has done throughout its playoffs, showcased the best of the best over the weekend.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 3, 2010

Media racism: How unsportsmanlike

Local favoritism is built into organized sports. At the macro level you have whole countries rooting for national teams at the Olympics or the World Cup. At the micro level you have fans cheering a hometown boy who plays for a team far away. By the same token, nationalistic fans denigrate opposing countries'...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Mar 20, 2010

Here comes the never-ending season

The season is here . . . again. As if it ever ended.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 31, 2010

Universal count, use of one ball will boost status of NPB

How about that?
BASEBALL / SPORTS SCOPE
Sep 16, 2009

Ichiro certain to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer

There were a number of doubters nine years ago when Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese position player in Major League Baseball.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 13, 2009

Golden Week 2 set to be windfall at gate for NPB

Golden Week has always been a golden time for Japanese baseball. That series of consecutive holidays between April 29 and May 5 usually sees capacity or near-sellout crowds at all games scheduled during the period.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 19, 2009

Explaining a hold and a tale about 'Smokey' catching for the Carp

Checking out what is on the minds of fans and readers of the column this week as we go through the e-mail inbox, and Josh Barnett in Kobe wants to know, "What is a 'hold' and what does a pitcher need to do to be awarded one?"
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 28, 2009

International community signs on to help keep Bobby V. in Chiba

You heard where those dedicated fans of the Chiba Lotte Marines gathered more than 110,000 signatures on a petition opposed to the team's dropping of American manager Bobby Valentine at the end of the 2009 season. The document was delivered to the team's front office earlier this month for presentation...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 17, 2009

NPB commissioner wanted to ban foreign players 25 years ago

There are 66 foreign players currently registered in Japanese pro baseball, along with two foreign managers, a farm team manager and three coaches. But, 25 years ago this month, the commissioner of Japanese baseball wanted to ban non-Japanese from playing in the Central and Pacific Leagues.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 5, 2009

Ireland says values of Asian culture were key at WBC

Much has been written and said about the reasons two Asian teams played in the recent World Baseball Classic final and why Japan came out on top against South Korea.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Mar 25, 2009

Oh, Kato praise Samurai Japan's performances

LOS ANGELES — Even Sadaharu Oh is a little weary of watching Japan face South Korea in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Mar 8, 2009

China surprises rival Taiwan

China's still alive on the third day of the World Baseball Classic.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jan 17, 2009

Fukumoto blazed quite a trail on bases before Rickey came along

Before the self-proclaimed (and arguably rightly so) "greatest of all time" and new MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson was redefining the way leadoff hitters would be viewed, the Hankyu Braves' Yutaka Fukumoto was helping to set the standard.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 31, 2008

Equaling Oh's HR record proved difficult

Third in a three-part series
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 29, 2008

Devoted to the game: Looking back at Oh's career

First in a three-part series
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 26, 2008

Taking a look at the one-game advantage in the Climax Series

Until 2004, the term "postseason play" in Japanese baseball simply meant the Japan Series.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Oct 25, 2008

Hasegawa qualified to manage WBC team

There has been much discussion about who should be the manager for Japan's 2009 World Baseball Classic team. The now-retired Sadaharu Oh won't be the skipper and Senichi Hoshino has repeatedly stated he will refuse to accept the job if it is offered to him.

Longform

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