The 12 Japanese pro baseball teams open spring training camps for the 2001 season on Feb. 1, just 11 days from now, and fan David Craft sent an e-mail asking if any of the Central or Pacific League clubs will be taking S.T. outside of Japan; specifically Hawaii.
The answer is no. That era is apparently over, when as many as half the Japanese clubs used to train in Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, Guam, Saipan; even at Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast of Australia. The Yakult Swallows were the most consistent, taking their workouts in Yuma, Ariz., almost every February throughout the 1980s and '90s. But the poor economic conditions in Japan and other factors have dictated the Japanese clubs spend the preseason at home.
Complaints throughout the years included the fact the teams who went to the U.S. never got to mingle with major leaguers and benefit from their coaching, because the American and National League players did not get to camp until the end of February, by which time their Japanese cousins were flying home to start the exhibition season. Another problem was the sudden change from cold to warm (hot!) and back to freezing again. Many Japanese teams did not learn to adapt, and several players would get sick.