I went for a haircut the other day and, as usual, the topic of conversation between the barber and myself was sports. He's a typical Japanese sports fan with a typical Japanese name -- Suzuki -- and we chat about baseball, both the Japanese version and the major leagues.
He asked, "Who are some of the big name gaikokujin coming from the majors to play ball in Japan this season?"
The truth is, there are none. Through Feb. 1, the day the 12 Japanese teams began spring training, 23 new North Americans had been signed by the Central and Pacific League clubs. Among them, I must admit, I had only heard of six. However, lack of recognition does not necessarily mean they will not succeed in Japan.