"Rainy Days and Mondays (Always Get Me Down)," Karen and Richard Carpenter's hit record out of the 1970s, might have been an anthem for baseball fans in Japan several years ago.
Inclement weather days and Getsuyobi meant no games were to be played; wet climate washed out play on those pre-artificial turf-era mud fields, and the first work day of the week was a day of rest for players. No games scheduled. Now we have six teams playing home games in domed stadiums, with Sapporo Dome about to open, so rain would not wipe out an entire six-game slate on a given night, and fans can enjoy pro ball any day of the week during the 2001 season. The Pacific League has scheduled 59 Monday night encounters, beginning with three games on April 2. According to Japanese press reports, the Pacific circuit decided to "try something different" this year in hopes of attracting more attention (and, hopefully, increased attendance) while the popular Central League takes a break. Two obvious changes are the March 24 Opening Day, six days ahead of the CL lidlifters on March 30, and the Monday night concept.
The Pa League brass had reportedly considered, but decided against, a playoff system similar to the one the league used from 1973 through 1982, whereby a split-season schedule was followed, and winners of the first and second half seasons met in a best-of-five postseason playoff to determine who would meet the Central loop pennant winner in the Japan Series. Instead, it's PL Monday night baseball, with the eye on dominating TV sports news that evening and sports newspaper headlines each Tuesday morning. While the idea is being put in place, there has been no official theme, campaign or catch phrase, other than "Monday Pacific League" (shall we call it MPL?), but one innovation will be for each Pa League club to post its manager in the first or third base coach's box during the first inning of Monday night games during April. They will also do this on Opening Day. This is so the crowd can see the Daiei Hawks' Sadaharu Oh, the Seibu Lions' Osamu Higashio and other skippers on the field, however briefly. The same policy was in place on Opening Day in 1995, when Bobby Valentine was the manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines. Kind of a "fan service." Each of the six member teams may employ their own promotional ideas, and some have said they are considering doing something special.