Road Trip of Survival: The Hanshin Tigers came through their "Road Trip of Death" in pretty good shape. The team went 10-9 while away from their home Koshien Stadium (being used for the national high school Tournament) for 25 days from Aug. 1 and was still in first place in the Central League, leading the second-place Chunichi Dragons by 2 1/2 games when they returned home to Koshien on Aug. 26 to play the Yomiuri Giants.

A Road Trip of Their Own: Now the Giants, already dead and mired in fifth place in the CL, are on their own 18-day road swing while the Japan Inter-City Corporate Tournament occupies Tokyo Dome. The Yomiuri players are the ones living out of suitcases now, playing 16 consecutive dates on the road, including three "home" games against the Yakult Swallows: Aug. 30-31 at Osaka Dome and Sept. 1 at the beautiful Botchan Stadium in Matsuyama on Shikoku Island.

Bad News Bears: Phone call from former Yomiuri player Warren Cromartie in Arizona says Cro has enjoyed his first season as manager of the Japan Samurai Bears, the all-Japanese, homeless team playing in the independent Golden Baseball League in the U.S. southwest.