Senichi Hoshino, the former skipper of the Hanshin Tigers, is likely to be appointed manager of Japan's national baseball team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, several baseball sources said Friday.
A pro baseball executive committee will meet on Jan. 23. Hoshino, 59, is expected to be named the top candidate at an owners' meeting the following day ahead of the final appointment by a committee of amateur and professional baseball officials.
Hoshino's job responsibility would include selecting the players and coaching staff to form the strongest possible team. If his selection is finalized, "Hoshino Japan" would follow the legacy of "Nagashima Japan" in 2004 and "Oh Japan" at last year's World Baseball Classic.