Hiroshima Carp manager Marty Brown arrived back in Japan on Jan. 9 after a short winter break to get ready for the long 2007 pro baseball season.
He hopes the Carp season will be longer than the last one, with the club at least making it into the first Central League playoffs in October.
Speaking by phone from his Hiroshima apartment last week, Brown said he is more excited than ever about the prospects of the team he will be leading for the second year. And he gave his thoughts about the CL post-season play, interleague games, matching strategy with other American managers here and the decision by ace pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to remain with the Carp rather than skip to another club as a free agent.