The 2008 Japan pro baseball preliminary schedules are out, and it is always interesting for me to look ahead and see what quirks or oddities are on the agenda for the coming season.
Next year's yakyu calendar features a super early opening date on the day after winter ends, All-Star games played much later than usual, summer breaks during the Beijing Olympic Games and a Japan Series that will not only end in November, but also begin in the 11th month.
The Pacific League gets the official campaign under way on March 20. That's right. It is a Thursday but a Japanese national holiday (Spring Equinox). The Pa Leaguers will start with three-game series to be played Thursday, Saturday and Sunday — skipping Friday — in the domes of Sapporo, Fukuoka and Seibu's Goodwill.