The 12 Japan pro baseball teams open spring camps this week on Feb. 1, in Okinawa, south Kyushu and Shikoku, and next week we'll give a rundown of who's training where and for how long. Meanwhile, here is a look at what has been happening in the final days of the off-season break.
One of the newest members of the Yomiuri Giants, outfielder Alex Ramirez, came in early to try on his new Kyojin jersey on Jan. 21 in Tokyo.
Often a veteran foreign player, after an all-too-short winter, will ask and get permission from his team to report to camp later in February.