Wladimir Balentien was joking around with Tony Blanco during an interview when he took off his hat to reveal he'd had a large star cut into his hair in celebration of his third All-Star Series appearance in as many seasons.
"He's a star," Blanco said, "so he has a star."
Balentien is indeed a star, one of the biggest in NPB these days, and he was in demand prior to the start of the second game of the 2013 All-Star Series on Saturday. The Yakult Swallows slugger was in a jovial mood at his home park, Jingu Stadium, and all too happy to oblige requests for his time. After all, it's not very often during the grind of long baseball season that one gets to really kick back and just enjoy the moment.
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