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01/21/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Hillman Endorses Subway"
Hot Shots....
The Japanese player's association is demanding that Hanshin apologize to second baseman Makoto Imaoka for the way it handled the negotiations of Imaoka's new contract. Hanshin management has rejected the request.....Tigers centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi signed today for a more than $25,000 salary cut to about $300,000 ....Despite his 24 homers in just 112 games last season, Yomiuri shortstop Tomohiro Nioka has been hitting the weights hard to enhance his power even more....The Seibu Lions pitching coach has ordered that rookies Chikara Onodera and Shuichiro Osada not throw next to Daisuke Matsuzaka, as since neither has Matsuzaka's velocity to begin with, he is afraid that they may injure themselves trying to hump up the gas to match the team ace ....Sports Nippon is quoting Nippon Ham Fighters skipper Trey Hillman as saying that after the team moves to Sapporo next season, he wants to take the subway to work to get closer to fans. He also urged fans to apprach players after the game for autographs. In addition, Hillman praised the Sapporo Dome artificial turf, saying it isn't as hard as a lot of other indoor ballparks. Sapporo mayor Nobuo Katsura, who met with Hillman today, stated that the former Yankees minor league manager left a good impression on him and that Hillman's outgoing nature will make him well liked in Hokkaido. You can see a pic of Hillman with Hokkaido Lieutenant Governor Sasaki Here....Fuji Television announced that it has acquired the rights to broadcast nine MLB games this season, with seven of them being Mariners-Yankees tilts, according to Sankei Sports, which is referring to the battles as a "golden card." How they are going to air the games is still up in the air, though it seems as if they are leaning toward carrying them live rather than on tape delay or just cutting in when Ichiro or Matsui is at bat....Here's an item you won't see in any American newspaper about an MLB player: Sankei Sports did a long article on Kintetsu Buffaloes righthander Hisashi Iwakuma's working out today in 41 degreee weather wearing a pair of leg warmers given to him by his wife, Madoka. Must have been a slow day in Japanese sports....Yokohama closer Takashi Saito will start spring training in the club's minor league camp....Orix catcher Takashi Miwa is bringing his futon from home to the team's Miyakojima spring camp dormitory, thinking that since he knows how warm it is will keep him from catching any colds....Can Godzilla counter Kimtaku? Kimtaku is idol hearthrob Takuya Kimura, a member of the teenybop group SMAP who is starring in a popular new drama where he plays a pilot for All Nippon Airways (ANA). Hideki Matsui flacks for Japan Airlines (JAL) and to counter the publicity that Kimura is bringing ANA, JAL is going to run large doses of commercials starring Matsui....Matsui's new team, the Yankees, have setup a tented area where the expected 100 press folks can interview the slugger at their spring training facility in Tampa, Florida. By doing so, the Yanks are hoping to prevent any bottlenecks in the locker room....According to Hochi Sports, the Yankees forbid their players to hire personal trainers, but Matsui is going to bring one with him from Japan anyway in a non-contract role. The trainer's name is Shigeyuki Ichikawa, a Chiba Prefecture-born former catcher in the Japanese industrial leagues, and he an Matsui have known each other since 1994. Ichikawa was a conditioning adviser to Yomiuri from 1995-1998 and helped make it so that Godzilla has been able to play in 1250 consecutive games. This time around, Ichikawa will be helping Matsui with plans to slap on some more muscle in the weight room....Due to the changing times, a Japanese baseball tradition is coming to an end. The publisher of Fan Techo (literally, "fan notebook"), which was issued every year since 1946 with info and directions to Japanese ballparks as well as stats from the previous season and more, announced that they are discontinuing it because teams are nowadays distributing their own guides free of charge and 100 yen shops are also carrying maps and such to the stadia. At its peak, the guide sold between 2-300,000 copies. They had ceased publication in 1996, but then resumed the following year. It retailed for 400 yen .....Congratulations to Yakult minor leaguer Masakazu Fukukawa, who married Ayako Tsuchiya December 16th, it was announced Tuesday. The two met during their junior year at university.
Can Matsui Handle the Pressure of New York?
Wayne Graczyk says no problem at the plate, though he may end up dancing around a bit adjusting to left: Japan Times Article
Daiei Hawks Parent at Loggerheads With Government Over Restructuring
See story at: Yahoo News Article
Woman Arrested in "Ichiro Sunglasses" Scheme
See story at: Japan Times Article
Replies: 1 Comment
Given the history of American managers in Japan, how likely is it that Hillman will be the Fighters' manager when they move to Sapporo next year?
Posted by Dave McNeely @ 01/22/2003 09:58 AM EST
