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02/04/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Fugu-ddabout it!"
Hot Shots....
Hideki Matsui's last dinner in Japan? According to Sports Nippon, it was fugu, the poisonous blowfish that if not prepared correctly can result in death..,,On the way to the airport, Godzilla phoned Yomiuri manager Tatsunori Hara, saying "I'm leaving now." Hara responded by telling Matsui to"tear it up over there" and inviting him to dinner when the season ends....When he landed at JFK, Matsui was greeted by eight tv cameras and 50 mostly Japanese press. He then went to Yankee Stadium and had an hour long workout..... Kabuki actor Koshiro Matsumoto was on the same flight, as he was going to see a production of Man of La Mancha in NYC. Sony CEO Nobuyuki Ide also shared the first class cabin, too....Ichiro spent the day at an Orix workout facility taking 50 swings off of a tee and then another 200 against a machine in the batting cage. He will be taking off for the Mariners spring training site at Tempe, Arizona around the seventh....The Hiroshima Carp are posting 21 year old pitcher Emilio Ramirez, who got into two games last season with the big club. Ramirez, a product of the Carp's academy in the Dominican Republic, asked to be put up for auction after he and the team couldn't come to agreement on the salary. He reportedly features a low 90's fastball ....Hiroshima lefthander Takaya Kawauchi has shortened up his stride during his delivery and it's helped his pitch movement and control. A thin Carp pitching staff really needs someone to step it up and manager Koji Yamamoto is hoping that Kawauchi, who was highly touted when he was drafted, can do that....Yamamoto was once again taken with Andy Sheets ability in the field, according to Hochi Sports: "he'll have a good influence on the whole team because strengthening our defense is our number one concern. As proof that last year's starter at short, Akihiro Higashide, has been supplanted already, Higashide will be put into the mix for the second base job.... Here's one for the books: to prevent any repeats of the other day when Jimmy Hurst shattered the window of a beauty salon with a long bomb, Hiroshima hired three men with baseball mits and stationed them beyond the leftfield stands to flag down any balls that clear the stadium. Hurst slammed 15 over the fence today in 59 swings, but none left the ballpark itself....After a less than optimum 2002, Yakult lefty Hirotsugu Maeda is switching to a sidearm delivery....Swallows third baseman Akinori Iwamura spent some time in the pen on his own initiative and was reportedly throwing in the high 80's. Iwamura said that he has no delusions of becoming a pitcher, but just wanted to throw some more to get his arm in shape. In addition, in batting practice, he took a 45 ounce bat up to the plate, figuring that wielding the heavier stick in workouts will aid him in strengthening his wrists ...Alex Ramirez reportedly begged off when Yakult team and staff went to a local hospital for flu shots. Manager Tsutomu Wakamatsu was sympathetic. "I've hated getting shots, too, since I was a kid," he revealed. "Not much you can do about it"....Swallows rookie Yuhei Takai complained of soreness in his left quadracep during windsprints and was handed a lighter workout regimen emphasizing stretching. The hardthrowing lefty says it isn't anything serious, but a result of having what he termed "bad running form"....Yomiuri ace Koji Uehara was back in the bullpen today for a 51 pitch session, focusing on getting the ball up and in on lefthand hitters....Righthander Masumi Kuwata then went to work on a 92 pitch opus with umpires Osamu Ino and Kazu Kobayashi, who were along to explain how breaking balls would be called, judging balls and strikes....Yomiuri rookie shortstop Masahiro Nagata is hoping to get some private instruction from Mr. Giants, Shigeo Nagashima. But for now, he was in the cage hitting off of a tee with coach Toshio Shinozuka looking on....Takayuki Saito is being given a chance to win the third base job from incumbent Akira Etoh this spring and put on a show in batting practice, tattooing 52 homers in 126 swings. Saito, though, said, "I'm not a home run hitter" ....Gary Rath threw 60 pitches in the bullpen today.... Hanshin outfielder Osamu Hamanaka, who, at least for now, has been penciled in to play center due to the fact that he's a better hitter than Norihiro Akahoshi, worked today on maintaining his running speed while tracking fly balls. Hamanaka has a tendency to tuck his glove into his chest while pursuing deep drives, which decreases his pace....Daiei righthander Nagisa Arakaki was throwing about 80% of full speed and was still popping off 90-91mph heaters today....Hawks southpaw Toshiya Sugiuchi, who was a massive disappointment in 2002, has learned the slide step to hold on baserunners better. He threw 100 pitches in the bullpen today, all from the set position....Sadaharu Oh had to be grinning from ear to ear by the exhibition that outfielder Chen Wen-bin put on today. Oh had him work on hitting to the opposite field and saw him show some major pop in that direction, planting ball after ball in the seats. Chen only weighs 190 pounds on his 6'2" frame, so it's not like he's a huge guy....Seibu Lions righthander is trying to sharpen up his curve ball this spring to give hitters another thing to think about.... Shortstop Kazuo Matsui spent two hours in the batting cage today, with the emphasis on polishing his approach when hitting lefthanded....Nippon Ham pitcher Itsuki Shoda had an MRI exam today and no inflammation or abnormalities were found. Therefore, doctors suspect that the discomfort in his shoulder is just due to fatigue. He will be re-examined tomorrow and a final diagnosis will be issued then....Fighters skipper Trey Hillman liked former Hanshin righty Masashi Date's bullpen session today. "He kept the ball down and wasn't making any mistakes. Hillman also took part in a rite called "Setsubun," where one throws beans to get rid of evil spirits....Yokohama boss Daisuke Yamashita liked what he saw from relievers Atsushi Kizuka and Susumu Nakanowatari. Too, Starter Domingo Guzman had his first bullpen session of the spring, throwing 31 pitches. However, he reported 20 pounds overweight, but stated that he would get down to his playing weight when the regular season begins....Lefty Yuji Yoshimi was back in the pen today for 105 pitches and is endeavoring to acquire a forkball....Yamashita also disclosed that when a starting pitcher becomes ineffective, instead of putting him in the bullpen, he will send him out to the minors. "Starters, middle relievers, and closers all have different preparation routines," Yamashita noted. "So we will lock them into roles. If a starter isn't getting it done, then we will send him down and have him start there"....Orix righthander Makoto Suzuki has made some changes to his delivery at the behest of the club's pitching coach and helmsman Hiromichi Ishige approved of the results....The Kintetsu Buffaloes may use Ken Kadokura in the closer's role. He turns his back a little to the plate now in his windup and is adding a changeup....Buffs rightfielder Koichi Isobe took 500 hacks in the batting cage off of a tee today, as he attempts to surge back from an awful 2002. Manager Masataka Nashida figures that Isobe has the ability to hit .300 with 15 homers ...Lotte manager Koji Yamamoto has, for now, given the starting centerfielder's job to Toshio Haru, who came over from the Chunichi Dragons. One wonders where that leaves Saburo Omura, who was the starter there last year....Also being made uncomfortable is the little blazingly fast Gold Glove shortstop Makoto Kosaka, as Lotte are excited in what they think they have in 18 year old lefthand hitting number one draft choice Tsuyoshi Nishioka. 5'11" and 157 pounds, the rookie reportedly has outstanding defensive ability, some speed, and he has considerably more pop than Kosaka, who has virtually none. In his career at Osaka Toin High School, Nishioka blasted 42 homers. Lotte coaches had originally been working Nishioka out at second, but after watching him, decided to see what he could do at short....Former Hiroshima manager Takeshi Koba was trounced in a bid for that city's mayoral post.....Ivan Cruz cranked 13 homers in 90 swings, including two that went completely out of the park, in batting practice today. However, the Chunichi Sports piece that this bit of news came from also indicates that the "Cruz can't hit lefthanders nor can he do anything with breaking balls" whispers continue to dog him....There was a second Kenjiro Kawasaki sighting today and he threw about 50 pitches with no pain....Shortstop Hirokazu Ibata and second baseman Masahiro Araki were working on turning the double play today, something that was a problem area for the Dragons last season....Bob Matthews at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wonders if maybe allowing black players to wear Jackie Robinson's number 42 would be a more fitting tribute to the late Dodgers infielder than retiring it. Good question.
Are You a Fighters Kind of Girl?
The Nippon Ham Fighters are looking for a mascot girl who will entertain the fans at their Tokyo Dome games. Applicants should be over 18, have dance experience, and be able to do acrobatics. Those interested should send a resume indicating your dance background, height and weight and etc plus two photos that are no more than three months old, one full length and the other of the upper part of your body by February 20th to:
Fighters Girl-kei
K's Dance Office
Myrtle Court 503
Horinouchi 2-27-2, Suginami-ku
Tokyo-to, Japan
166-0013
Today's Pictures
Hideo Nomo Shows Up to Encourage Shigeki Sano
Jimmy Hurst Mortars Another Rocket
Jeremy Powell Gets in Some Running
Takayuki Saito Finishes His Swing
Kenshin Kawakami in the Bullpen
Domingo Guzman Having Fun in the Pen
Seung-yeop Lee Gets Fat Deal from Samsung
See story at: Korea Times Article
MLB Players Find Japan Spring Training a Hard Slog
See story at: MLB.com Article
Matsui Big Apple Bound
See story at: Sporting News Article
Torre's Door Open for Matsui
See story at: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Article
Alou Fishing for a Pennant
See story at: San Francisco Chronicle Article
Naming Rights Jinx?
Considering how often sports figure appear on the plice blotter these days, maybe "The Cell" is an appropriate nickname for Comiskey Park. See story at: Chicago Business Article
