Category Archives: Asian Issues

“You gotta have Wa” (one of my favorite book of all time) author Robert Whiting has just concluded crazy 4-part series about how once-super-popular Bobby Valentine was almost jettisoned from Chiba Lotte Marines, on Japan Times online. Part 1: Clandestine campaign led to Valentine�s demise Part 2: Valentine�s philosophy brought Marines glory, money Part 3: [...]

I was inspired by Boston Globe’s Chad Finn’s posting on Extra Bases blog called Some interesting numbers via Bill James , and decided to look up what the projections of Japanese players for the year 2010 from the 2010 edition of the Bill James Handbook. According to James and his company, Ichiro will make History [...]

Blog called Mets by the numbers had a kind of interesting post about significance of uniform numbers in Japanese culture: Why Igarashi Was Issued No. 18, following the news that Mets’ new reliever, Ryota Igarashi, picked the uniform number of 18 this year. Of course, our man Daisuke Matsuzaka wears number 18 for the Boston [...]

Daisuke Matsuzaka talked to the Japanese entertainment news and gossip weekly magazine “FRIDAY” in Japan. He talked about his difficult season and revealed that he actually hurt his right inner thigh before joining Japanese team for World Baseball Classic (which he was awarded his second MVP for winning all three games he started). It is [...]

One of the biggest news in Japanese baseball front in this MLB hot stove season is that Hideki Matsui left the New York Yankees and signed with Los Angeles Angels. Seeing him wear Angels uniform for the first time was as strange as when I saw Nomar Garciaparra in Cubs uniform for the first time. [...]

There is a story about free agent outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui possibly targeted by the Boston Red Sox that ran in Sankei Sports in October 16th, 2009. Per request, I have translated it here. original story can be found here (broken link). “Red Sox targets Hideki Matsui as replacement for Bay” It is become known [...]

I’ve been collecting information off- and on-line about baseball players who made it to the Majors of Japanese ancestry background. It has been tough because there is no record for of half- or quarter- Japanese, but it has been a very interesting process. Recently at a convention, I met very knowledgeable sports reporter from Honolulu [...]

So, big news is that Kosuke Fukudome, a stud outfielder/slugger of Chunichi Dragons -my home town team- just filed for free agency. Losing star player is a sad news for my home town team. He has said to be hired San Diego-based Octagon Baseball as his agent and looking to come across the Pacific to [...]