It occurred to me that athletes in Japan strive for the same thing. They call it:
11/25/2010
Leave it all on the field
It's common to hear ballplayers say they leave everything on the field. An exhilarating concept.
11/12/2010
Bobby Valentine on Japanese baseball
I had the opportunity to hear Bobby Valentine speak.
It's strikingly clear how Japan's love of baseball inspires him.
Mr. V talked about a serious issue the Japanese professional baseball leagues face. NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) has 12 teams. Roughly the same number of the best Japanese players played in the MLB this year, and the situation looks to be similar next season. As a result, the level of competition has dipped in Japan. Fan interest has decreased, too.
It's natural for athletes to seek the biggest stage and the toughest competition, so moving from NPB to MLB should not to be discouraged.
Bobby Valentine's main point was that Pro Yakyu (which is what most folks call NPB) needs to step up its player development. The league needs to cultivate exciting talent so it can replace the players who leave.
Bobby-san shed light on how the current arrangement (one minor league team per top level team) is problematic for developing players:
"To have only one Japanese minor league means that players out of high school - 18 year old boys - when they're in the minor leagues, are playing against players who are 35 to 40 years old, players who have been in professional baseball for 10, 15 and 20 years who are either not healthy or they're not good enough to be in the top league. We send these 35-year-olds to the minor league to be ready for when we need them during the season. Well, these 18-year-old boys have to try to play against them. That's not fair. You do not develop talent that way. You develop talent by allowing people to have success. And so, if there were two minor league teams - one for the young minor leaguers and the other for older minor leaguers - then you can develop talent to replace the players that leave (for MLB) to keep the league strong, so there will still be a great game of baseball in Japan when my friends there are grandparents."
It's unfortunate that the leaders of Japanese professional baseball have yet to create a second minor league. Mr. V said they refused to do so. That would be perplexing, but not the first time leadership of an organization made a bonehead decision.
Japanese baseball needs more exciting players. Pro Yakyu needs to put inspiring competition on the field on a daily basis to ensure a future. This year was the first (and hopefully last) year that fans could not watch the Japan Series on an ordinary (non-cable) TV channel.
On a brighter note, the team that Bobby Valentine managed in Japan through 2009, the Chiba Lotte Marines, won the 2010 Japanese Series. While Mr. V's departure from the team was reportedly less than amicable, he happily announced that he would be flying to Japan to join in the championship parade.
Middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, one of Bobby V's 1st round draft picks and a starter on the Marines for the last 6 seasons, is headed for the Show in 2011. A switch-hitter, Nishioka lead the Pacific League in hits this year, with 206.
It's strikingly clear how Japan's love of baseball inspires him.
Mr. V talked about a serious issue the Japanese professional baseball leagues face. NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) has 12 teams. Roughly the same number of the best Japanese players played in the MLB this year, and the situation looks to be similar next season. As a result, the level of competition has dipped in Japan. Fan interest has decreased, too.
It's natural for athletes to seek the biggest stage and the toughest competition, so moving from NPB to MLB should not to be discouraged.
Bobby Valentine's main point was that Pro Yakyu (which is what most folks call NPB) needs to step up its player development. The league needs to cultivate exciting talent so it can replace the players who leave.
Bobby-san shed light on how the current arrangement (one minor league team per top level team) is problematic for developing players:
"To have only one Japanese minor league means that players out of high school - 18 year old boys - when they're in the minor leagues, are playing against players who are 35 to 40 years old, players who have been in professional baseball for 10, 15 and 20 years who are either not healthy or they're not good enough to be in the top league. We send these 35-year-olds to the minor league to be ready for when we need them during the season. Well, these 18-year-old boys have to try to play against them. That's not fair. You do not develop talent that way. You develop talent by allowing people to have success. And so, if there were two minor league teams - one for the young minor leaguers and the other for older minor leaguers - then you can develop talent to replace the players that leave (for MLB) to keep the league strong, so there will still be a great game of baseball in Japan when my friends there are grandparents."
It's unfortunate that the leaders of Japanese professional baseball have yet to create a second minor league. Mr. V said they refused to do so. That would be perplexing, but not the first time leadership of an organization made a bonehead decision.
Japanese baseball needs more exciting players. Pro Yakyu needs to put inspiring competition on the field on a daily basis to ensure a future. This year was the first (and hopefully last) year that fans could not watch the Japan Series on an ordinary (non-cable) TV channel.
On a brighter note, the team that Bobby Valentine managed in Japan through 2009, the Chiba Lotte Marines, won the 2010 Japanese Series. While Mr. V's departure from the team was reportedly less than amicable, he happily announced that he would be flying to Japan to join in the championship parade.
Middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, one of Bobby V's 1st round draft picks and a starter on the Marines for the last 6 seasons, is headed for the Show in 2011. A switch-hitter, Nishioka lead the Pacific League in hits this year, with 206.
10/22/2010
5/29/2010
On DL, Uehara responds to fans on website
Orioles pitcher Koji Uehara has landed on the DL for the second time this season.
Over at his website, where he regularly responds to fans, Uehara has been receiving many words of concern and encouragement.
Being able to communicate with fans back home must mean a lot to a guy in a country that's new to him, especially when sidelined with injury.
It's very cool that he replies to comments posted on his site. For a dedicated fan, what could be more inspiring than to converse with the figure you admire?
From the even-handed way he informs a self-proclaimed fan who suggests retirement that real fans do no such thing, to ribbing another who comments a little too enthusiastically, Koji's returns exude that particular blend of frankness and humor the Kansai region is known for.
Uehara often mentions how much fun it is to play in the Show. Here's hoping for a quick recovery and a season that merits another contract.
Over at his website, where he regularly responds to fans, Uehara has been receiving many words of concern and encouragement.
Being able to communicate with fans back home must mean a lot to a guy in a country that's new to him, especially when sidelined with injury.
It's very cool that he replies to comments posted on his site. For a dedicated fan, what could be more inspiring than to converse with the figure you admire?
From the even-handed way he informs a self-proclaimed fan who suggests retirement that real fans do no such thing, to ribbing another who comments a little too enthusiastically, Koji's returns exude that particular blend of frankness and humor the Kansai region is known for.
Uehara often mentions how much fun it is to play in the Show. Here's hoping for a quick recovery and a season that merits another contract.
5/28/2010
Matsui jovial after Halo and Hisanori wins
From this Hochi Shimbun report, Hideki Matsui was in good spirits following the Angels’ walk-off over the Blue Jays on Wednesday, a win he had 2 hits in.
One of them was a 2-run blast in the 6th, his 500th home run — for those willing to count his MLB postseason clouts and round-trippers in Japan (including those in All-Star and playoff games there).
“What kind of combination of stats is that?” Matsui chuckled, shrugging off what is nonetheless a remarkable achievement.
Asked about the recent success of Hisanori Takahashi, a former teammate who in two starts for the Mets held the Yankees and Phillies scoreless over 12 innings, Hideki was both congratulatory and jocular. “That’s tremendous. Why didn't he pitch like that when I was in the field behind him?”
The last three years Matsui played for the Yomiuri Giants were the first of Takahashi's career.
One of them was a 2-run blast in the 6th, his 500th home run — for those willing to count his MLB postseason clouts and round-trippers in Japan (including those in All-Star and playoff games there).
“What kind of combination of stats is that?” Matsui chuckled, shrugging off what is nonetheless a remarkable achievement.
Asked about the recent success of Hisanori Takahashi, a former teammate who in two starts for the Mets held the Yankees and Phillies scoreless over 12 innings, Hideki was both congratulatory and jocular. “That’s tremendous. Why didn't he pitch like that when I was in the field behind him?”
The last three years Matsui played for the Yomiuri Giants were the first of Takahashi's career.
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