Because of how quiet this list has been recently, I've recently received
some mail asking if the list is still working. If you get this message,
it is.
By the way, any predictions, prognostications or prevarications for the
coming season?
Dan Latham
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I've heard rumours that Ichiro Suzuki is at Seattle Mariners' spring
training. Is he trying out for the majors?
David Yeung
______________________________________________________
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The Blue Wave have a relationship with the Mariners. He is just over here for
a few weeks. The US press is reporting that Orix is in financial straits and
is willing to sell him to the Majors. They are saying that this is sort of a
tryout for him. It would be interesting to see him playing over here.
Marc Robinson
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Yeung-san wrote:
> I've heard rumours that Ichiro Suzuki is at Seattle Mariners' spring
> training. Is he trying out for the majors?
It's no rumor. He, Hoshino (pitcher) and Ebisu (pitcher) are there as
"exchange students" for two weeks. Depending on who you ask, his purpose
is different. The general consensus is, though, that he's getting ready to
go to the Majors in 2001 when he becomes a free agent.
Some people say that Orix is sending him out to advertise his wares so that
they can get a good price for him possibly sooner. I don't think that's
the case, as they'll be in a pickle to draw a crowd without their
superstar.
Ichiro became the first 5-oku (500,000,000) yen Japanese player this off
season. Yokohama's Sasaki became the second as Yokohama matched Ichiro's
salary after first setting on a 4.7-oku yen agreement with the Daimajin
just days before.
But back to Ichiro's "ryugaku." On the very first day Ichiro said that he
didn't want to go back (to Japan). He followed that with, "Cut, cut.
Don't put that in. (They'll) get mad." Well, the press put it all in.
Ken Griffy Jr. also commented that it'd be nice to have him stay until
October. Sosa (Cubs) also ran into him and asked if he was in the Majors
for good. And in today's paper, a member of the Players' Union said that
Ichiro, having once played in the Majors, even during Spring Training, is
now a member, and they'll back him up in whatever he wants to do. (Is that
a hint to push him to try to stay? Or am I reading between the lines too
much again?)
With all of this Ichiro fevor spilling over to that side of the Pacific,
Seatle also submitted a request to play two preseason games in Japan
against the Orix Blue Wave at the end of March, beginning of April next
year (2000). Whereas the Commissioners' Office (or was it Watanabe-owner?)
killed attempts by Major League teams at doing that this Spring, the
Commissioner said that he can find no reason that it won't be approved.
So, Ichiro's still got a couple more years to go before becoming a free
agent and going over there. There's a slim chance that he'll go over for
good sonner. I think that it's the club's president that is pulling for
Ichiro to do what he wants, but most of the Blue Wave front office is
against the idea of losing him. Only time will tell.
--
---
Michael Westbay
http://www.seaple.icc.ne.jp/~westbay
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Ichiro's first two exhibition games with the M's are going to be
televised on NHK according to the Seattle Times. The plan is to bat him
leadoff.
The Mariners might be more interested in Hoshino or Ebisu since they
always need relievers, but both are longshots.
In one story, Mariner pitcher Jamie Moyer (who was on the MLB All-Stars)
said about Ichiro, "I thought he could be pitched to, but he is a good
hitter," Moyer
said. "He starts with a way-open stance
and he dives into the
pitch, swinging his front foot up and
over."
A Mariner scout is also quoted as saying that Orix would only let Ichiro
go in exchange for Griffey.
--
Bob Timmermann
South Pasadena, CA
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Michael Westbay wrote:
> Some people say that Orix is sending [Ichiro Suzuki] to
> [Seattle's camp] to advertise his wares so that they can
> get a good price for him possibly sooner. I don't think
> that's the case, as they'll be in a pickle to draw a crowd
> without their superstar.
Well, isn't Orix already in a pickle? Their attendance dropped from an
average of 25,176 per game in 1997 to 20,075 in 1998 (the second largest
drop in the PL). Can it be that we are all growing a little bored with
Ichiro?
True, the falling attendance probably had something to do with Orix
falling out of the pennant race so quickly. It seems to me, therefore,
that the best way for Orix to reverse the trend is to concentrate more on
winning pennants than on retaining Ichiro.
And this goes to the heart of one of the reasons I think it would be a
smart move for Orix to cut him loose. But first...
> Ichiro became the first 5-oku (500,000,000) yen Japanese
> player this off season. Yokohama's [Kazuhiro] Sasaki
> became the second as Yokohama matched Ichiro's salary
> after first setting on a 4.7-oku yen agreement with the
> Daimajin just days before.
I realize that to many folks in the States, Ichiro's contract (worth
US$ 4.2 million), may seem like chicken feed. It is no doubt quite
a bit less than he could fetch in the major leagues. But what does
$4.2 million represent to Orix?
Orix will spend approximately 2,206,150,000 yen (US$ 18.34 million) on
payroll this year, and Ichiro's contract represent's almost 23% of their
budget. In contrast, Yokohama will spend roughly 18% of their payroll on
Sasaki but no other team will pay over 11.6% of their budget on any one
player. I don't know the Met's budget, but 23% sure sounds like a higher
percentage of the team's payroll than Mike Piazza will be taking home.
Ichiro's contract may not be much of a burden on the BlueWave now,
but what about next year when they have to pay him $5.5 or $6 million,
and his percentage of the team's budget rises to 30%?
Is it going to mean that Orix will have to skimp on other players?
His current contract hasn't inhibited the BlueWave from hiring more
foreign players, but all of the seven imports combined only cost 397
million yen (US$3.3 million). I suspect, however, that if Ichiro's
contract continues to rise, it will make it hard for them to build and
maintain a well-rounded team. They may lose more of their players
to free agency and they may not be able to attract free agents from
other teams.
Now let's look at it another way. Suppose we project Ichiro's year 2000
contract to reach $5.5 million. If Orix let's Ichiro go, they'll be able
to save that money or invest it in the team. Moreover, they will be able
to pocket the bid money for him.
According to the current JPB-MLB agreement, the only way for a player who
is under reserve by a Japanese team to sign with a major league team is to
go through a bidding system. Any major league team can submit a bid for a
player, and the Japanese team can either accept or reject the highest
offer. The bid is the total amount that the major league team will pay
for exclusive negotiating rights to the player. Therefore, if, say,
Seattle wants to acquire Ichiro, they first have to submit a bid the MLB
commissioners office, and if it's the highest offer and Orix approves it,
they can begin contract negotiations with Ichiro.
Last month, former-Hiroshima outfielder Alejandro Quezada went through
this system and Cincinnati offered $400,001 for the right to negotiate
with him. I suspect Ichiro would command a far higher amount, somewhere
in the neighborhood of $3 - 5 million.
So, let's assume a major league team offers $3 million for negotiating
rights with Ichiro. Including the $5.5 million we projected Ichiro to
earn in 2000, Orix stands to gain roughly $8.5 million (102,000,000 yen)
by cutting Ichiro loose.
Would it be worth it? I think, yes.
As pointed out above, the BlueWave are in a pickle as far as attendance is
concerned, but keeping Ichiro is not going to prevent those attendance
numbers from sliding even more.
Why did Yokohama have a record attendance in 1998? Was it because
everyone was coming out to see Sasaki or was it because Yokohama was a
winning team? Would Yokohama Stadium have been filled to capacity every
day if the BayStars had spent most of the season in last place, as Orix
did? I doubt it. Some people come out to see a great player, but it you
want to pack them in, you'd better have a championship team. That is what
Orix lacks right now, and that is what's depressing their attendance.
So, to rebuild Orix, here's what I would recommend doing with the $8.5
million saved. To replace Ichiro in right field, sign Hiroshima's Koichi
Ogata (currently earning roughly 110,000,000 yen or US$920,000) and double
his salary. Ogata is a gold glove right fielder who can probably bat
between .290 and .310 while hitting 10-20 home runs and stealing 20-30
bases, and he'll be a free agent in November 1999. Then use another
210,000,000 yen (US$ 2.5 million) and sign a quality stopper like
Kintetsu's Motoyuki Akahori, who will also be a free agent at the end of
this season. Use the remaining 500,000,000 yen (US$ 4,16 million) to buy
a catcher and some quality starting pitching.
With all due respect to Ichiro, I think that kind of rebuilding would
result in a much stronger and more well-rounded team than the one Orix has
now.
And if the BlueWave need some personality, maybe they can acquire
Hanshin's failed outfielder AND pitcher Tsuyoshi Shinjo -- some clown has
to wear the Neppie costume, after all.
Orix knows that Ichiro is going to go to the majors as soon as he becomes
a free agent. But if they wait until the last minute to let him go,
they'll lose a small fortune in bid money. If the BlueWave are smart,
they'll put him up for bid at the end of this season or the next one.
> And in today's paper, a member of the Players' Union said
> that Ichiro, having once played in the Majors, even during
> Spring Training, is now a member, and they'll back him up
> in whatever he wants to do. (Is that a hint to push him to
> try to stay? Or am I reading between the lines too much
> again?)
Where there's a will, there's a way. Given how weak the Major League and
Japanese commissioners' offices are, I have doubts about how binding the
current JPB-MLB agreement will be. There are a lot of ambiguities, and I
suspect a strong-willed player, in counsel with an unscrupulous agent like
Don Nomura and a powerful major league team (with the backing of Donald
Fehr and the MLB players union), would be able to find a way of getting
around the agreement.
All the more reason for Orix to talk to Ichiro and find a mutually
satisfactory solution. It could get nasty, and Orix has more to lose than
Ichiro does.
Dan Latham
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News out of Baseball Weekly is that the Tigers (Detroit, not Hanshin) is
interested in Ichiro to replace Brian Hunter as their CF and leadoff hitter.
Kida signed with them this off season. The one catch is Ichiro's salary of
around $5 mil per year. The Tigers have also signed Hiroshi Yoshimura who
worked for the PL and Yomiuri. If the Players Association said this about him
playing over here then don't be surprised if he is over here sooner rather
than later. This should be an interesting item to follow.
Marc Robinson
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Dan Latham wrote:
> [Some very good points snipped to save space.]
>
> Now let's look at it another way. Suppose we project Ichiro's year 2000
> contract to reach $5.5 million. If Orix let's Ichiro go, they'll be able
> to save that money or invest it in the team. Moreover, they will be able
> to pocket the bid money for him.
This, I think is the key. And today's Nikkan Sports adds fuel to your
argument. Moreover, whereas you project the trade money to be about $3
million, Bob Finnigan (sp?), a sports writer for the Seattle Times, says that
Ichiro is worth twice his salary in trade money alone, doubling the amount
saved (and deposited) with a trade of Ichiro.
I'm convinced that this would be the best thing to do. And as I mentioned, I
think that Orix's club president also thinks so. I guess we'll see if the
top brass with Orix can get the message after this season.
> So, to rebuild Orix, here's what I would recommend doing with the $8.5
> million saved. [. . .] And if the BlueWave need some personality, maybe
> they can acquire
> Hanshin's failed outfielder AND pitcher Tsuyoshi Shinjo -- some clown has
> to wear the Neppie costume, after all.
Beautifully said.
> Where there's a will, there's a way. Given how weak the Major League and
> Japanese commissioners' offices are, I have doubts about how binding the
> current JPB-MLB agreement will be.
> [. . .]
> would be able to find a way of getting
> around the agreement.
>
> All the more reason for Orix to talk to Ichiro and find a mutually
> satisfactory solution. It could get nasty, and Orix has more to lose than
> Ichiro does.
Now, this one I have a hard time imagining. Mild mannered "the nice boy next
door" Ichiro getting nasty? That's not in his character. He strikes me as
being someone who goes along with the tide, but rides it very well.
Hopefully he'll stay away from the likes of Dan Nomura.
--
---
Michael Westbay
Japan Pro Yakyu This Week
http://www.seaple.icc.ne.jp/~westbay
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To join the Ichiro discussion and hop off on a tangent a bit, I expect
Orix will sell Ichiro if they aren't in the pennant race at, say, the
All-Star break.
Why?
1) Ichiro (allegedly) wants to go;
2) Orix could use the extra cash;
3) At the end of the 1999 season Ichiro will go anyway as a free agent
and Orix will get nothing, or he'll cost Orix a lot more if he stays.
If you aren't in the race and don't need his services, sell him and get
something for him. Plus, if you do it right you come off looking like a
nice guy for letting Ichiro "fulfill his dream of playing in the majors"
while picking up a few million in the process.
Next, sell the team. Most teams are PR engines for their corporate
owners. Ichiro is Orix poster boy, and without him the return on Orix
investment in the team is reduced sharply.
More on Sell Orix below, but first, two questions:
1) When a Japanese player declares free agency the team signing him has
to pay him at least 1.5 times his salary (if he's signed by another
Japanese team, even his old team). Does this rule apply to Japanese
players sold abroad? It doesn't sound like it. (But just 1.5 times a
player's JPB salary would be cheap by most MLB standards, no?)
2) What are the rules regarding a player's re-entry to JPB? Could
Ichiro be sold to the Expos (yeah, right), play out a one-year contract
and then come back to Japan and sign with Yomiuri as a free agent?
Could a player with less playing time than Ichiro, say, just three years
of experience when he left and not enough time to qualify as a JPB free
agent on his return, do the same thing?
Back to Sell Orix:
Orix has had good exposure with their investment. They bought the team
in 1989 or so and they've never done worse than third, with two PL
pennants and a Japan Series flag as well. Quit while you're ahead --
sell now.
Does Orix NEED to sell the team? I don't think they're in financial
trouble. They're listed on the NYSE (IX), so there should be more
financial info out there about them than about most Japanese companies;
but because they listed fairly recently the info isn't there yet.
They're a financial and leasing company, so you could argue that because
the whole financial sector is down in Japan Orix is hurting too. But
they're not a typical Japanese finance company; they're pretty
aggressive and diversified, and I think their profits last year were
up. Still, without Ichiro, they get less return on their investment in
the team.
More likely candidates to sell their teams? The Daiei department
store/convenience store/etc. chain is hurting. The Hawks have a couple
of good players, but they really don't compare well to most of the other
teams in JPB. After paying boatloads of cash for Kevin Mitchell and
other questionable moves, the well has run dry. The sign-stealing
garbage last season won't bring in more paying fans.
Yakult is also having some difficulties, though I'm not sure how hard up
they are. There was a change in the team's organization and I think
this year the Swallows' uniforms will not have the Yakult name on them,
but I'm not sure if this is directly connected with Yakult's financial
status.
But of the 12 teams out there, I would venture the three most likely to
change hands are the BlueWave, Hawks and Swallows. I admit, however,
that I don't know how badly Lotte was hit by The Great Crash in Korea's
economy.
Who would buy a team? Half-jokingly, GE Capital is buying up other
Japanese companies left and right -- why not a baseball team as well?
Other American or otherwise foreign companies looking to build name
recognition in Japan? Ford? Kodak? Is T. Boone Pickens still alive?
Rupert Murdoch? Media interests, especially television networks, are
always possible buyers, but there are lots of expensive changes coming
to the broadcasting industry (digital).
If a team is sold, where would they go? They could stay right where
they are -- people in Fukuoka won't be too happy with an expensive,
empty dome -- but there will be a couple of new stadiums (stadia?) in
Japan shortly because of the upcoming World Cup. City-hopping isn't
quite as common in Japan as in the U.S., where owners threaten to move a
team if they don't get a new stadium, a baseball-only stadium, more
luxury boxes, tax breaks, whatever. But with lots of new arenas
(arenae?) it could be tempting for teams to shop around for new places
to play.
Agreement? Disagreement? Any other teams you'd like to suggest as
candidates to be sold?
Best,
Rob Magee
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Hi everybody,
someone already knows me, I am a new Japanese baseball fan from Italy and I'm
starting my learning of Nihon Baseball.
I appreciate the cooperation of many friends I met during the last 3 months who
are willing to give me every chance to know Japanese baseball better.
The only thing I lack is the possibility to see a game on TV, so if someone can
help me by taping a game and send it to me, I would appreciate it very much (of
course I will pay for it!! Just contact me)
Thanks a lot
Marco Ottolini
Via Palmaria, 1
20161 MILANO (ITALY)
e-mail: ottolini@...
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Rob Magee wrote:
> Of the 12 teams out there, I would venture the
> three most likely to change hands are the BlueWave,
> Hawks and Swallows. I admit, however, that I don't
> know how badly Lotte was hit by The Great Crash in
> Korea's economy.
One other possibility. Maybe.
Though I don't know how Kintetsu is doing financially, I've never been
able to figure out why they bother to own a baseball team. Most teams are
run as some sort of advertising for their parent company, but does a local
Osaka railway really need publicity? I mean, if you live on the train
line, you're gonna use it and if you don't, you're not. I realize that a
lot of the train companies (Nishitetsu, Nankai, Hanshin, Kintetsu, etc.)
originally sponsored baseball teams in order to increase ridership (since
the ballparks were invariably located on each respective company's train
lines). But the Buffaloes have never had high attendance, and they
recently moved to Osaka Dome which is not served by any Kintetsu line.
And now that the novelty of Osaka Dome has worn thin -- Kintetsu's home
attendance dropped from 27,851 a game in 1997 to 18,382 last year -- I
can't understand why they haven't sold the team already.
I haven't heard about the Swallows taking "Yakult" off their uniforms (in
anticipation selling the team?), but the Buffaloes will change their name
to the "Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes" next season. I really have no idea if
this is the first step toward selling the team or just a public relations
gesture.
Dan Latham
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Latham-san wrote
> Though I don't know how Kintetsu is doing financially, I've never been
> able to figure out why they bother to own a baseball team. Most teams are
> run as some sort of advertising for their parent company, but does a local
> Osaka railway really need publicity?
Kintetsu also runs a trucking/distribution company that services all of
Japan. Haven't you seen trucks with bull horns on the top of them? I used
to work at the Tokyo Ryutsu (Distribution) Center building in Heiwajima, and
trucks from just about every trucking company in Japan go in and out of there
all day. And Kintetsu has got quite a few. I imagine that they've got even
a bigger set up in the Kansai area.
> But the Buffaloes have never had high attendance, and they
> recently moved to Osaka Dome which is not served by any Kintetsu line.
Good point. I remember reading an article about how they couldn't even
afford to rent the Osaka Dome for preseason games just before it opened. And
the cost of some of their seats! It's amazing that they can draw that many
fans. But the high cost of tickets is to help pay for the Dome. But since
not people come, they have to charge more per ticket. And because the ticket
prices are so expensive, many would be fans are deterred from going out to
see a game.
> I haven't heard about the Swallows taking "Yakult" off their uniforms (in
> anticipation selling the team?), but the Buffaloes will change their name
> to the "Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes" next season. I really have no idea if
> this is the first step toward selling the team or just a public relations
> gesture.
It it true this time? Or just another rumor? Kintetsu's owner first
proposed the idea of taking "Kintetsu" from the name when the Osaka Dome was
first opened so as to relate more to the community. Two seasons have then
passed without any word of change. Where did you read (hear) that?
I also haven't heard of "Yakult" being removed. But then, I've been rather
sleepy on the morning train as of late. Maybe I'm missing some
announcements.
--
---
Michael Westbay
Japan Pro Yakyu This Week
http://www.seaple.icc.ne.jp/~westbay
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Orix is doing very well financially. I know they were surprised the PR effort needed, especially with Ichiro, but they are not in financial need.
As for Yakult, they lost a ton of money in financial speculation, but the company is still flush with cash. It is possible they would prefer to focus on
the main product and sell the team though.
I have heard Daiei would be interested in selling but want to make a package deal with the Fukuoka dome(and the accompanying hotel).
Rob Magee wrote:
> Of the 12 teams out there, I would venture the > three most likely to change hands are the BlueWave, > Hawks and Swallows. I admit, however, that I don't > know how badly Lotte was hit by The Great Crash in > Korea's economy.
One other possibility. Maybe.
Though I don't know how Kintetsu is doing financially, I've never been
able to figure out why they bother to own a baseball team. Most teams are
run as some sort of advertising for their parent company, but does a local
Osaka railway really need publicity? I mean, if you live on the train
line, you're gonna use it and if you don't, you're not. I realize that a
lot of the train companies (Nishitetsu, Nankai, Hanshin, Kintetsu, etc.)
originally sponsored baseball teams in order to increase ridership (since
the ballparks were invariably located on each respective company's train
lines). But the Buffaloes have never had high attendance, and they
recently moved to Osaka Dome which is not served by any Kintetsu line.
And now that the novelty of Osaka Dome has worn thin -- Kintetsu's home
attendance dropped from 27,851 a game in 1997 to 18,382 last year -- I
can't understand why they haven't sold the team already.
I haven't heard about the Swallows taking "Yakult" off their uniforms (in
anticipation selling the team?), but the Buffaloes will change their name
to the "Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes" next season. I really have no idea if
this is the first step toward selling the team or just a public relations
gesture.
Dan Latham
Michael Westbay wrote:
> It it true this time [that the Kintetsu Buffaloes will officially add
> "Osaka" to their name]? Or just another rumor? Kintetsu's
> owner first proposed the idea of taking "Kintetsu" from the
> name when the Osaka Dome was first opened so as to relate
> more to the community. Two seasons have then passed without
> any word of change. Where did you read (hear) that?
>
> I also haven't heard of "Yakult" being removed. But then, I've
> been rather sleepy on the morning train as of late. Maybe I'm
> missing some announcements.
First of all, yes, it was lame of me to forget Kintetsu's other business
interests (trucking/distribution) in addition to their railways. And I
also remember reading that they had to practice elsewhere because the
Osaka Dome rent was too high.
As far as them renaming the team as the "Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes," I saw
the story in the Sankei Sports (March 6, page 2), while my wife read it in
the Asahi Shimbun the same day. The Sankei may be a tabloid, but I think
the Asahi is a pretty reputable paper.
Regarding Yakult's uniforms, I remember a story last summer in Nikkan
Sports saying that they were going to change their road uniforms.
Currently they wear powder-blue pajamas, but they were supposed to change
to dark blue jerseys and white pants. But this year, they still seem to
be wearing the old uniforms. Has anyone heard what's going on?
Finally, there was a note in Nikkan Sports last Wednesday (March 3) saying
the Hawks were going to slightly change their caps. Instead of being all
black with a "FDH" insignia, the new ones are supposed to have an orange
visor.
Jeffrey Sams wrote:
> I have heard Daiei would be interested in selling but
> want to make a package deal with the Fukuoka dome
> (and the accompanying hotel).
> I know nothing of Kintetsu or Lotte`s situation.
I've heard (or read?) pretty much the same thing... that assuming Daiei
wants to sell the Hawks, it would be a package deal including Fukuoka Dome
and the adjacent SeaHawk hotel. I seem to remember an article saying that
Daiei owned both, but I'm not sure if they have 100% ownership or simply a
controlling interest.
Dan Latham
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Hi everybody,
someone already knows me, I am a new Japanese baseball fan from Italy and I'm
starting my learning of Nihon Baseball.
I appreciate the cooperation of many friends I met during the last 3 months who
are willing to give me every chance to know Japanese baseball better.
The only thing I lack is the possibility to see a game on TV, so if someone can
help me by taping a game and send it to me, I would appreciate it very much (of
course I will pay for it!! Just contact me)
Thanks a lot
Marco Ottolini
Via Palmaria, 1
20161 MILANO (ITALY)
e-mail: ottolini@...
I noted that on the web site my e-mail was not correct: the right one is:
ottolini@...
I hope to hear from someone
Marco Ottolini
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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# 5 is 3rdbase
# 6 is shortstop
# 7 is LF
# 9 is RF
Marco Ottolini
ottolini@...
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Can anybody help me in finding Pro Yakyu Box scores? I would prefer to find them
in english but if it's not possible I will try to understand some japanese
Thanks for taking time in answering.
Marco Ottolini
ottolini@...
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Marco,
I've been using Yahoo Japan's boxscores to follow the exhibition season, but
those are in Japanese. Go to Dan Latham's wonderful page and read the
section on Basic Japanese, and you'll be able to follow along pretty well.
There's more details in those box scores than in the US major-league ones we
get here in the States.
Which leads me to another question. How seriously are the preseason results
taken in Japan? Here, no one really cares how many games a team wins or
loses, since they aren't playing to win anyway. About the only thing that
anyone notices is a pitcher who gets crushed every time he goes to the
mound.
Also, for those of you following the Japanese players in the majors, I can
inform you that Masao Kida is doing pretty well in Tiger camp. There have
been some problems with understanding manager Larry Parrish, but that seems
to be improving. It looks like Kida will start the season in the bullpen,
although he is the favorite to move into the starting rotation if Bryce
Florie continues to pitch as badly as he has been doing. Kida is supposed to
pitch against Cincinnati in an exhibition game this afternoon.
I'll try to keep the list informed of Kida's progress - I see many Tiger
games during the season as part of my Associated Press writing work.
Dave
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"Dave Hogg" wrote:
>I've been using Yahoo Japan's boxscores to follow the exhibition season, but
>those are in Japanese. Go to Dan Latham's wonderful page and read the
>section on Basic Japanese, and you'll be able to follow along pretty well.
>There's more details in those box scores than in the US major-league ones we
>get here in the States.
In regarding to Yahoo JP's "boxscore" itself, I would say the
information covered is not much more than the normal MLB boxscore,
some special info like # of pitches thrown, batters faced also
are covered in the normal MLB boxscore(well, not the exhibition
games), and the MLB boxscore even mentions how many strikes have
been thrown, which Yahoo JP doesn't. The differece is that
Yahoo JP put all the info in the tabular form, while quite a
portion of MLB boxscore is not put in that way. A real good info
form Yahoo JP is the batting order, which MLB boxscore doens't have.
But Yahoo JP combines "sacrifice" and "sacrifice fly" to one column,
and that causes some trouble when you are interested to know exactly
how many "sacrifices" and "sacrifice fly" have been made by some
players. Other than the "boxscore" file, most of the info from another
"record" file is also there in the MLB boxscore. Even for the
"starting-lineup" file provided by Yahoo JP, most of the major
websites in US provide pretty good info, at least including
the starting lineup and other stats(batter vs pitcher/pitcher vs team.
etc). The bench players and bullpen pitchers available, however, are very
good extra info provided by Yahoo JP.
>It looks like Kida will start the season in the bullpen,
>although he is the favorite to move into the starting rotation if Bryce
>Florie continues to pitch as badly as he has been doing. Kida is supposed to
>pitch against Cincinnati in an exhibition game this afternoon.
Line of the day for Kida: 1.666 innings, 5 hits, 5 runs, 5 ER, 2 walks,
and 1 K. It was reported that Parrish likes the performance of 98's
1st rounder RHP Jeff Weaver so far, so if Florie falters, it might be
Jeff who takes over the No. 5 starter, not Kida, although it should be a remote
possibility. My guess is that LHP CJ Nitkowski may possibly be inserted
to the rotation if needed and Tigers like what they see from LHP Will
Brunson.
--Steve Yin
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At 0:25 PM -0500 99.3.16, Dave Hogg wrote:
> Also, for those of you following the Japanese players in the majors, I can
> inform you that Masao Kida is doing pretty well in Tiger camp. There have
> been some problems with understanding manager Larry Parrish, but that
>seems
> to be improving.
The shoe is now on the other foot. When Parrish was in his second year in
Japan, with the Tigers, he was the one who couldn't figure Kida out; Kida
struck him out ten times.
> It looks like Kida will start the season in the bullpen,
> although he is the favorite to move into the starting rotation...
Kida has been spectacular as a reliever the past two seasons as opposed to
just OK as a starter.
Jim Allen
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> Line of the day for Kida: 1.666 innings, 5 hits, 5 runs, 5 ER, 2 walks,
> and 1 K. It was reported that Parrish likes the performance of 98's
> 1st rounder RHP Jeff Weaver so far, so if Florie falters, it might be
> Jeff who takes over the No. 5 starter, not Kida, although it should be a
> remote
> possibility. My guess is that LHP CJ Nitkowski may possibly be inserted
> to the rotation if needed and Tigers like what they see from LHP Will
> Brunson.
Parrish loves Jeff Weaver, but they really want to give him some time in
Triple-A Toledo. And CJ is a possibility, but they remember how horrible
he was as a starter during his last stint in Detroit.
So Kida would have been the lesser of several evils. But between Florie's
good outing on Monday night and Kida getting pounded today, it is a moot
point for the near future.
Dave
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On Wed, 17 Mar 1999, Jim Allen wrote:
> At 0:25 PM -0500 99.3.16, Dave Hogg wrote:
>
> > It looks like Kida will start the season in the bullpen,
> > although he is the favorite to move into the starting rotation...
>
> Kida has been spectacular as a reliever the past two seasons as opposed to
> just OK as a starter.
In a perfect world, Parrish would much rather have Kida in the bullpen. He
has said that he thinks is more suited to relief. But the Tiger starting
rotation is so awful that anyone who can throw seven innings is going to
get a chance to start.
Dave
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Dave Hogg wrote:
> [. . .] How seriously are the preseason results
> taken in Japan? Here, no one really cares how many games a team wins or
> loses, since they aren't playing to win anyway. About the only thing that
> anyone notices is a pitcher who gets crushed every time he goes to the
> mound.
It's pretty much the same here. After all, Hanshin does very well during the
pre-season every year, getting all of those Tiger fans' hope up, then they fall
apart once the season starts. It's mainly a trying out for rookies trying to
make the top team and conditioning for veterans who already have a spot. (Each
kantoku (manager) says that "even the veterans have to work for their spot,"
but it doesn't really apply in practice.)
With two weeks before the season starts, the main question for speculation each
game is, "Who will make the starting rotation?" or "Who will be the opening day
pitcher?"
For example, let's take today's Nikkan Sports. The headline for the BayStars
vs. BlueWave game reads, "Kawamura to be consecutive opening day pitcher."
The three Yokohama pitchers viewing for the opening day start are Kawamura,
Miura, and Saitoh Takashi. That Kawamura gave up 3 runs (2 earned) in 5
innings wasn't of much concern to Gondoh-kantoku. What was, though, was how
Kawamura continued to get ahead on the count, throwing strikes on the first
pitch even after an Orix batter got a hit off of him. Results aren't important
at this stage yet. It's all about how one goes about it. The only thing that
Kawamura needs work on right now appears to be stamina.
Similar comments come from all of the ball clubs right now. One pitcher was
relieved a week ago by his manager (was it Gondoh-kantoku or Hoshino-kantoku
(Dragons)?) saying, "go to 2-gun" instead of "hit the showers."
---
Michael Westbay
Japan Pro Yakyu This Week
http://www.seaple.icc.ne.jp/~westbay
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On a related question, do Japanese teams normally only have the pitchers
throw 3-4 innings during exhibition games? With the exception of the
last week of spring training, a starting pitcher rarely goes more than 5
innings in an exhibition.
--
Bob Timmermann
South Pasadena, CA
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Timmermann-san wrote:
> On a related question, do Japanese teams normally only have the pitchers
> throw 3-4 innings during exhibition games? With the exception of the
> last week of spring training, a starting pitcher rarely goes more than 5
> innings in an exhibition.
At this point, it's generally 5 innings for starters. It was only 2 to 3
innings just a couple of weeks ago. A win or a loss wasn't at stake,
getting the pitcher(s) into shape was. As we get closer to opening day,
though, I believe that pitchers do get up to about 7 innings of work to
test their stamina.
--
---
Michael Westbay
Japan Pro Yakyu This Week
http://www.seaple.icc.ne.jp/~westbay
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From the Associated Press
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- The New York Mets gave up on
right-hander Hideo Nomo by outrighting the one-time
sensation to Class
AAA Norfolk on Wednesday night.
Nomo has 72 hours to decide whether to accept the
assignment or declare
himself a free agent.
"It's a difficult decision because it involves a player of
his stature and given
what he's done in his career," Mets general manager Steve
Phillips said. "But
I've got to make a judgment in what I can do to have us
win as many games
as we can, and this starts the process."
Nomo, 30, starred in Japan before joining the Los Angeles
Dodgers in
1995. He won 45 games in Los Angeles, but struggled last
season and was
traded to the Mets in June. He went 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA in
17 games with
New York and was ineffective this spring, going 0-2 with a
7.62 ERA in
four appearances.
"He said he understood our decision and acted very
professionally," Phillips
said. "Of course, he doesn't show a lot of emotion
anyway."
Nomo made his much-publicized debut in May 1995 and
immediately
proved he could pitch well in any country. He won the NL
rookie of the
year award, led the league with 236 strikeouts and limited
opposing batters
to a .182 batting average.
In 1996 Nomo pitched a no-hitter Sept. 17 against Colorado
and went
16-11 with a 3.19 ERA. He finished second in the league by
holding the
opposition to a .216 batting average.
It was more of the same in 1997, when he recorded 233
strikeouts. But he
appeared to lose his touch last season, going 2-7 with the
Dodgers before
being dealt to New York in a four-player deal.
Phillips delivered the news to Nomo before the Mets
arrived at the ballpark,
so Nomo was not available for comment.
Bob Timmermann
South Pasadena, CA
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Supposedly the Cubs, Cardinals and a couple of AL teams might be interested.
-----Original Message----- From: Bob Timmermann <btimmer@...> To: J-ball <j-ball@egroups.com> Date: 1999”N3ŒŽ25“ú 15:40 Subject: [j-ball] End of the line for Nomo?
From the Associated Press
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- The New York Mets gave up on
right-hander Hideo Nomo by outrighting the one-time
sensation to Class
AAA Norfolk on Wednesday night.
Nomo has 72 hours to decide whether to accept the
assignment or declare
himself a free agent.
"It's a difficult decision because it involves a player of
his stature and given
what he's done in his career," Mets general manager Steve
Phillips said. "But
I've got to make a judgment in what I can do to have us
win as many games
as we can, and this starts the process."
Nomo, 30, starred in Japan before joining the Los Angeles
Dodgers in
1995. He won 45 games in Los Angeles, but struggled last
season and was
traded to the Mets in June. He went 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA in
17 games with
New York and was ineffective this spring, going 0-2 with a
7.62 ERA in
four appearances.
"He said he understood our decision and acted very
professionally," Phillips
said. "Of course, he doesn't show a lot of emotion
anyway."
Nomo made his much-publicized debut in May 1995 and
immediately
proved he could pitch well in any country. He won the NL
rookie of the
year award, led the league with 236 strikeouts and limited
opposing batters
to a .182 batting average.
In 1996 Nomo pitched a no-hitter Sept. 17 against Colorado
and went
16-11 with a 3.19 ERA. He finished second in the league by
holding the
opposition to a .216 batting average.
It was more of the same in 1997, when he recorded 233
strikeouts. But he
appeared to lose his touch last season, going 2-7 with the
Dodgers before
being dealt to New York in a four-player deal.
Phillips delivered the news to Nomo before the Mets
arrived at the ballpark,
so Nomo was not available for comment.
Bob Timmermann
South Pasadena, CA
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