According to a translation site, the header above (pronounced “fushigina hōkō e korogaru”) is the Japanese equivalent of “down the rabbit hole,” which is where I fell after finding a story about Shinji Mizushima, “author of the popular Japanese ‘Dokaben‘ baseball manga series, [who] decided to end his career as a manga artist Tuesday, his […]
I think some people tend to lump Asian players into one group. Wrong! Here’s an unusual offering, via the Korean Times. Three Korean major leaguers ― Choo Shin-Soo, Lee Dae-ho, and Oh Seung-hwan ― recently co-published essays in Thanks, Baseball” to share their life stories. Lee and Oh play for the Seattle Mariners and the […]
Tagged as:
Choo Shin-Soo,
Korean baseball,
Lee Dae-ho,
Oh Seung-hwan
Books have been written about the use of baseball as an imperialist tool by the United States. We send people to foreign countries; they bring baseball with them, and pretty soon the residents of those foreign have embraced the game to a degree even more enthusiastic than back in the good ole U.S.A. Case in […]
Tagged as:
Japanese baseball,
Masanori Murakami,
Rob Fitts,
San Francisco Giants,
Wally Yonamine
Listening to the podcast of Wait Wait Don’t Tell me is a staple of my Monday morning commute. I always pay attention, but even more so when baseball is included in the conversation. From the latest show’s “Bluff the Listener” segment: Announcer Bill KURTIS: Taking baseball into the future. Host Peter SAGAL: Americans started playing […]
On this date 1936: The first professional baseball game played in the Japanese Baseball League. Nagoya defeats Dai Tokyo, 8 – 5. You Gotta Have Wa* Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card* Remembering Japanese Baseball: An Oral History of the Game (Writing Baseball) Born this date 1947: Tom House, pitcher The […]
Tagged as:
baseball in Japan,
Japanese baseball,
Mike Royko,
Robert Whiting,
Tom House
I originally posted this on my blog about Jews and sports since Youkilis is one of the handful of Jewish players, but there’s enough book/movie/collectibles that I can kill two birds with one stone, so… * * * Thanks to Robert Whiting, I have been able to find a way to keep tabs on Kevin […]
Tagged as:
Japanese baseball,
Kevin Youkilis,
Robert Whiting,
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
With Kevin Youkilis trading places with new Yankees acquisition Masahiro Tanaka of the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan, I was curious as to how he would adjust to the new culture. Sometimes it work, as in the case of Warren Cromartie; sometimes it doesn’t, as was the case for Jake Elliot (although he did, finally, […]
Tagged as:
Japanese baseball,
Kevin Youkilis,
Masahiro Tanaka,
Richie Scheinblum,
Robert Whiting,
Warren Cromartie
‘Tis the season when authors start popping up on NP programs, and I hope to join their ranks this year. Mike Piazza was on Fresh Air last week to discuss his memoir, Long Shot. You can read/listen here. Robert Fitts, who was recently named winner of SABR’s prestigious Seymour Medal, was a guest on last […]
Tagged as:
Japanese baseball,
Mike Piazza,
Only a Game,
Robert Fitts,
Trading Bases
♦ From the Tulsa World, this on on Robert Fitts’ Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, and Assassination during the 1934 Tour of Japan. Upshot: “It is very well-researched and a balanced account, but it occasionally threatens to sag under the weight of such details. Readers need not be fans of baseball to appreciate the sport […]
Tagged as:
Babe Ruth,
Baseball Cards,
Joe DiMaggio,
New York Yankees
Baseball Reflections posted this review of High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania: A Fan’s History of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Glory Years (1977-1981), by Paul Haddad. Just in time for Opening Day in Japan (which just passed. Sorry for the late post): baseball terms in Japanese! Another late post: GQ ran this profile on broadcasting […]
Tagged as:
Andrew Zimbalist,
Doug Glanville,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Vin Scully
James Bailey posted this review of Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, & Assassination During the 1934 Tour of Japan on the Baseball America website. Upshot: “This is a well-researched, fascinatingly told tale of two super powers whose shared passion for baseball wasn’t enough to maintain the peace, though it did help to restore it in […]
Tagged as:
Babe Ruth,
World War II
Yonamine, the first Asian-American to play baseball in Japan, was born this date in 1925 in Honolulu. He passed away earlier this year at the age of 86. Robert Fitts published his biography — Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Japanese Baseball — in 2008.
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Wally Yonamine
John Roseboro, an four-time All-Star catcher for the Dodgers, Twins, and Senators who was gained an extra degree of fame for putting his head in the way of Juan Marichal’s bat during an argument, was born this day in 1933 (died 2002). Roseboro published his memoirs, Glory Days with the Dodgers, and Other Days with […]
Tagged as:
Barry Zito,
Bobby Valentine,
John Roseboro,
Leon Wagner
Wally Yonamine was the first Asian-American to play baseball in Japan, died on Monday at the age 0f 85. As a Nisei — a first generation American of Japanese descent — Yonamine had many Jackie Robinson moments when he debuted for the Yomiuri Giants in 1951. His story was chronicled in Robert Fitts’ excellent biography, […]
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Wally Yonamine
Bobby Valentine — How has this guy not written a book yet? Between his time as manager for the Texas Rangers and New York Mets after a promising but ultimately injury-aborted playing career, plus his time in Japan, you’d think someone would have published one. There was a cool documentary — The Zen of Bobby […]
Tagged as:
Bobby Valentine,
Ellis Valentine,
Valentine's Day
As the days dwindle down to a precious few, here’s an attempt at a major catch-up: I met Rob Fitts at the SABR convention in Washington, DC, last year. His specialty is Japanese baseball. Here’s his site on baseball cards. The NY Times‘ Alan Schwarz covered the convention’s always-entertaining trivia contest. You know the theoretical […]
Tagged as:
Babe Ruth,
Baseball Cards,
Dave Duncan,
Fiction
“Cro” was once considered a part of the best outfields in the game as a member of the Montreal Expos in the early 1980s. Then he made a name for himself — as well as a book — when he took his game to Japan. He turns 57 today. Slugging It Out in Japan: An […]
Tagged as:
Earren Cromartie
Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka turns 30. Dice-K: The First Season of the Red Sox $100 Million Man Former Yankee favorite Bernie Williams is 42. The Journey Within (since you can put a CD on your bookshelf.)
Tagged as:
Bernie Williams,
Daisuke Matsuzaka
by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder (2003; Picador Translation 2009) I can’t even remember where I heard of this title but I’m glad I did. Ogawa tells a touching story about a Japanese housekeeper, her 10-year-old son, and her professional charge, a former mathematics professor with an unusual disability, which was the result of […]
Tagged as:
baseball fiction,
Japanese baseball