This book was released during the 2021-22 offseason before ex-manager Akihiro Yano announced that he was resigning at the end of the 2022 season. But it was probably read by most people during the early parts of this year… and with timing being what it is, most of it probably fell on deaf ears. That…
Books not related to baseball normally do not get reviewed on this site… but this one is an exception. The reason? Yours truly authored one of the chapters, and it is about baseball! Well, it’s about my experiences in Japan and how baseball (specifically the Hanshin Tigers and starting H-TEN) helped me gain a sense…
You are undoubtedly familiar with the name Tsuyoshi Shinjo (or at least BigBoss). The flamboyant manager of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters has been in the spotlight for much of 2022, but obviously, this 50-year-old’s story begins much earlier than that. Those of you who have known him since his MLB days (with the New York…
If you have seen my book reviews page, you will know this: I am a pretty generous rater. I do not like to give books low scores or badmouth the authors. I even know some of those authors personally and would have for them to see a poor review of their baby. In this case,…
Some of you might remember a hot young prospect that the Hanshin Tigers drafted in 2013, who went by the name of Shintaro Yokota. He made the starting lineup in 2016 at age 20, and was one of the most touted players heading into the 2017 season. Then something happened. Chronic, unshakeable migraines during the…
Emblazoned across the bottom of the jacket of this book are the words, “今年こそ優勝や” (This is the year we win the pennant!). Published in the spring of 2003, who would have guessed at the time that the Hanshin Tigers would win the Central League pennant that fall, for the first time in 18 years? Probably…
Since his arrival on the scene in 2016 (as far as top-squad goes), Fumihito Haraguchi has been a fan favorite. He’s been an H-TEN favorite, too. His first month as a pro was capped by being named Hitter of the Month in the Central League. He made the all-star team that year, too, and it…
Most people who know the name of the first Japanese major leaguer probably only know it as the answer to a trivia question. After all, between his time with the San Francisco Giants and Hideo Nomo’s exciting career with the Dodgers (and the rest), 30 full years had passed without any Japanese on any MLB…
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not not into novels. It’s just that most of the reading and reviewing I have done on this site is for non-fiction books written about (or by, or both) Japanese baseball players and teams. This genre of book comes out of right field in some ways. In fact, although baseball…
Note: The essays in this book are readable online! Baseball in 2021 is far from perfect. Some argue that technology and over-analysis have led to the fly-ball revolution, infield shifting, and other strategies that have taken the joy out of the game. But if you think the game’s evolution is complete, or that it is…