The original Japanese article was in the April “Monthly Tigers” Magazine. Let’s Ask His Teammates! Pitcher Yuya Andoh Q. What is Messenger really like? Just what you see. He’s really cheerful. Q. Fill in the blank. “Surprisingly, Messenger is actually ______.” Hmmm… there is nothing really surprising about him (laughs). Q. What is it about…
Remember in the preseason when Akihiro Yano interviewed Randy Messenger? One of the questions he asked him was, “What is the best ramen you’ve eaten in Japan?” And Randy replied that it was Yoshimuraya in Yokohama? So this past weekend I was in that general area but did not have time to take in any…
On Sunday afternoon, I went to my first ever sumo basho in Osaka. It was Day 1 of the spring tournament, and I stood outside the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium hoping to get close to the rikishi as they strode in. I was thrilled to be standing just a few meters from these colossal grapplers, snapping…
Here’s an event you won’t want to miss out on if you are passionate about baseball, particularly in Japan! On Tuesday, March 24, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Kansai Chapter) will be hosting an evening with Hanshin Tigers all-star left fielder Matt Murton and renowned author Robert Whiting (writer of The Chrysanthemum and…
This article was written back in the spring of 2015. Hanshin Koshien Stadium has since made it a little easier to purchase tickets with some English guidance. My suggestion is that you click here and follow their instructions rather than the ones below. But for the sake of posterity, I will keep these instructions on…
As a numbers guy, statistics fascinate me to no end. The January “Monthly Tigers” Magazine – it sells at bookstores for ¥410) had a piece on the Tigers’ main pitchers and their numbers in 2014. Some interesting things came out of them and I thought I would share. It’s too much to share it all,…
Sanspo is reporting that Toritani has signed a monster contract (for Japan) with the Tigers: a 5-year deal worth ¥2-billion (around US$16.9 million). This means he will be with the organization at least through his 38th birthday, and likely for the remainder of his career. Management, among others, look forward to being able to retire…
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you had a great end to 2014 and have started 2015 well! I went to the Hanshin Department store at Umeda today and made sure to stop by the Tigers store on the 8th floor! Being the practical guy that I am, I didn’t buy much….
I have started a Facebook fan page to supplement this website. When I get short tidbits and news, I tend to post them just to Facebook. The more “substantial” stuff will still be posted here. Feel free to put in a “Join” request… I’ll add you if you’re not a spam bot! Click below to…