This is the first book review I have ever written for a book that I did not originally have any intention of reading. In fact, I knew nothing of its existence until just a couple of days before it was sent my way by mail. Allow me to explain. A few months back, one of…
The answer to this question 3 years ago was “yes!” I signed up for a course with Sports Management Worldwide to learn all about scouting and managing in professional baseball, because I was hoping it would lead to a way out of my day job. The course itself was pretty awesome. Taught by Dan Evans…
Stop me if you’re familiar with this narrative… A yellow-and-black-wearing baseball team from a blue-collar city has fallen out of postseason relevance for two decades. A new manager comes in, makes necessary adjustments, and the team experiences a revival of sorts, luring people back to the ballpark once the snakebitten fairweather fans saw that the…
The way things have been going in the world recently, the timing of reviewing this book seems apt. Do you remember Japanese baseball? It really hasn’t been that long since we’ve watched the game, but it sure feels that way. This “time off” has given me an opportunity to read through a book that I…
While not really a Bible of baseball know-how or biographies, it definitely gave me a fuller idea of who has shaped the game and how. Most importantly, it has added to my respect and appreciation for one of the most influential men in the history of baseball in Japan. Good instructional booklet for a wannabe like me.
Having already done a few dozen player profiles about guys I never got a chance to see play, I love going back and reading some of the older books written about Tigers legends. This particular book was published soon after the death of Fumio Fujimura, who lived to the age of 75. Given the timing…
All of us have hobbies that have been around for longer than we have. Some hobbies have clear, linear histories, but others meander a lot more. Baseball has been around for a couple of centuries already in America, but how did it come to Asia? Taking in a Game: A History of Baseball in Asia…
If you like the Hanshin Tigers and Japanese society, this anthropological look at your favorite team will not disappoint. Book of the Year, says H-TEN.
As Seen in T-Ray’s Japanese Column in Daily Sports As of December 1, NPB players are officially on winter vacation. Naturally, they keep practicing and working out on their own – it’s what players do away from coaches and media that determines their greatness. Year in and year out, they strive to put on the…
No franchise should be proud of the fact that it has just one Japan Series championship in 69 years. And yet, you won’t find a baseball team prouder of its win than the Hanshin Tigers. But is that a testament to the lameness of the franchise, or is there more to it than that? The…