Tag: npb

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by Robert Whiting (Apr 13, 2007) — Third of four parts This is the third installment in a four-part series. Nippon Pro Baseball’s fragmented structure is a system that worked for a long time. Like the Liberal Democratic Party and the Yamaguchi-gumi, it suited the postwar economy. Now, however, with tighter economic conditions and new…

Foreign managers change face of Japanese game

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by Robert Whiting (Apr 12, 2007) — Second of four parts This is the second installment in a four-part series. The game is changing on both sides of the Pacific, as it becomes more globalized. Roughly one-quarter of the players are Latino now, as the teams have stepped up their international recruiting. Japanese players, too,…

Is the MLB destroying Japan’s national pastime?

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by Robert Whiting (Apr 11, 2007) — First of four parts Best-selling author Robert Whiting, who has penned such classics as “You Gotta Have Wa,” “The Chrysanthemum and the Bat” and “The Meaning of Ichiro,” has written an exclusive four-part series for The Japan Times on the effect Major League Baseball is having on the…

Enatsu’s feats resonate years later

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by Robert Whiting (Aug 15, 2010) Nippon Professional Baseball recently released the results of an interesting survey of the greatest games and moments – regular season and postseason – in its history. Indeed, opinions will vary on which games should be on the list and how to rank those games in order of greatness. Here…

Open mind key to Hillman’s success

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by Robert Whiting (May 31, 2009) The most successful American manager in Japan turned out to be a relative unknown named Trey Hillman. His achievements were all the more remarkable, because they entailed an almost complete turnaround from the way he had operated in the United States. Hillman, a University of Texas graduate, had played…

Hillman relied on intensity, goofball antics during time with Fighters

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by Robert Whiting (Jun 1, 2009) In 2007, despite losing several key members of his team, Hillman led Nippon Ham to a second straight pennant, juggling his lineup and pitching staff with reinforcements from the farm team. One critic called it one of the finest pieces of managing ever seen over the course of a…

Irabu’s impact on MLB-NPB relations profound

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by Robert Whiting (Oct 16, 2011) — First in a three-part series Hideki Irabu, once considered to be one of the best pitchers in the world, is dead, in what has been adjudged to be a suicide in late July. Formidable force: Hideki Irabu led the Pacific League twice in strikeouts and earned run average…

Attitude, lifestyle contributed to Irabu’s demise

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by Robert Whiting (Oct 23, 2011) Hideki Irabu was given a king’s welcome in New York. He was flown to the city in Yankees owner George Steinbrenner’s private jet and given the key to the city by NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Irabu’s debut in America, July 10, 1997, was a memorable event in a Yankees…

Irabu spent final days lost, without purpose

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by Robert Whiting (Oct 30, 2011) For the late pitcher Hideki Irabu, the surname Irabu had come from Hideki’s mother. It was her surname, and Hideki’s stepfather, Ichiro Irabu, had been a common-law husband. Still, he treated Hideki as his own, raised him and encouraged his love for baseball. He had set up a routine…

History, tradition helped to undermine Valentine

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