Tag: The Japan Times
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The Unwritten Rules in Japanese Baseball
by The Japan Times (Nov 4, 1977) The 1977 professional baseball season in Japan ended Oct. 27 when the Pacific League champion Hankyu Braves defeated the Central League pennant winning Yomiuri Giants, four games to one, in Japan’s version of the World Series. But at least there will be no rest for the Giants. Although…
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‘Japanese Way’ Seen Through Baseball
by Wayne Graczyk (Nov 18, 1977) — The Japan Times One of the comments on the back cover says, “Good summer reading.” The thing is, Robert Whiting’s book, “The Chrysanthemum and the Bat” just recently hit the stands here in Japan. No matter. The work is good winter reading too. In fact it is great…
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Personality Profile: Robert Whiting
by Vivienne Kenrick (Nov 12, 2000) — The Japan Times For the last 50 years Japan has come under intense Western scrutiny from many quarters. Scholars, writers, professional men and women in different pursuits have contributed observations and analyses of Japanese thoughts and lifestyles and behavior. Bob Whiting crafted a way of his own to…
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Best-selling author Robert Whiting talks baseball, gangsters, bribes and more
by Mark Schreiber (Apr 4, 2004) — The Japan Times Back in 1972, a 30-year-old New Jersey native who had recently graduated from Tokyo’s Sophia University was in New York City, trying to talk to anyone who would listen about politics and life in Japan. Nobody was interested. “It was only when I started talking…
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NPB players in need of strong union like MLBPA
by Robert Whiting (Apr 14, 2007) — Last of four parts Last of four-parts. Another reason why a merger is unlikely to manifest itself is Major League Baseball’s new interest in China, where the Yankees may play Opening Day in 2008. That country’s huge untapped market and the apparent willingness of Chinese officials to cooperate…
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NPB needs major reform, vision to prosper like MLB
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…
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Foreign managers change face of Japanese game
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,…
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Is the MLB destroying Japan’s national pastime?
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…
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Enatsu’s feats resonate years later
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…
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Open mind key to Hillman’s success
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…
