Remembering Masayasu Okada
Today (July 30) marks the eighth anniversary of the passing of Masayasu Okada, arguably the Swallows' biggest fan. Okada was responsible for many of the cheering rituals that continue to be used to this day, including the use of umbrellas and the singing of Tokyo Ondo. Beyond an obituary written by Jim Allen and some mentions in Robert Whiting's You Gotta Have Wa, not much has been written about Okada in the English language. While the proceeding will not be able to do justice to Okada's life and contribution to the Swallows, I do hope they give the reader some ...
Anti-Giants T-shirts Available
Yomiuri is running away with the Central League yet again, and it looks like there is little respite in sight especially given the depth of the team's roster and the parent company's pockets. There's little you can do to insert some kind of fairness or parity into the system, but Tsubamegun believes we can all agree that we don't have to pretend like we aren't displeased. One way to show your displeasure might be by sporting a "Trash G" t-shirt. We don't make them ourselves, but we can put you in touch with the folks that do. [table id=300 /] Contact Tsubamegun at admin[at]tokyoswallows.com ...
Kozo’s Monthly Roundup: June
[caption id="attachment_7210" align="aligncenter" width="446" caption="There was much cause for celebration in the month of June"][/caption] How We Got There The Swallows came into June fresh off the Takada firing, and were only 4 games into the Ogawa regime. The Birds were looking to build on the 1-2-1 record they had compiled under Ogawa, by exacting revenge on the Pacific League teams that had swept them in May. How We Did Interleague Revenge Tour After having been swept by SoftBank, Seibu, and Lotte in May, the new look Swallows looked to return the favor to start off June. While the Swallows managed to take the first ...
The Whitesell Dilemma
Ever since the Swallows signed Josh Whitesell to a contract, I have been contemplating the various roster adjustments the Swallows could make in order to maximize the talent available to the team. With various news sources reporting that Whitesell will make his Swallows debut on the 25th against Hanshin, I'd like to share some of those scenarios now. But, before I outline some of those scenarios, let me go over some of the roster limitations that are currently in place. Every NPB team can have up to 4 designated foreigners on their active roster at one time. However, teams cannot ...
Who is Junji Ogawa?
You may be asking yourself, who is this man managing the Swallows right now? A quick Google search of his name in English reveals nothing but articles on Takada's stepping aside. A Japanese Google search doesn't reveal too much more than rehashes of his Wikipedia entry, but for those of you who don't read Japanese, I've summarized the information into a quick biography of the man. [caption id="attachment_6880" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Who is this man?"][/caption] Junji Ogawa was born on August 30, 1957 in Narashino, Chiba. In the summer of 1975, Ogawa lead Narashino High School to the Japanese High School Baseball ...
Breaking News: Takada Finally Steps Aside!!!
After a bit of a false alarm this morning, Tokyo Swallows' manager Shiegru Takada has finally stepped aside. The Mainichi is reporting that after tonight's game against Tohoku, Takada announced to the press that he would be taking a leave of absence. Takada is quoted as saying that he wanted to take responsibility for the team's performance and that he didn't want to be a distraction to the team. As reported earlier, head coach Junji Ogawa will take over as interim manager. It is highly likely that this leave of absence will lead directly to a resignation at the end ...
5/26/10 – Tohoku (Home)
May 26th, 2010 Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 3 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2 Streak: Lost 9 Last 5: LLLLL (Meiji Jingu Stadium) After last Saturday's debacle at Chiba, Tokyo had to pick themselves up off the floor and try to soldier on, despite today's devastating news that Takada hadn't resigned after all (Takada Count: 9). Fukuchi (LF) Tanaka (2B) Aoki (CF) D'Antona (1B) Guiel (RF) Miyamoto (3B) Fujimoto (SS) Aikawa (C) Tateyama (P) In the 1st facing Rakuten rookie starter Tomura, Fukuchi led off with a single only for Tanaka to fluff his Tak-bunt attempt which allowed the out to be made at second. Aoki then hit into an inning ending double play to yet ...
5/22/10 – Chiba (Away)
May 22nd, 2010 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 4 Chiba Lotte Marines 20 Streak: Lost 8 Last 5: LLLLL (Chiba Marine Stadium) Lord give me strength. Where do I start with this one. Tanaka (2B) Miyamoto (3B) Aoki (CF) D'Antona (DH) Ihara (LF) Guiel (RF) Yoshimoto (1B) Aikawa (C) Fujimoto (SS) Losing pitcher: Nakazawa, 3-3/3.11. 2 2/3 innnings pitched, 10 runs (8 earned) off 11 hits. Score after 3 innings: 13-0 Swallows runs: 2 in the 6th (D'Antona single, Ihara triple, Guiel single), 2 in the 8th (Aoki walk, D'Antona HR) What those runs meant: Fuck all. What the team looked like: A team that has given up. Or perhaps one that's just waiting for a change. Who went to this game: ...
2010 Season
9/3/10 — Yokohama (Away)
September 3rd, 2010 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3 Yokohama BayStars 2 Streak: Won 1 Last 5: LLWDW (Yokohama) This game got a little wild at the end, but it ended on the right note for the visiting Tokyo Swallows. Tonite’s lineup: 1. Aoki CF 2. Tanaka 2B 3. Iihara RF 4. Whitesell 1B 5. Hatakeyama RF 6. Aikawa C 7. Miyamoto 3B 8. Kawabata SS 9. Yoshinori P Yoshinori gave up a hit to the first... [Read more]
9/1/10 — Yomiuri (Away)
September 1st, 2010 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3 Yomiuri Giants 3 Streak: Drew 1 Last 5: WLLWD (Tomiyama) After finishing out a very respectable August with an 18-8 record, by far the best W-L tally in the Central League, the birds began September with a draw. Lineup: 1. Aoki CF 2. Tanaka 2B 3. Iihara RF 4. Whitesell 1B 5. Hatakeyama LF 6. Aikawa C 7. Miyamoto 3B 8. Kawabata SS 9. Ishikawa P Ishikawa... [Read more]
8/31/10 – Yomiuri (Away)
August 31st, 2010 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 12 Yomiuri Giants 8 Streak: Won 1 Last 5: LWLLW (Kanazawa) After being fairly well beaten in the last two games against the Tigers this weekend, the Swallows took some of the bad taste from their mouths with a win against our other favourite CL brethren. Aoki (CF) Tanaka (2B) Ihara (RF) Whitesell (1B) Hatakeyama (LF) Aikawa (C) Miyamoto (3B) Kawabata (SS) Muranaka... [Read more]
8/29/10 – Hanshin (Home)
August 28th, 2010 Hanshin Tigers 12 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5 Streak: Lost 2 Last 5: LLWLL (Meiji Jingu Stadium) The Swallows’ insistence on going with a 6-man rotation costs the team dearly… The Birds’ lineup was the usual, except the starting pitcher. Aoki CF Tanaka 2B Iihara RF Whitesell 1B Hatakeyama LF Aikawa C Miyamoto 3B Kawabata SS Yamamoto P With Barnette back with... [Read more]
8/28/10 – Hanshin (Home)
August 28th, 2010 Hanshin Tigers 9 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2 Streak: Lost 1 Last 5: WLLWL (Meiji Jingu Stadium) What poison can overcome the elation of a thumping of the Tigers? A thumping by the Tigers. This sucked. Good news first: Eulogio De La Cruz is a badass (except at pitching). His warm-up music shows it to be so. “Kyodai bune” by Ichiro Toba. Not to be completely outdone,... [Read more]
8/27/10 – Hanshin (Home)
August 27th, 2010 Hanshin Tigers 0 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 6 Streak: Won 1 Last 5: WWLLW (Meiji Jingu Stadium) What balm can soothe the sting of a loss to the BayStars? Turning around the next night to spank the Tigers. The Spankers: Aoki A suitably heroic pose for Iihara. Tanaka Iihara Whitesell Hatakeyama Aikawa Takeuchi Fujimoto Tateyama The Spankees: Murton Hirano Toritani Arai Brazell Kanemoto Johjima Fujikawa Messenger Shohei... [Read more]
8/26/10 – Yokohama (Home)
August 26th, 2010 Yokohama BayStars 9 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3 Streak: Lost 1 Last 5: LWWWL (Meiji Jingu Stadium) Damned BayStars. OK, OK, I’ll admit the they’ve-got-our-number thing is a bit exaggerated, but damn them anyway. Our Boys in the (rather nice) ‘Hood: Aoki Nice recovery, and the glory days threads suit you, but it's all about first impressions. Tanaka Takeuchi Whitesell Yuichi Miyamoto Kawabata Kawamoto Yoshinori The... [Read more]
8/25/10 – Yokohama (Home)
August 25th, 2010 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 7 Yokohama BayStars 6 Streak: Won 3 Last 5: WLWWW (Meiji Jingu Stadium) Despite a late wobble, the Swallows continued their journey into positive territory with another win over the Baystars. Tokyo are now just the third team in history to recover from being 19 games or more under .500 to get their heads back above water. Aoki (CF) Tanaka (2B) Ihara... [Read more]
