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Breaking News: Takada Finally Steps Aside!!!

May 26, 2010 by 39 Comments

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 of his contract at the end of the season, and that Takada will not manage the team again.

Filed Under: 2010 Season Game Reports, Featured Tagged With: ,
About Kozo

Kozo Ota is a third-generation Swallows fan that grew up on Montreal Expos baseball. When he's not at Jingu, he works as a freelance translator/interpreter to make enough money to go to Jingu.

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  • Kozo

    Well the obvious scapegoat is now gone, but will Ogawa do us any better???

    • http://tokyoswallows.com/ David Watkins

      Good question. Especially as he would seem to be just keeping the seat warm for Araki.

      • http://tokyoswallows.com/ Garrett DeOrio

        Ogawa ? Takada ? Ogawa = Improvement.

        I have proven it logically.

        Ogawa's performance will help us to see how deeply the bad decision-making runs, but there is no doubt that awful leadership has been the major component of the Swallows' mediocrity-turned-collapse.

        • http://tokyoswallows.com/ David Watkins

          This is all true. The only problem is, amidst all this poor form the one positive has been that each loss brought us a step closer to Takada's exit, thus there was always a silver lining.

          Now he's gone I just pray results improve or else despair will surely follow.

  • http://tokyoswallows.com/ Garrett DeOrio

    There is a bright spot in the season again.

  • http://japaneats.tv/ Christopher Pellegrini

    Wow. It's like back in Oz when that house fell on the witch.

    • http://tokyoswallows.com/ Garrett DeOrio

      You know, I was listening to a radio version of “The Wizard of Oz” during the game. I hadn't made the connection.

      This is better than killing the Witch of the East, though. This is full-on throwing water on the Wicked Witch of the West. Ding-dong. . .

  • http://tokyoswallows.com/ David Watkins

    Hahahahahahahahahaha!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=595987775 Kyoko Yoshikawa

    Oh my Birds!! You can fly now!!!

  • http://www.welovemarines.com/ Steve Novosel

    A uniform-wearing mannequin could do a better job. Congrats, Swallows fans! Best news in ages, I'm sure.

  • Andy G

    Woo hooooooooooooooo! Now all you Swallows boys at work can cheer up a bit! Can't wait to see those smiling faces tomorrow!!

    • http://tokyoswallows.com/ Garrett DeOrio

      Tomorrow? The party's just started.

      Actually, we're Swallows “boys”. If that weren't almost synonymous with “not of great means”, we'd take the day off.

      This is a great event in recent sporting history, though. Fukuoka games aside, you're just about one of us, Andy.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=595987775 Kyoko Yoshikawa

        Hey Garrett, don't forget “girls” ;p

        • http://tokyoswallows.com/ Garrett DeOrio

          That was Andy, not me. Andy's our colleague – I think he specifically means Christoph and me when he says “boys”.

  • http://japaneats.tv/ Christopher Pellegrini

    Too bad Suzuki didn't resign with him…

  • Kozo

    All this craziness meant we broke the site's page view record by 1 page view! We had a total of 499 page views today, or yesterday as it was.

    • http://japaneats.tv/ Christopher Pellegrini

      That's the page view record for the new version of the site (on the new server with the improved paint job). The record for the previous rendition was way higher…but nice to see that people are paying attention nonetheless.

      Gen over at Yakyu Baka has translated selected parts of Takada's press conference: http://yakyubaka.com/2010/05/26/shigeru-takada-…

      • Kozo

        Well glad he did, so I don't have to do it myself!

  • http://www.japaneconomynews.com Ken

    I guess this means my boycott is over. I refused to pay for tickets knowing my money might have ended up in that man's pocket.

  • http://marinerds.blogspot.com Deanna

    Couldn't he have waited to do it until after the Fighters reschedule their series?

    No, just kidding.

    • http://tokyoswallows.com/ David Watkins

      Yeah, if they'd played those two games on Sunday and Monday that would have been an almost guaranteed +2 in your win column.

      It may well still be the case come the rescheduled games mind.

  • http://marinerds.blogspot.com Deanna

    On another note, I wonder if the Swallows could bring back either Valentine or Hillman to Japan to manage? Wonder if trying a foreign manager would be a good or bad move at this point — at least with Bobby it could certainly help give the team some “identity”…

    • http://japaneats.tv/ Christopher Pellegrini

      Would be very interested to see what either one of them could do for the team, but I doubt that the front office would be willing to put together a package that could lure Hillman or Valentine here. In other words, way too expensive.

      And besides, it seems like the team is grooming Araki to take over as manager next season.

    • http://tokyoswallows.com/ David Watkins

      I wouldn't object to either of those guys as managers, though not sure bringing in a foreign face mid-season would be the best move.

      But it seems that Araki will likely be the ultimate successor, and I have absolutely no objection to that.

  • Matt

    GO TIGERS

    • http://tokyoswallows.com/ David Watkins

      Well done.

  • simon

    Anyone know Araki's managerial tendencies? :P

    • Kozo

      Does Araki even know what his managerial tendencies will be? He's never managed a team before.

      • Kozo

        Not that that’s a bad thing ind you.

      • Kozo

        Not that that's a bad thing mind you.

        • http://tokyoswallows.com/ Garrett DeOrio

          If he takes over next season only to sac bunt in the 1st inning on Opening Day, I'll cry.

          This is unnerving. When Takada was hired, there was a track record showing he'd do what he did. It's tougher for Araki.

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