Gen over at Yakyu Baka has put together a phenomenal, stats-laden post that compares the 2009 and 2010 production of Tokyo’s cleanup–Aoki, D’Antona, and Guiel. The results don’t exactly jive with what the team and the media are saying about these guys. Most Japanese baseball aficionados won’t find it surprising that D’Antona and Guiel particularly [...]
The Japan Times‘s Jason Coskrey sounds off in the mainstream press on the futility of allowing Tokyo’s manager, Shigeru Takada, to keep his job until the end of the season. Valid points abound in the article, all of which are in lockstep with what has been uttered on this website and elsewhere. Here’s one choice [...]
Howdy Tsubamegun readers! My name is Kozo Ota, and I was recently asked to become a contributor to this fine site. I hope to contribute posts that provide further information about the team, and about Japanese baseball. But I thought my first post should be about myself to lay out my bona fides, and to tell my story about how I came to be a Swallows fan.
Call this part of the “There are no ‘Ham Fighters’ or ‘Tokyo Giants’ and the Hanshin Tigers are not the Boston Red Sox of Japan” series of ongoing gripes to which we give voice from time to time. OK, to which I give voice. David and Christopher are off the hook on this one. To [...]
No game today, so, in the event that the Birds score some runs in the future (one can hope), here’s the odori to go with the ondo.
This being the Tsubamegun, that’s a noun in the title, although it could be a verb, too. Our own Mr. Pellegrini got this gem from a friend and reviewed it over on Japan Eats.
After a promising start, the suck has settled in. The question is: why? How can our side stop the suck and inject themselves with awesome-osity? Have at it, sports fans. (Extra credit for creativity and entertainment, of course.)
I’m starting an irregular tradition, although there are better things, even on this site, I could be doing with my time. I’m giving our loyal and friendly readers, which would be you, something to talk about on a day with no game. I’m going to pathetically brag, in the hope that you will one up [...]
Unrelated to the Tokyo Swallows, but definitely of interest to baseball lovers–Eri Yoshida, the female knuckleballer who became the first woman to play pro baseball in Japan, has signed with the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League. The Golden Baseball League is a North American independent league with 10 teams in western Canada, America, and Mexico. [...]
Updated April 7th, 2010 Takuya Kimura, a first year coach with the Yomiuri Giants baseball organization, passed away this morning. He played for Nippon Ham, Hiroshima, and Yomiuri during his 19 year career. He would have turned 38 next Thursday. [Original post below] Thankfully these events don’t come along too often, but today is one [...]
