燕軍 Tokyo Swallows» hoshino

Hara Set to Manage Team Japan at WBC

Garrett DeOrio — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:36:16 +0000

OK, this really looks like it’s for real. I held off posting until enough mainstream media outlets picked up the story that I could be sure I was not reporting rumors.

After Senichi Hoshino reiterated his refusal to lead Japan’s team again, Sadaharu Oh, NPB Commissioner Ryozo Kato, and the rest of the crew flipped their approach around 180 degress and decided to go with an active manager. Not only is Yomiuri skipper Tatsunori Hara still an active manager, his team is still in the Japan Series, has Fall camp coming up, and could be starting Spring training during the WBC. So much for wanting the manager’s undivided attention.

I’m going to be cynical and say that the manager of Japan’s national team has to be a celebrity, which means he has to be a former star player, has to have a Japan Series title under his belt, and has to be an eager participant in the good old boys’ network of Japanese baseball. Hara fits the bill.

While I think Hara’s performance has been overrated as manager of the Giants, his experience there might make him well-suited to the WBC job. After all, in fairness he’s done pretty well at letting a team of stars do their thing and win. The real test of immediate impact will be how well he uses his ptiching staff in the WBC and he hasn’t done too badly at that with Yomiuri.

I’m not a fan, but I expect him to be an improvement over Hoshino.

Hoshino to Head Japan WBC Team

Garrett DeOrio — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:59:27 +0000

Update: The good news is that the article below does in fact appear to be a rumor, and probably an unreliable one at that. As of 10/22, Hoshino is still being written of as being uninterested in the job and none less than Ichiro Suzuki called on Japanese baseball officials to hurry up and name a manager already just a couple of days ago. We apologize for any near heart attacks the (hopefully) inaccurate item below caused.

Despite promising he wouldn’t, unsuccessful Olympic baseball manager Hoshino has accepted the top job for the World Baseball Classic, according to stories filtering through this morning.

Although I thought, and hoped, it was a rumor, it appears to be for real. I guess it wasn’t that surprising. Older, respected managers tend to get jobs regardless of performance and tend not to be held responsible for bad decisions or incompetence by the powers that be in Japanese baseball. It’s also an old boys club, which means only the older, respected members of the club, guys who played by the rules and toed the line throughout their careers were ver really in contention. Sadaharu Oh had already accepted an advisory position with the WBC team and remains in poor health, so he was out. Talk of fresh blood was hopeful gossip, not a real possibility.

From this point, I’m sure you, the readers and commenters, can express the thoughts we’re probably all having best, so have at it.