THE LIES DICE-K TOLD ME: Dice-K admits hid injury from Red Sox

Dice-K Matsuzaka Admits to Japanese Tabloid He Purposely Hid Leg Injury from Red Sox incurred while training with the Japanese WBC team.

Apparently Dice-K still doesn't get it that comments made in Japanese still manage to reach the ears of stupid gaijin.

In an interview with Japanese tabloid rag, Friday, Matsuzaka disclosed that the troubles started with a leg injury incurred while training with the Japanese WBC team, and due to poor mechanics, led to the shoulder injury which placed him on the Red Sox disabled list. However, rather than come clean, Dice-K withheld information on the leg injury to the Red Sox.

The translated comments from the Boston Globe can be found here:

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2010/01/matsuzaka_admit.html

Matsuzaka hid leg injury from Sox

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff January 9, 2010 05:42 PM

The disconnect that existed between the Red Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka may have gone deeper than first realized.

The righthander told the Japanese magazine Friday that he suffered a leg injury while training for the WBC that he kept hidden from the team. The injury altered his mechanics and led to the shoulder injury that put him on the disabled list.

This is not an injury the Red Sox were aware of, a source confirmed. This is speculation, but based on Matszuaka's description, it sounds like a groin strain, which is a troublesome injury for a pitcher.

Some excerpts from the story, as translated by friend of the blog Daigo Fujiwara, a Globe staff graphic designer.

"Early on in January 2009, I hurt my right inner thigh. I consider movement around my hip joint a crucial part of my pitching motion. It happened during my exercise to strengthen my hip joint that I incorporated into training since 2008. I may have pushed myself just a little too hard. It wasn't the pain that killed me, but it was the regrets and guilt that filled my mind. It was the time to start building up for the season, but I hurt myself because of my own doing.

"I had to make a decision whether this injury was serious enough to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic. But my body was functioning well, and by taking anti-inflammatory medicine I can tolerate the pain. So I continued training, but actually it was even hard just to jog. .

Didn't trainers and coaches notice?

"I didn't let them. I didn't want to be the center of concern for people. I didn't tell the trainers. Fortunately, I was in charge of my own training, so if it started to hurt, I could adjust to not hurt myself. But pitching while hiding the injury was very difficult. Even when I didn't feel the pain, my body was holding back because it sensed the danger. So, my pitching motion was more of standing straight up and throwing with my upper body, relying on my shoulder strength more than usual.

"(The WBC) was hard. I relied on my wits and my shoulder strength. I had to be creative. I varied the paces between the pitches; I used the different kind of slider that I usually don't throw.

"My plan after the WBC was to heal myself while keeping my turn in rotation. But the condition didn't get better as the season went on. After my first stint on the DL in May, I was very hard on myself. Because I got plenty of rest, my shoulder was much stronger, so I could still get up there in velocity. But I couldn't use my lower body well, and I could not use my full body to generate the power. My fastball was not effective, therefore I lost effectiveness of my other pitches. In hindsight, it was impossible to continue faking the whole season, it was too much mental stress. But the Red Sox struggled a little bit in the beginning of the season so I wanted to help the team as much as I could.

"I didn't want to show my weaknesses. I didn't want them to think I was making excuses. I would rather be criticized than ridiculed for making excuses. I repeat, I really didn't want to be the center of concern for people. I believe when you say you are sick, you become sick. Sure I appreciate that you are concerned about me, but I don't even like to be wished good luck about my health.

Matsuzaka also talked about his being critical of the Red Sox, which led to a series of meetings.

"(That) was a very important event for me. I think I got through to (the team) that shoulder strength and pitching stamina are two different things. They have generously agreed that I can have long bullpen sessions as long as I can pass the measurement for shoulder strength. The reason I was able to come back strong after my second DL stint was because my thigh was healed and I was able train with the long bullpen session. It was not because I lost weight. If by losing weight you become a better pitcher, I'd lose much more. It is not that simple. I have re-started the exercise to strengthen my hip joint again.

"I am very sorry for making you worry. I assure you that the (2010) season will be a great season. I am going to redeem what I lost in 2009. With my health back, I am confident and determined to produce this year. I will (try my best to) become world champion once again."

--------------------

Interesting comments by Matsuzaka. Signing John Lackey may be a smarter move than first realized.

BOOK REVIEW: WHY THE JAPANESE ARE A SUPERIOR PEOPLE!

See: THE UNBEARABLE UNIQUENESS OF THE JAPANESE RACE by Dice-K

http://www.japantoday.com/category/book-reviews/view/why-the-japanese-are-superior-people

BOOK REVIEW
Why the Japanese Are a Superior People

In “Why the Japanese Are a Superior People - The Advantages of Using Both Sides of Your Brain,” Boyé Lafayette De Mente, internationally known for his 40-plus pioneer books on the business practices, cultures and languages of Japan, Korea, China and Mexico, covers the elements in Japan’s traditional culture that have made them remarkably successful in virtually all of their endeavors.

De Mente attributes the special knowledge and skills of the Japanese to the premise that they are primarily right-brain oriented as a result of their vowel-heavy language — a linguistic circumstance they share with only one other group of people: the Polynesians of the South Pacific.

He quotes Japan’s noted brain authority Dr Tadanobu Tsunoda [author of “The Japanese Brain” and many other works] on how the Japanese tend to first process information in the right side of their brains — the side that deals with feelings rather than facts; a factor that is readily discernible in their arts and crafts as well as in their traditional management practices.

“In the Japanese mindset, aesthetics and form play an equal role with functionality,” De Mente says, adding: “and it is this cultural element that is responsible for the extraordinary beauty of such common things as their bowls, vases, paper doors, room dividers, kimono and yukata.”

De Mente says that the fact that the Japanese are able to use both sides of their brains gives them significant advantages over strictly left-brained people in designing and manufacturing products from arts and crafts to electronic devices.

In addition to such topics as emotions vs. reason, the “fuzzy” [holistic] thinking of the Japanese vs the linear thinking of other people, the diligence factor in Japanese behavior, and quality vs profit, De Mente identifies a long list of views and practices that distinguish the Japanese from left-brain oriented people — and are important for foreigners to know about.

For foreign readers, one of the more interesting topics in the book may be what foreign women have to do to cope with their left-brain oriented male counterparts.

Additional Information:

By Boyé Lafayette De Mente. Phoenix Books/Publishers. ISBN: 0914778552. 128 Pages. $12.95.
Distributor: Ingram Book Company.

THE UNBEARABLE UNIQUENESS OF THE JAPANESE RACE by Dice-K

THE UNBEARABLE UNIQUENESS OF THE JAPANESE RACE by Dice-K

Yo! It ain't easy being descended from a Divine Sun Goddess...


Nihonjinron as cultural nationalism
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihonjinron#Nihonjinron_as_cultural_nationalism)

The term Nihonjinron (日本人論^?) literally means theories/discussions about the Japanese. The term refers to a genre of texts that focuses on issues of Japanese national and cultural identity.

Scholars such as Peter N. Dale (1986), Harumi Befu (1987), and Kosaku Yoshino (1992) view nihonjinron more critically, identifying it as a tool for enforcing social and political conformity. Dale, for example, characterizes nihonjinron as follows:

"First, they implicitly assume that the Japanese constitute a culturally and socially homogeneous racial entity, whose essence is virtually unchanged from prehistoric times down to the present day. Secondly, they presuppose that the Japanese differ radically from all other known peoples. Thirdly, they are conspicuously nationalistic, displaying a conceptual and procedural hostility to any mode of analysis which might be seen to derive from external, non-Japanese sources. In a general sense then, nihonjinron may be defined as works of cultural nationalism concerned with ostensible 'uniqueness' of Japan in any aspect, and which are hostile to both individual experience and the notion of internal socio-historical diversity."^[22]

The emphasis on ingroup unity in nihonjinron writings, and its popularization during Japan's period of military expansion at the turn of the 20th century, has led many Western critics to brand it a form of ethnocentric nationalism. Karel van Wolferen echoes this assessment, noting that:

In the nihonjinron perspective, Japanese limit their actions, do not claim 'rights' and always obey those placed above them, not because they have no other choice, but because it comes naturally to them. Japanese are portrayed as if born with a special quality of brain that makes them want to suppress their individual selves.^[23]

As Japan is often deemed to be "almost as unique as its people like to think" (Pearl Buck, qtd. In Dale 1986:26) so too the Japanese people are considered not just unique but, in the words of Sugimoto and Mouer, "more unique than other societies."^[24]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1187573

Francona, Sox ’disappointed’ by Matsuzaka’s criticism

By Michael Silverman | Tuesday, July 28, 2009
| http://www.bostonherald.com | Boston Red Sox


Manager Terry Francona expressed disappointment on behalf of the Red Sox for Daisuke Matsuzaka’s comments about the team’s throwing program, comments that Francona believes Matsuzaka showed poor judgment in making.

Photo by Nancy Lane

“I thought we made huge strides in communicating through some of his frustrations and maybe ours, so to hear him say that is disappointing,” said Francona this afternoon. “Not disappointing that he has an opinion, that’s very welcome. Disappointing that he took a meeting that was confidential and decided to air it publicly. Yeah, we’re very disappointed.”

Matsuzaka expressed to a Japanese newspaper that he had considerable frustration with the Sox’ conditioning program, specifically that he is unable to do as much throwing off the mound as he would like. He also complained about the team being unable to give him a timetable for his return.

In comments that were translated and appeared on WEEI.com, based on an article written by Taeko Yoshi for the allatanys.com website, Matsuzaka also has told the Red Sox that because of ethnic, racial and physiological differences between U.S. and Japanese-born pitchers, different conditioning programs must be used. When it cannot be used, the result is the decline in performance of so many Japanese pitchers after only a couple of seasons in the major leagues.

“If I’m forced to continue to train in this environment, I may no longer be able to pitch like I did in Japan,” Matsuzaka said. “The only reason why I managed to win games during the first and second years (in the U.S.) was because I used the savings of the shoulder I built up in Japan. Since I came to the Major Leagues, I couldn’t train in my own way, so now I’ve lost all those savings.”

Francona does not believe that there will be a problem going forward.

“I think we already have a resolution,” he said. “I guess that’s why we’re somewhat disappointed. We came out of that meeting feeling very good. Came out of that meeting two days ago and felt that everybody was on board with exactly what we were doing, himself included. I don’t know that we felt there was an issue there, still don’t know. I think there were things said out of frustration that were poor judgment on his part.”

Speaking on the radio, Sox pitching coach John Farrell agreed.

“For this to come out as it has -- I mean, we recognize there are differences and we’ve worked diligently and thoroughly to bridge that gap. For them to come out as they have is, in a word, disappointing,” said Farrell.

Matsuzaka is on the disabled list now for the second time this season with a mild right shoulder strain that the team said translates into a weakness stemming mainly from his participation in the World Baseball Classic this spring.

Matsuzaka has been hit hard this season, and the Red Sox have gone to great lengths of late to portray their communication with the pitcher as positive and improving.

After a visit at Fenway Park last Friday, the Red Sox said that Matsuzaka’s shoulder strength had “vastly improved” and that his conditioning had also taken a turn for the better.

They also said that he would continue to throw from flat ground only for the immediate future and that no mound throwing had been scheduled.

But to the Japanese media, Matsuzaka also said, “Until now, many Japanese players have joined the majors, but they usually only lasted for two or three years. I realized from my own experience that this was not due to their individual abilities but because of the difference in training methods. If someone doesn’t act, the way people think in the Majors would never be changed. I want them to understand this, not only for my sake, but for the sake of future Japanese players in the Major Leagues.”

Matsuzaka added: “They come armed with data and logic. To counter that, I have to respond with my own logic and that takes a lot of thinking and energy, but I can’t back down on this one.”

Farrell disputed the notion of the cultural-physiological theory proposed by the pitcher.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re from Japan, the Dominican or the States,” said Farrell. “We feel that the human body has movements that it goes through that you’ve got to support with overall conditioning and strength in addition to throwing. But if you just take it from a throwing standpoint, you are reaching a point of diminishing return and putting your arm in jeopardy of further injury. That’s what we’ve felt along.”

Farrell said that the ball club never mandated that Matsuzaka make changes in his program but it appears clear that the club still believes that its way is the right way. For Matsuzaka to do the throwing off the mound he wants to do, he must first meet the club’s standards when it comes to shoulder strength.

“I know Daisuke’s transition here and the challenges he’s faced, he’s obviously on record now saying he has vast differences with the throwing program but we have a $103 million investment in a guy that we have to what we feel not only to protect him but to have that success that we just outlined,” said Farrell.

SEE BOOK REVIEW: WHY THE JAPANESE ARE A SUPERIOR PEOPLE!

ROYALS MANAGER HILLMAN GIVEN VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

... JUST BARELY. According to the AP, former Nippon Ham Fighters Manager, Trey Hillman, will be managing the Kansas City Royals for one more year.

Royals manager Hillman given vote of confidence

(AP) – Jul 20, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — General manager Dayton Moore has given Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman a vote of confidence, saying he will return next season.

The Royals (37-54) went into Monday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels 17 games below .500 after losing six straight and eight of nine.

They took leads into the eighth inning in three games over the weekend against Tampa Bay, but the Rays rallied each time and swept the series.

Hillman said he appreciated the vote of confidence. He had never played or coached in the majors, spending five years as a manager in Japan before the Royals hired him after the 2007 season.

Hillman guided the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to the playoffs three times and the Japan Series title in 2006.

JAPANESE WASHOUTS TO RETURN HOME?

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20090726wg.html

Sunday, July 26, 2009

BASEBALL BULLET-IN

Kobayashi, Yabuta might have better luck pitching back home

By WAYNE GRACZYK

It is obvious 2009 has not been a great year for Japanese pitchers in the major leagues. Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox and Koji Uehara of the Baltimore Orioles have spent a lot of time on the disabled list, while Kenshin Kawakami of the Atlanta Braves has posted a losing record of 5-6 through games of Wednesday.

Hiroki Kuroda of the Los Angeles Dodgers is also behind the .500 ball at 3-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 11 games.

Hopefully, they will all get healthy, bounce back and make significant contributions to their respective teams before the season ends. For at least two others whose attempts at finding success at the major league level have not panned out, it may be time to call it a day, to look back with pride for trying, come home and help a Central or Pacific League team.

Former Chiba Lotte Marines close Masahide Kobayashi was released by the Cleveland Indians last week, and media reports indicated his agent was still trying to get him hooked on with another major league club. Instead, he should follow the example of Kazuo Fukumori whose attempt at playing regularly in the majors with the Texas Rangers never materialized.

Fukumori, the Rakuten Eagles closer in 2007, left Tohoku for Texas in 2008 but struggled through a season and a half. Finally, he apparently saw the writing on the wall, realized he is not MLB compatible and returned to Sendai, back with the Eagles.

Kobayashi should see the light, too, and the same goes for Yasuhiko Yabuta, another ex-Lotte reliever who, like his former teammate, has not really done anything for the Kansas City Royals since departing Chiba for the American Midwest at the end of 2007.

The 35-year-old Kobayashi has seen more of Columbus, Ohio, than Cleveland during the past 18 months. His major league record with the Indians does include 57 appearances, but he leaves behind a 4-5 won-loss record, six saves and a 4.53 ERA.

In 10 American League games this year, he was 0-0 with no saves and an ERA of 8.38. With the Triple-A Clippers, he was 2-2 with a save and a 4.66 ERA in 18 games prior to his release. Obviously, he was nowhere near the pitcher he was in 2005 with Lotte when he recorded a Pacific League-leading 29 saves in 46 games, along with a 2.58 ERA for the Japan Series champion Marines.

Middle reliever and setup man Yabuta (36), meanwhile, pitched in 31 games for manager Trey Hillman's Royals last season, compiling a 1-3 mark with a 4.78 ERA. This year at Triple-A Omaha, Yabuta is 1-1 with a 3.82 ERA in 19 appearances.

After losing both Kobayashi and Yabuta to free agency and the majors last year, and seeing situational lefty reliever Soichi Fujita become a free agent and defect to the Yomiuri Giants, Chiba Lotte manager Bobby Valentine indicated there was no doubt his club was damaged by their absence.

"Not so much Fujita, but not having Kobayashi and Yabuta in the bullpen was huge," said Valentine at mid-season in 2008, as the Marines failed to make the Pa League postseason Climax Series, and the outlook for this season's playoff qualification does not look that great, either.

It would seem Kobayashi and Yabuta could improve the bullpens of several teams in Japan, and they should be more comfortable here than in Columbus or Omaha.

The list of native players who left Japanese ball for a crack at MLB but returned to their native country is getting to be a long one. It includes pitchers Hideki Irabu, Masato Yoshii, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Kazuhisa Ishii, Shingo Takatsu, Masao Kida and Fukumori, and position players Tsuyoshi Shinjo and Tadahito Iguchi.

Is it not time for Kobayashi and Yabuta to join them by giving up the major league dream and coming home where they belong?

There are a lot of teams here who could use them.

* * * * *

Contact Wayne Graczyk at: wayne@JapanBall.com

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BOBBY VALENTINE

This official announcement from Bobby Valentine was posted on his blog:


http://www.bobbysway.jp/?p=493

Official Announcement

Please click "English" next to the title to read in English.
(7月26日)

千葉ロッテマリーンズ・ファミリーの皆さんへ

6 年前、私が千葉ロッテマリーンズの監督として復帰すると決めた時から、私は、情熱を持って再度迎えて下さった重光家のために最善を尽くすこと、そして、千 葉ロッテマリーンズのために一番良いと思われることに尽力することの二点を、最も重要な事柄として捉えてきました。そして最初の 5 年間は、ファンの皆さん、選手、コーチとスタッフたちの素晴らしい協力に助けられ、監督業に情熱を傾け、真剣に打ち込むことができました。

しかし、今シーズンはここまで、私と私の周囲の人々にとって大変困難で、混乱を極める事態に見舞われています。この中で先週、重光オーナー代行が監督室に いらっしゃり、昨年の 7 月以降初めて、私はオーナー代行と二人だけでお話しすることができました。私は、彼の訪問に感謝し、今シーズンこれまでのふがいない成績に対する謝罪をし ました。また、我々の友情も以前と変わらぬことを確認し合い、それに対する感謝の気持ちをお伝えすることもできました。同時に、今シーズン限りで私が千葉 ロッテマリーンズを去ることが、重光家、そして千葉ロッテマリーンズにとって最善の道であると実感し、その決断を皆さんにできるだけ早くお伝えするべき だ、と思うに至りました。

世界で最も素晴らしいファンの皆さんに対する、私の愛情と感謝の気持ちを十分に伝える言葉はないかもしれません。今年の 1 月に皆さんが空港で出迎えてくれたとき、私は感動で涙しましたし、私の残留を求める署名活動には深い感銘を受けました。また、毎試合のように旗を振り、歌 を歌い、チームに対して絶えることない情熱と献身的な姿勢を見せてくださり、私も選手たちも大変勇気づけられています。これらの全ては、永遠に私の中の一 部として生き続けることでしょう。私は日本という国の伝統や文化を心から尊敬しており、その中でも日本の野球に対する愛情が色あせることは決してありませ ん。

皆さんに対する私のこのメッセージは、千葉ロッテマリーンズの野球をもう一度、ファンの皆さんにとって、そしてチームの皆にとって楽しいものにするための 決意だ、と考えてください。私は、勝利を目指す過程が楽しいものでなければその勝利は表面的なものであるし、本当の意味での勝利とは呼べない、といつも感 じています。今シーズンはこの時点まで、千葉ロッテマリーンズを本当に愛する人々にとって、決して楽しいものではありませんでした。ですから、2009 年シーズンを最高に楽しいシーズンにし、ファンの皆さんそしてチームの皆が一生忘れることのできない、かけがえのないシーズンにするために、私はこれか ら、改めて努力を続けていきます。そのためにも、ファンの皆さんの、チームを勇気づけるためのより一層の応援をお願いしたいと思います。

もう一度、楽しい野球をしましょう！

ボビー・バレンタイン



ボビー
Commit to your passions - Passionately pursue your commitments
心に誓い、心を燃やす日本語で読まれたい方は、ブログタイトル横の「日本語」をクリック！
(July 26th)

To the Chiba Lotte Marines Family,

From the moment that I agreed to come back to manage the Chiba Lotte Marines 6 years ago, I have always had two major priorities: to do what is best for the Shigemitsu family, who invited me back with enthusiasm, and to do what is best for the Chiba Lotte Marines. For the first 5 years, thanks to the wonderful support of our fans, players, coaches and support staff it was easy to be passionate and committed to my task as manager.

But this season many people around me and I were presented with a very challenging and confusing situation. Lask week Acting Owner Shigemitsu came to my office and I had a chance to speak privately with him one-on-one for the first time since last July. I thanked him for visiting me and apologized for the poor performance of the team. We reassured each other that our friendship remained the same and I felt grateful for it. And most importantly, I came to feel that for me to leave the team at the end of the 2009 season is best for the Shigemitsu family and for the Chiba Lotte Marines, and so I wanted to make this announcement about the decision as soon as possible.

There might not be words to sufficiently express my love and appreciation for the greatest fans in baseball. You moved me to tears when I was met at the airport in January. You amazed me and the entire baseball world with your petition drive. You inspire me and the players every single game with your banners, songs and your relentless passion and commitment to this team. All of it will be part of me forever. I deeply respect the traditions and culture of Japan. And, especially, my love for Japanese baseball will never fade.

Please view this announcement as my determination to make Chiba Lotte Marines baseball fun once again, for our fans and for each member of the team. I have always felt victory was shallow--and true victory was impossible--if the attempt to gain it was not fun. This year has not been fun for anyone who truly loves the Chiba Lotte Marines, so I will make a renewed effort to make this 2009 season the most fun that it can possibly be, and one that we will all remember and cherish for our lifetimes. To help me with this effort and to inspire the team, I would like you, the greatest fans in the world, to cheer for us more than ever.

Let’s play fun baseball again,

Bobby Valentine



Bobby
Commit to your passions - Passionately pursue your commitments

みなさんへ正式なお知らせOfficial Announcement

(7月26日)

千葉ロッテマリーンズ・ファミリーの皆さんへ

6 年前、私が千葉ロッテマリーンズの監督として復帰すると決めた時から、私は、情熱を持って再度迎えて下さった重光家のために最善を尽くすこと、そして、千 葉ロッテマリーンズのために一番良いと思われることに尽力することの二点を、最も重要な事柄として捉えてきました。そして最初の 5 年間は、ファンの皆さん、選手、コーチとスタッフたちの素晴らしい協力に助けられ、監督業に情熱を傾け、真剣に打ち込むことができました。

しかし、今シーズンはここまで、私と私の周囲の人々にとって大変困難で、混乱を極める事態に見舞われています。この中で先週、重光オーナー代行が監督室に いらっしゃり、昨年の 7 月以降初めて、私はオーナー代行と二人だけでお話しすることができました。私は、彼の訪問に感謝し、今シーズンこれまでのふがいない成績に対する謝罪をし ました。また、我々の友情も以前と変わらぬことを確認し合い、それに対する感謝の気持ちをお伝えすることもできました。同時に、今シーズン限りで私が千葉 ロッテマリーンズを去ることが、重光家、そして千葉ロッテマリーンズにとって最善の道であると実感し、その決断を皆さんにできるだけ早くお伝えするべき だ、と思うに至りました。

世界で最も素晴らしいファンの皆さんに対する、私の愛情と感謝の気持ちを十分に伝える言葉はないかもしれません。今年の 1 月に皆さんが空港で出迎えてくれたとき、私は感動で涙しましたし、私の残留を求める署名活動には深い感銘を受けました。また、毎試合のように旗を振り、歌 を歌い、チームに対して絶えることない情熱と献身的な姿勢を見せてくださり、私も選手たちも大変勇気づけられています。これらの全ては、永遠に私の中の一 部として生き続けることでしょう。私は日本という国の伝統や文化を心から尊敬しており、その中でも日本の野球に対する愛情が色あせることは決してありませ ん。

皆さんに対する私のこのメッセージは、千葉ロッテマリーンズの野球をもう一度、ファンの皆さんにとって、そしてチームの皆にとって楽しいものにするための 決意だ、と考えてください。私は、勝利を目指す過程が楽しいものでなければその勝利は表面的なものであるし、本当の意味での勝利とは呼べない、といつも感 じています。今シーズンはこの時点まで、千葉ロッテマリーンズを本当に愛する人々にとって、決して楽しいものではありませんでした。ですから、2009 年シーズンを最高に楽しいシーズンにし、ファンの皆さんそしてチームの皆が一生忘れることのできない、かけがえのないシーズンにするために、私はこれか ら、改めて努力を続けていきます。そのためにも、ファンの皆さんの、チームを勇気づけるためのより一層の応援をお願いしたいと思います。

もう一度、楽しい野球をしましょう！

ボビー・バレンタイン



ボビー
Commit to your passions - Passionately pursue your commitments
心に誓い、心を燃やす日本語で読まれたい方は、ブログタイトル横の「日本語」をクリック！
(July 26th)

To the Chiba Lotte Marines Family,

From the moment that I agreed to come back to manage the Chiba Lotte Marines 6 years ago, I have always had two major priorities: to do what is best for the Shigemitsu family, who invited me back with enthusiasm, and to do what is best for the Chiba Lotte Marines. For the first 5 years, thanks to the wonderful support of our fans, players, coaches and support staff it was easy to be passionate and committed to my task as manager.

But this season many people around me and I were presented with a very challenging and confusing situation. Lask week Acting Owner Shigemitsu came to my office and I had a chance to speak privately with him one-on-one for the first time since last July. I thanked him for visiting me and apologized for the poor performance of the team. We reassured each other that our friendship remained the same and I felt grateful for it. And most importantly, I came to feel that for me to leave the team at the end of the 2009 season is best for the Shigemitsu family and for the Chiba Lotte Marines, and so I wanted to make this announcement about the decision as soon as possible.

There might not be words to sufficiently express my love and appreciation for the greatest fans in baseball. You moved me to tears when I was met at the airport in January. You amazed me and the entire baseball world with your petition drive. You inspire me and the players every single game with your banners, songs and your relentless passion and commitment to this team. All of it will be part of me forever. I deeply respect the traditions and culture of Japan. And, especially, my love for Japanese baseball will never fade.

Please view this announcement as my determination to make Chiba Lotte Marines baseball fun once again, for our fans and for each member of the team. I have always felt victory was shallow--and true victory was impossible--if the attempt to gain it was not fun. This year has not been fun for anyone who truly loves the Chiba Lotte Marines, so I will make a renewed effort to make this 2009 season the most fun that it can possibly be, and one that we will all remember and cherish for our lifetimes. To help me with this effort and to inspire the team, I would like you, the greatest fans in the world, to cheer for us more than ever.

Let’s play fun baseball again,

Bobby Valentine



Bobby
Commit to your passions - Passionately pursue your commitments

The Nippon Robotic Baseball (NRB) League

The NRB is not quite yet reality, but given the accomplishments by Japanese researchers, Japan could be the first country to field such an endeavor.

The Associated Press reported that a Japanese researcher at the University of Tokyo, Masatoshi Ishikawa and his team have developed a baseball batting robot that works for balls thrown to it at slow speeds, but with great accuracy. It can bat the balls into a basket at a desired location.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/24/AR2009072401104.html

A pitching robot throws a ball made of polystyrene against a batting robot, right, during a demonstration at University of Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan, Friday, July 24, 2009. The both robots have been developed by Information Science Technology Prof. Masatoshi Ishikawa. The pitching robot can throw 40 kph (25mph) strike balls at one-meter (3 feet 3 inches) by 0.8-meter (2 feet 6 inches) strike zone set at 3.5-meter (11 feet 5 inches) away with almost 100 percent accuracy and the batting robot can hit them with more than 90 percent accuracy if hey were thrown in to the strike zone.


Japanese professor creates baseball-playing robots
The Associated Press Friday, July 24, 2009 7:47 AM

TOKYO -- Look out Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka. A pair of baseball-playing robots that can pitch and hit with incredible results have been developed in Japan.

The pitching robot, with its three-fingered hand, can throw 90 percent of its pitches in the strike zone, won't need any relief from the bullpen and never asks for a pay rise.

The batting robot, which has a sensor to determine if pitches are strikes or balls, hits balls in the strike zone almost 100 percent of the time, doesn't swing at pitches outside the strike zone, and is guaranteed to pass all drug tests.

The two robots were created by University of Tokyo professor Masatoshi Ishikawa.

"The demand level of the robotics technology of each robot is very high," Ishikawa said. "What was difficult was to create a mechanism to satisfy such a high level of demand."

The pitching robot throws a plastic foam ball at 40 kilometers per hour (25 mph), but Ishikawa is hoping to increase the speed to 150 kph (93 mph) and make it able to throw off-speed pitches like curves and sliders.

Ishikawa is also working on getting the batting robot to be able to hit to all parts of the field.

The robots don't resemble humans but instead the type of robots on a car assembly line.

Japan boasts one of the leading robotics industries in the world, and the government is pushing to develop the industry as a road to growth. Automaker Honda has developed the child-sized Asimo, which can walk and talk.

Another Japanese researcher down at Hiroshima University, Dr. Idaku Ishii has already developed a robot able to hit a pitch coming at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour ...

http://www.engadget.com/2005/06/06/japanese-baseball-robot-can-hit-a-300km-h-pitch-whut

Japanese baseball robot can hit a 300km/h pitch, whut?

by Barb Dybwad, posted Jun 6th 2005 at 6:05AM


Hiroshima University associate professor Idaku Ishii has developed a robot able to cope with some serious fastball action, able to hit a pitch coming at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour. We're pretty impressed with this, considering we routinely strike out during heated Engadget Whiffle Ball matches. The robot manages such uber-skilldom by instantly analyzing the imaging results from its precision cameras to determine the balls' trajectory, then whammo, socking the living daylights out of it (that's the technical terminoloy, honest). All of which is part of a plan to replace all humans in the sport of baseball with either mechanoids or cartoons, saving the industry millions in salaries and legal fees.