After batting practice prior to a game against the Hiroshima Carp, Yokohama BayStars manager Kiyoshi Nakahata walked past a throng of fan club members on his way to the clubhouse.
For any other NPB manager, this would mean little more than a wave or cursory hat tip — without breaking stride — before disappearing into the clubhouse. Nakahata turned it into a event. He shook hands, signed autographs, and more, wearing a large smile while tossing out platitudes in his big, booming voice. Nakahata was a man among the people, and they loved him.
It would've been interesting to gauge the opinions of those same fans later that night, with the embers of an 8-3 loss still burning. The BayStars had lost 12-4 the previous night and would lose 7-1 the day after. Entering Monday's game against Yakult, the team had lost nine of its last 12.