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May 21, 2024
 

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Wayne Graczyk
Wayne Graczyk has written the "Baseball Bullet-In" column in The Japan Times since 1976. A native of New Jersey, he came to Japan in 1969 with the U.S. Air Force and is a 1977 graduate of Tokyo's Sophia University. Wayne was the long-time (1977-2004) sports editor of the Tokyo Weekender newspaper, he covers Yomiuri Giants baseball games for Nippon TV and, since 1976, he has compiled the Japan Pro Baseball Fan Handbook & Media Guide. He is a member of the Tokyo Sportswriters Club and the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan. Notice Wayne Graczyk, the baseball columnist for The Japan Times for the past 40 years, passed away at the age of 68 on April 19. His final column was posted on April 8. Readers can continue to access his coverage of Japanese baseball through the online archives.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 15, 2011
Tokyo Dome begins hosting night games with reduced power supply
There had been speculation, following the events of March 11, it might not be possible to play professional baseball games at Tokyo Dome for the entire 2011 season, on account of the problems at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power facility. Because it is an indoor stadium, lighting and other energy...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 8, 2011
Hearty bunch enjoyed Japan tour
Earthquake, tsunami, radiation threat; despite it all, five dedicated fans from overseas followed through on a planned trip to Japan to watch Japanese professional baseball games in mid-April, just a few weeks after the devastating events that occurred in the Tohoku region of the country beginning...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 24, 2011
Not so sure the new ball is a 'dead' ball
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 17, 2011
Umpires fully integrated under NPB banner
A big change in Japanese baseball this year may be seen in the umpires. The former Central and Pacific League men in blue have been fully integrated under the NPB banner, each man now has his own assigned roster and sleeve number and there are crew chiefs for the first time in Japan.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 10, 2011
Kroon can't make cut with San Francisco
Marc Kroon was cut just prior to opening day after trying to make the San Francisco Giants. The six-year Japan veteran closer with the Yokohama BayStars and Yomiuri Giants was attempting to return to the majors with the defending World Series champions, and he did not make the team — but why...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 6, 2011
Trying to sort out the confusion over this season's NPB schedule
In response to the events of March 11, causing the 2011 season openers to be postponed, Nippon Professional Baseball has come out with a revised schedule for games in April, but there is a lot of confusion about who will be playing where, which games have been moved from the original schedule to a new...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 27, 2011
Circumstances certain to make for challenging season
When it finally gets under way, this is going to be what one fan has called a "patchwork" baseball season in Japan.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 16, 2011
Eagles faced with formidable obstacles in wake of disaster in Tohoku
Heartbreak.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 27, 2011
Hype may be biggest obstacle for Saito as rookie
The hype surrounding Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie Yuki Saito has just been phenomenal.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 20, 2011
Kroon a character who won't soon be forgotten
Marc Kroon will be missed.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 13, 2011
Ex-slugger Canseco seeking tryout with NPB team
One of baseball's most colorful and controversial figures is looking to make a comeback as a player at age 46, and his agent thinks Japan might be the place where Jose Canseco can resume his checkered career.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 6, 2011
Pivotal year coming up for Japanese players in MLB
The 2011 season is going to be a crucial one for the Japanese players on major league — or minor league — rosters in the U.S.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 30, 2011
NPB teams set to begin training camps again in dead of winter
A fan in the U.S. asked me the other day, "When do the pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Japan?"
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 23, 2011
An inside look at selection for Japan's Hall of Fame
When Hiromitsu Ochiai is inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame this coming summer, it will be a very convenient situation. As manager of the defending Central League champion Chunichi Dragons, Ochiai will also pilot the 2011 CL All-Star team, and the HOF induction ceremony will take place...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 16, 2011
Ryal, Bannister join long list of family connections
The Yomiuri Giants announced Dec. 24 the signing of former Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Rusty Ryal, son of Mark Ryal who played in 1991 and 1992 with the Chunichi Dragons.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 9, 2011
Remembering when 'Larry King Live' came to Tokyo
It is sad and somewhat lonely not seeing the "Larry King Live" program on CNN. The 77-year-old suspendered one retired at the end of 2010 after 25 years and thousands of interviews on what was arguably the most well known talk show on TV; a program that enjoyed immense popularity in the U.S. and around...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 26, 2010
2010 Japanese baseball season featured many memorable moments
Every year, Japanese baseball produces some great stories, and some not-so-wonderful ones. During this last week of 2010, let's take a final look back at some of the good and bad events that occurred over the past 12 months.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 19, 2010
Sadaharu Oh Museum worth a visit when in Fukuoka
If you ever get to Fukuoka, during the baseball season or in the winter, be sure to go to Yahoo Dome and pay a visit to the Sadaharu Oh Museum. Opened in July of this year, it is a tribute to baseball's all-time home run king, loaded with history and nostalgia.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 12, 2010
Era of American managers in NPB finished for now
Flash back to 2007. One-third of the teams in Japanese pro baseball (including half the Pacific League clubs) had American managers. There was Marty Brown with the Hiroshima Carp, Terry Collins leading the Orix Buffaloes, Trey Hillman guiding the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and Bobby Valentine at the...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 5, 2010
Cabrera looking for work after injury-plagued season
There has been a lot of cross-traffic in recent days with players switching from one Japanese team to another or heading for the majors. One question yet to be answered, though, is: Where will Alex Cabrera play in 2011?
Rare sequel to 'My Neighbor Totoro' to play at Cannes
A screening of "Mei and the Baby Cat Bus," which is being billed as a "mini-sequel" to the Studio Ghibli classic "My Neighbor Totoro," is set to take place at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
Why half of Japan's cities are at risk of disappearing in 100 years
A couple looks out onto the Fukuoka nightscape. Due to its distance from Tokyo and its close proximity to South Korea and China, professor Tomoya Mori believes that Fukuoka is one of the few metropolitan regions of Japan that will see some form of growth in the decades to come.
Japan concerned over U.S. officials' remarks on atomic bombings
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters during a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
The politicians moving Japan forward on climate
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
Morning-after pill buyers back prescription-free sales following trial
Some 2,181 morning-after pills were sold at 145 pharmacies across the nation, with Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture recording over 200 sales each.
Want to be a voice actor? Stay 'true to the character'
SungWon Cho is a veteran with more than 10 years of experience portraying characters in anime, cartoons and video games.
Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”

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