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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 / MLB
Jul 6, 2002
Passing of 'Pancho' a loss for baseball
Our good friend, Kazuo 'Pancho' Ito, one of the most colorful characters on the international baseball scene over the past 40 years, died in Tokyo on July 4 after a long illness. He was 68.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 3, 2002
Baseball steps back up to the plate
Let's begin the first baseball column following the World Cup with some words of congratulations and praise to everyone involved in that spectacular event. It was an exciting tournament that mesmerized most of Japan and South Korea, especially during the first half of June prior to the elimination of...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 16, 2002
Expansion in Japan unlikely
Dear Wayne Graczyk: I'm writing to express support for the move of the Nippon Ham Fighters to Sapporo. I think this would be good not just for the Fighters and the city of Sapporo, but for all of Japanese baseball.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 1, 2002
Lopez puts tantrum behind him
Hiroshima Carp first baseman Luis Lopez says the problem between him and outfielder Tomonori Maeda has been put to rest. Marty Kuehnert, in his April 10 "Keen Edge" column, described how the teammates had nearly come to blows after Maeda twice failed to score from second base on outfield hits by Lopez...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 17, 2002
Fighters' proposed move to Sapporo makes sense
Quite a controversy brewing over the proposed relocation of the Nippon Ham Fighters from Tokyo to Sapporo for the 2004 season. The Pacific League club wants to shift its franchise base from the Tokyo Dome to the Sapporo Dome, but the Seibu Lions are trying to block the move, because that team wants to...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 3, 2002
O'Malley adds icing to Tigers' cake
One of the best moves the Hanshin Tigers have made this year is to bring back former star first baseman Tom O'Malley as a coach and invite him to stay on throughout the 2002 season. There is no doubt the addition of his presence to an already electrified atmosphere surrounding the Tigers manager, coaches,...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 20, 2002
JT readers like Giants, Hawks in Japan Series
The Yomiuri Giants will edge the Yakult Swallows in the Central League, and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks will slip by the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in the Pacific League, creating a Giants-Hawks matchup in the 2002 Japan Series come October. So says the consensus of predictions of nine readers and yours truly...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 6, 2002
What's this about Piazza and Griffey Jr.?
The Feb. 27 edition of the Nikkan Sports Japanese language newspaper carried a front-page banner headline, complete with blaring blue, yellow and red kanji characters featuring the names of major league superstars Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr. Photos of the two sluggers were included on Page 1 as well....
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 6, 2002
This could be Year of the Homer in PL
At first glance, you might think the new Japanese strike zone will benefit pitchers and be a hindrance to batters this coming season. The zone has been raised more than the diameter of one baseball, but I believe it will be the hitters -- not the hurlers -- who will get the most advantage out of the...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 23, 2002
'The Hawk' looks for second chance in Japan
Situation Wanted: Strong, healthy, 31-year-old left-handed pitcher seeks employment on the pitching staff of one of Japan's 12 professional baseball teams. Five years' major-league experience with the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians and two years in Japan with the Yakult Swallows....
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 9, 2002
Japanese clubs load up on foreign help
A Happy New Year to all readers of The Japan Times and the Baseball Bullet-in.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 19, 2001
No Big Mac, no surprise
It should not be a surprise to anyone that Mark McGwire is not going to play for the Chunichi Dragons next season.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 5, 2001
New-look Giants to lose M&M combo
The Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, besides the big change in managers from Shigeo Nagashima to Tatsunori Hara, will also take on a new look with regard to the teams foreign player roster next season. The M&M combo of pitcher Darrell May and first baseman-outfielder Domingo Martinez are not returning, and...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 21, 2001
2002 could be busy year in Japanese sports
You read last week where the National Football League is coming back to Japan next year, having scheduled an American Bowl exhibition game between the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins in Osaka on Aug. 3. Let's hope this will be the first of several announcements of major international sports...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 7, 2001
MLB contraction: Say it ain't so, Bud
Just about the time you are reading this, officials of Major League Baseball should be discussing an issue that has never come up before in our lifetime: contraction. You know the story; MLB commissioner Bud Selig has said folding two franchises, rolling back the majors from 30 to 28 teams, may be a...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 24, 2001
Will Buffaloes finally get monkey off their backs?
It remains to be seen if the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes can this week win their first Japan Series in franchise history. The Buffs should have won it the last time the club appeared in the J.S., 12 years ago in 1989, but Kintetsu blew a three games-to-none lead to the Yomiuri Giants in a most memorable...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 10, 2001
That was the season that was
Yomiuri Giants slugger Hideki Matsui said prior to this season it was possible for him to win a Triple Crown this year, "But the most difficult for me would be to win the batting title." So what did he do? He won the batting title. Matsui led the CL with a .333 average and did not really come close to...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 26, 2001
Third time a charm for Carp's Diaz
Part-time foreign players in Japan and those who post sub-par batting statistics usually do not get a second-year contract, let alone a third, to continue playing here. Hiroshima Carp utility infielder Eddy Diaz hit a mediocre .263 with eight home runs and 53 runs batted in, playing 110 games during...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 12, 2001
Imports Ramirez, Valdes respond to 'help wanted' calls from Japan
Foreign ballplayers in Japan don't much like it, but they are often referred to as "suketto" in Japanese. The term means helper and it more than implies the hired hands from North America are not necessarily being counted on to lead their team but rather to temporarily "help" the fan-favorite local stars...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 29, 2001
Free tickets for Tokyo Dome
Get your free tickets for Yankees Day Sept. 16.
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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