Former longtime Japan resident Dave Wiggins, who was a sports columnist and television analyst in Tokyo, is now a sports writer based in Vero Beach, Florida. He contributes a bi-monthly column on the North American sports scene to The Japan Times. Wiggins, who was a TV sportscaster in Hawaii for several years prior to his time in Japan, is known for his keen observations and acerbic wit. In 2006 he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan.
For Dave Wiggins's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Ready to crown LeBron James GOAT over Michael Jordan after LBJ's phenomenal performance this postseason? To quote the late Keith Jackson: "Whoa, Nellie!" As in, hold your horses there. One fabulous postseason does not a GOAT make. Unless you've been away seeking wisdom from a Himalayan know-it-all, you ...
Old MLB axiom: Don't believe what you see in April. Meaning, of course, that fast starts by previously downtrodden teams are often fool's gold. Most times they merely precede June swoons. Or May meltdowns. The New York Mets, after getting off to a team-record best start, are ...
"You can't tell the players without a scorecard!" is the exhilarating cry of the program vendor one usually hears when first entering a big league ballpark. These days, forget not knowing the players, you can't even recognize THE GAME of baseball itself. It's changed that much. So, ...
Over the last four decades, there has been only one repeat World Series champion — the New York Yankees, who three-peated from 1998-2000. A post-title hangover, then, would seem to be nearly inevitable in the big leagues. But that doesn't stop Series-winning managers from each offseason ...
The one-upmanship never ends between the NBA, NHL and NFL regarding who can come up with the most ridiculous All-Star Game format. This year, the NBA is attempting to wrest worst setup dishonors away from the NHL, which currently lays claim to the title. If you ...
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. A classic Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western flick. And, now, also an apt description for the current state of the NFL. In a nutshell, this season in pro football has been a mesmerizing mess. First the Good: ■ Turnaround teams — Jacksonville, ...
Two hours before an exhibition game in March, the Houston Astros clubhouse was vacant save for MAS and 'Stros hurler Charlie Morton. This, of course, was the pre-World Series hero Morton. Back then, he was merely big question mark Charlie (more on this in a ...
Wonder why so many NBA teams were willing, almost eager, to trade away stars this past offseason? If one is adept at reading between the lines, all the mega-dealing is no mystery. Allow MAS to 'splain what his "See-thru" specs revealed about each of these swaps. Basically, ...
Some burning questions (and answers) entering the 2017 MLB postseason. Will Cleveland and Arizona, record-breaking streakers, be able to maintain their regular season momentum? The Indians went on an American League record 22-game win streak near the end of the regular season. (The MLB mark is the ...
MAS didn't realize how far-reaching the influence of U.S. superstar wrestler Ric "Nature Boy" Flair was until he took in a high school football game in Japan some years back. That Tokyo contest had visiting Camp Zama going up against The American School in Japan. At ...
