Professional athletes are a tight-lipped bunch, and even those who are relatively voluble rarely step outside the usual collection of bromides about "doing my best" and "taking one day at a time."
Fuji TV's variety show, "Junk Sports" (Tuesday, 11 p.m.), gives athletes, both retired and active, a forum where they can be candid about the world of professional sports. Hosted by comedian Masanori Hamada, the show avoids "sports news," meaning discussion of skills and records, favors gossip and juicy anecdotes instead.
Each week a half-dozen athletes show up, but this week's special guest is Katsuya Nomura, former slugging catcher and, more famously, the former manager of the Yakult Swallows and the Hanshin Tigers, who was forced to quit the latter post because of his equally famous wife's run-in with the tax authorities.