Yomiuri Giants manager Shigeo Nagashima will step down from the helm of Japan's most popular baseball team at the end of the season, chairman of the board Tsuneo Watanabe said at a press conference Friday.

Yomiuri Giants manager Shigeo Nagashima (right) announces his resignation at a Tokyo hotel Friday afternoon as Giants owner Tsuneo Watanabe looks on.

The team's head coach Tatsunori Hara will take over as new manager next season, Watanabe said.

"I feel as bright as the blue sky outside now," Nagashima said at the press conference.

"The pressure put on a man to direct a team like the Giants is very heavy. The key for our team to win in this age is to have a younger team. I am confident that Hara has the mental and physical ability to direct such a team," the 65-year-old Hall-of-Famer said.

Hara, who joined Yomiuri as top draft pick in 1981, hit 20 or more home runs for 12 consecutive years until he retired and returned as head coach for the Giants in 1999.

"I was not prepared to hear the news that Mr. Nagashima gave to me last night after the game. But I can surely say that I now feel the same way that I did three years ago when I joined the Giants as coach -- that is, to do whatever it takes for the team," said Hara.

Nagashima, who retired as player in 1974 and then managed Yomiuri from 1975 to 1980, retired once and then returned in 1993 to steer the Central League club to five league titles and two Japan Series crowns -- in 1994 and 2000.

Nagashima was a former Rikkyo University star, who joined Yomiuri in 1983 and was chosen rookie of the year while also claiming league titles for home runs and runs batted in.

This season, the Giants got off to a rocket start but were plagued by injuries to their veteran pitchers, costing them to surrender the pennant to the Yakult Swallows.

Watanabe explained that he delayed the announcement until Friday because of the tight pennant race.

He added, however, that he did not want to wait until the end of the season because he plans to hold a ceremony for Nagashima at the Giants final game of the season on Sunday.

Watanabe mentioned that he was satisfied with Nagashima's accomplishments this season and said he plans to appoint Nagashima as "honorary manager" who will act as team adviser.

The Giants are currently 75-61 with two ties this season with two games remaining and are 31/2 games behind Yakult in the Central League pennant race.

Ogi calls it a day

KOBE (Kyodo) Orix BlueWave manager Akira Ogi announced Friday that he would be stepping down as manager of the Pacific League club at the end of the season.

Baseball commentator Hiromichi Ishige, a key player on the Seibu Lions' championship teams in the 1980s and early 1990s, is widely expected to take over the reins for the Kobe-based club.

Ogi, 66, was hired as manager for the BlueWave in 1994 and promptly decided to place third-year outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (currently with the Seattle Mariners) in the leadoff position in a bid to strengthen the club's batting lineup.

Ichiro won the first of seven straight league batting titles and Orix placed second in the PL pennant race that year.

Ogi, whose managing style relied on his intuition and became known as "Ogi magic," led his team to PL championships in 1995 and 1996. The BlueWave won the 1996 Japan Series championship in five games over the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League.

The BlueWave, however, have been unable to win a championship since and have steadily slipped in the PL standings, finishing in fourth place last year for the first time in club history.

Ogi also led the Kintetsu Buffaloes to the league championship in 1989, but after winning the first three games of the Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, dropped the next four and the championship to the Giants.

Hawks ask Oh to stay

FUKUOKA (Kyodo) Daiei Hawks team president Takeshi Kotsuka said Friday the Pacific League club has decided to ask manager Sadaharu Oh to remain at the helm of the two-time league champions. The club will formally make its request to Oh at the conclusion of the Hawks season next Wednesday, Kotsuka said. Daiei will play the Orix BlueWave in Kobe in its final game. "We agreed not to talk about this until the end of the season. Owner (Tadashi) Nakauchi will go to Kobe to offer a two-year contract," the team president said.

Oh is expected to express his desire to continue on as manager in a speech to fans after the Hawks' final home game on Sunday at the Fukuoka Dome.

Yamada to take over

NAGOYA (Kyodo) Chunichi Dragons head coach Hisashi Yamada will take over as manager for the Central League club next season, baseball sources said Friday.

Yamada, who also serves as pitching coach for the Dragons, will take over from Senichi Hoshino. He announced his resignation Tuesday. Yamada, 53, was a star pitcher for the Hankyu Braves from 1969 to 1988 and helped the predecessors to the Orix BlueWave win three Japan Series championships from 1975 to 1977.

Yamada joined the Chunichi organization in 1999.

Chunichi, which won the Central League pennant in 1999, is mired in fifth place in the standings headed into Friday night's game with a record of 59-69 and four ties.