Former Yomiuri Giants manager and Japanese baseball icon Shigeo Nagashima has indicated that he will soon make his first public appearance since suffering a stroke in March last year.
Nagashima, 69, said in a message posted Monday on the Giants' official Web site that his rehabilitation "has been progressing smoothly" and that he thinks he can meet baseball fans "shortly at a stadium."
The message, which the Giants said was worked out Sunday, added Nagashima takes a one-hour walk every morning and works on a rehab regimen to develop his muscle strength four times a week.
He has also given pep talks to the Giants, who are languishing at the bottom of the Central League standings.