Wladimir Balentien laughed his familiar laugh as he held court in the visitor's dugout at Tokyo Dome, making rapid-fire transitions between a number of topics, from the yakiniku he ate in Okinawa, to teammate Tetsuto Yamada or whatever else popped into his head at the time.
There weren't as many happy moments last season, as Balentien struggled through a frustrating, injury-filled campaign. Sure, he celebrated when the Swallows clinched the Central League pennant, and again when the team qualified for the Japan Series, but getting to that point was a chore.
He's back this year, his sixth in NPB, and determined to keep all of that in the past. That 'Coco' is even in Japan now means things are already better than they were last season, when he was back home rehabbing an injury.