


National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Aug 5, 2017
Speed bump won't stop Kiyomiya, Japanese baseball's teen powerhouse
by Mark Schreiber
So far, 2017 has been a banner year for sports prodigies in Japan, from table tennis and shogi to baseball.

Baseball | BASEBALL BULLET-IN Feb 25, 2017
Legend Nagashima rekindles memories of an unforgettable life in baseball
by Wayne Graczyk
It was good seeing former Yomiuri Giants third baseman and manager Shigeo Nagashima visiting the team's spring training camp in Miyazaki earlier this month. He just turned 81 this past week and is visibly handicapped by a stroke suffered in 2004 that limits movement ...

Baseball / Japanese Baseball Jan 22, 2017
Famed slugger Tuffy Rhodes could face long road to Hall of Fame
by Jim Allen
Although he was one of the most productive foreign imports to grace Japanese pro ball, it seems there is little chance Tuffy Rhodes will be inducted into Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame anytime soon. In 2001, Rhodes became the second player after legendary slugger Sadaharu ...

Baseball | BASEBALL BULLET-IN Nov 26, 2016
Pondering Trump's future prospects of throwing out first pitches in MLB, NPB
by Wayne Graczyk
What kind of president will Donald Trump be regarding sports? U.S. presidents have a tradition of throwing out the first ball to open a Major League Baseball season. They are also known for welcoming World Series winners and champion teams from other sports leagues to ...
TV | CHANNEL SURF Jun 24, 2016
'Tunnels' I Am the King of Sports'; 'Normal Is the Best'; Asahi Beer
by Philip Brasor
You may wonder what former New York Yankee slugger Hideki Matsui has been up to since he retired several years ago. Well, one thing he's been doing is appearing on the sports variety show "Tunnels no Sports O wa Ore da" ("Tunnels' I Am ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Apr 2, 2016
Former New York Yankee Hideki Matsui admitted Saturday that the recent banning of four Yomiuri Giants pitchers for their involvement in baseball gambling touched a nerve, but he offered no advice to Japanese baseball on how to prevent a reoccurrence of the problem. "It's really ...


Baseball | SPORTS SCOPE Mar 24, 2015
Why did Matsui pick Yankees over Giants?
by Jack Gallagher
Former Yomiuri Giants star Hideki Matsui made news earlier this month with his decision to take a job with the New York Yankees. The move was seen as a curious one here for several reasons. The question many are asking is: "Why would Matsui take ...

Baseball Mar 21, 2015
Jeter, Matsui bring star power to charity event
by Jason Coskrey
Hideki Matsui stepped into the batter's box for old times' sake and, with former New York Yankees teammate Derek Jeter watching, capped a special day by sending a ball over the fence and into the right-field seats at Tokyo Dome. One more home run ...

Baseball Mar 18, 2015
Jeter, Matsui team up for good cause
by Jason Coskrey
When Derek Jeter was asked whom he idolized growing up, he immediately mentioned Dave Winfield, saying the former Yankees player was "larger than life," and that he had a poster of Winfield in his room as a child. Then a wry smile flashed across ...