Tag - npb

 
 

NPB

COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Nov 29, 2015
Lessons in Japan's labor laws from striking NPB baseball stars and English teachers
What do Nichibei Eigo Gakuin teachers in 2000, pro baseball players in 2004 and Berlitz language instructors in 2007 have in common?
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 1, 2015
Murton reflects on Akiyama's pursuit of single-season hit record
On Oct. 5, 2010, Matt Murton made NPB history with a single into center on a wet night at Jingu Stadium that propelled him past Ichiro Suzuki and established a new NPB record for hits in an single season.
BASEBALL / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 24, 2015
Why did Matsui pick Yankees over Giants?
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.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Mar 9, 2015
Substance matters more than results during spring season
The exhibition season is well under way in Japanese baseball, with most teams already five or more games into spring training games.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 23, 2015
Former catcher Furuta voted into Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
When bespectacled catcher Atsuya Furuta was ready to set out on a professional baseball career, he was told by many that pro ballplayers don't wear glasses.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 19, 2014
DiMuro has witnessed umpire challenges, changes over the years
Back in 1972, in the early years of NFL's "Monday Night Football" on ABC, the broadcasting trio of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and "Dandy" Don Meredith were calling the gridiron action. A play occurred whereby, because of a rule change, the result was substantially different than what it would have...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 17, 2014
Samurai Japan announces six key players for November series against MLB stars
Chihiro Kaneko says he doesn't watch many MLB games and doesn't really know much about the players. He might be in store for an MLB crash course this winter.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jun 17, 2014
New Lions slugger Mejia relishes opportunity to play in NPB
Ernesto Mejia remembers the bus rides. Those long trips to games in rookie ball, Single-A and a notch up the ladder in Double-A. Some of those rides could last for seven, eight, nine hours.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 14, 2014
Proposed NPB expansion appears unlikely
The office of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a suggestion on May 22 that Japanese professional baseball should expand from its current 12 teams to 16. Prospective locations for four new franchises were listed, and the idea would be to help further economic growth in some of the more rural areas of the...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 11, 2014
MLB All-Star squad to face Samurai Japan in November
Major League Baseball will organize an All-Star team and visit Japan this fall to play Samurai Japan, Nippon Professional Baseball announced on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
May 5, 2014
O'Malley all smiles about return to NPB with Tigers
A wry smile played across Tom O'Malley's lips as he nodded in the direction of a group of Hanshin Tigers players stretching on the ground outside of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows' indoor facility on Sunday as the Swallows wrapped up practice inside.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Apr 11, 2014
Ongoing ball issues disturbing for NPB, Mizuno
One has to wonder if former NPB commissioner Ryozo Kato cracked a smile when he opened his newspaper Friday morning and saw that there are more questions surrounding the official NPB ball, knowing that this time, he's far away from the fray.
BASEBALL
Dec 25, 2013
Tanaka given chance to pursue dream in majors
Major League Baseball fans and executives finally found what they were looking for under the Christmas tree.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NOTES ON A SCORECARD
Dec 3, 2013
Delay in agreement on new posting system just latest black eye for NPB
Pretty sad to see the negotiations over the new posting system between NPB and MLB continue to drag on. It's already December now and MLB teams are trying to set their rotations for next season.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 29, 2013
Few issues left in play as season nears finish
Nippon Professional Baseball has crowned its 2013 league champions and most of the spots in the Climax Series have already been spoken for.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 15, 2013
Status of posting system may put Tanaka in limbo
Masahiro Tanaka figures to be one of the most intriguing NPB exports if the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles decide to post the star right-hander after the season.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 29, 2013
2013 Pacific League Preview
Final installment of a two-part 2013 NPB Preview.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 28, 2013
2013 Central League Preview
In order of predicted finish:
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 10, 2013
Murakami ideal man for new U.N. goodwill ambassador role
Kudos to Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player in the major leagues, on his recent appointment as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. "Mashi" is highly qualified to take the leadership role in supporting charities and, having been acquainted with him for...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 30, 2013
Otani ready for new challenges with Fighters
Shohei Otani spent part of his Saturday afternoon being shepherded around one of Makuhari Messe's spacious international exhibition halls while having ham shoved in his mouth.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past