05-20-2009, 03:13 PM | #1 | |||
Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
|
Japanese fans lobby for team to keep Bobby Valentine as manager
Japanese Fans Mobilize to Try to Keep Valentine as Their Manager - NYTimes.com
Quote:
|
|||
05-20-2009, 03:34 PM | #2 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Los Angeles
|
good for bobby
|
05-20-2009, 04:50 PM | #3 |
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Far from home
|
If you haven't seen the documentary on Bobby V and his time in Japan that runs every once in awhile on ESPN Classic, it is definitely worth checking out. The Japanese baseball fan culture is incredibly different from what happens over here.
|
05-20-2009, 05:07 PM | #4 |
College Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: The DMV
|
I got back from a vacation in Tokyo a couple weeks ago. While I was there I did get a chance to go to a game. It really was a different experience compared to seeing a game in the states: the bands, cheerleaders, weird fan rituals, organized cheering, etc.
The organized fan cheering is sort of akin to European Soccer fan support (minus the hooliganism). It was neat that there was a specific chant/song for every guy in the lineup. Whenever Aaron Guiel came up to bat, the fans sang some chant to the tune of the Canadian national anthem (yes, if you ever wondered what happened to him and Dan Johnson, they were playing at our game). Watching the fans was probably more fun than watching the game: I could understand the game since the rules are the same, but figuring out what the fans were doing was a hoot... |
05-20-2009, 07:11 PM | #5 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Decatur, GA
|
I wish Valentine was still the Mets manager
__________________
"A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages" -Tennessee Williams |
05-20-2009, 07:15 PM | #6 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sydney, Australia
|
I can't stand baseball, to me it's just amazingly boring. When I was in Japan on a holiday however it was during their baseball season's finals series. I actually found myself sucked in to it, and watched all the games. I think the atmosphere around the game was what pulled me in, something that is missing from MLB.
__________________
Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. --Ambrose Bierce |
05-20-2009, 08:02 PM | #7 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Early, TX
|
Quote:
There's a great atmosphere in the playoffs, it's just a different type of excitement.
__________________
Just beat the devil out of it!!! - Bob Ross |
|
05-20-2009, 09:55 PM | #8 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
|
Quote:
Aw, cool- so that's where Guiel is now. Always liked him with the Royals. Just didn't have great physical ability but had a good eye. SI
__________________
Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
|
05-20-2009, 10:02 PM | #9 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Jan 2005
|
Maybe Bobby V could take a pay cut. That seems like a lot of money for a manager in Japanese baseball.
|
05-21-2009, 07:32 AM | #11 | |
College Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: The DMV
|
Quote:
I thought the same thing. Other than the superstars, I don't think that Japanese players make as much money as the average MLB player. Valentine is incredibly popular, and his salary as a "superstar" manager is probably justified--but there does appear to be room for taking a cut, especially in light of the pay scales. |
|
05-21-2009, 09:10 AM | #12 | |
College Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: The DMV
|
Quote:
Yeah, there were a few North American guys playing in the game I saw (Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs Yokohama Bay Stars). For the Swallows: Guiel and Jamie D'Antona. For Yokohama: Johnson (hit a home run) and Ryan Glynn (started and won the game). Yeah, it seems like a lot of AAAA guys end up in Japan. You hear how foreign players are discriminated against in Japan. That might be true, but they are certainly very popular with the fans. Speaking of popularity, the most popular player we saw there was Norichika Aoki, who is thought of as one of the Japanese superstars in the next crop to potentially bolt to MLB. Norichika Aoki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Last edited by Klinglerware : 05-21-2009 at 09:16 AM. |
|
05-21-2009, 09:52 AM | #13 |
College Starter
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Strong Island, NY
|
Zen of Bobby V is great.
I'd love to have him back in NY. |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
|
|