Ex-Carp pitchers Ono, Sotokoba elected into Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

For the second straight season, the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame was left seeing red.

The Hall opened its doors to three more players this year, chief among them former Hiroshima Carp pitchers Yutaka Ono and Yoshiro Sotokoba, who joined former high school standout Kazuo Fukushima as the newest members of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, it was announced on Friday.

Ono was selected by the Players Selection Committee, garnering 273 votes, comfortably above the 75 percent threshold (243 votes) he needed for induction.

"I'm so pleased, but at the same time overwhelmed," Ono said at a news conference at the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, which is located at Tokyo Dome. "Looking back, I joined the Hiroshima Toyo Carp as a test player and went through so many things, and now this day has come. I'm extremely pleased."

Sotokoba was chosen from the Expert Division, collecting exactly the 29 votes he needed, while Fukushima was selected from the Special Selection Committee and received 13 votes, two more than he needed for induction.

Among those missing out in the Players Selection Committee vote were former Seibu Lions and Daiei Hawks outfielder Koji Akiyama, who received 235 votes and former Yokohama BayStars and Seattle Mariners reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki, who received 230. Yakult Swallows catching great Atsuya Furuta garnered 147 votes in his first year on the ballot.

Ono pitched for the Carp for 22 seasons, ending his career with a 148-100 record to go along with 138 saves. The left-hander finished his career with a 2.90 ERA and 1,733 strikeouts, was a 10-time All-Star and won the Sawamura Award in 1988, when he went 13-7 with a 1.70 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 183 strikeouts over 185 innings. Ono's 13 wins that season remain the fewest by a Sawamura winner.

He played alongside Sachio Kinugasa and Koji Yamamoto during the golden age of the Hiroshima franchise, and helped guide the Akaheru (red helmets) to five Central League pennants and Japan Series victories in 1979, '80 and '84.

"Mr. (Takeshi) Koba, who was the manager at that time, Koji Yamamoto and Sotokoba, my senior teammates who are actually here today, the rest of my teammates, and the ballclub supported me really well, and I have so much appreciation for them." Ono said. "As I got the nod today, I would like to work harder and contribute to baseball even more."

The first three years of the 57-year-old Ono's career overlapped with the final chapter of Sokotoba's tenure with the team.

Sotokoba was 131-138 in 20 years with the Carp and was named to six All-Star teams in addition to being the 1975 Sawamura Award winner. The righty finished his career with a 2.88 ERA and 1,678 strikeouts over 2,419 1/3 innings.

"I never thought I would be inducted into the Hall of Fame," Sotokoba said. "So I'm extremely surprised. I've been involved in baseball for a long time and I want to reiterate that it was really great to have played for the Hiroshima Carp."

Sotokoba recorded his first professional victory by throwing a no-hitter against the Hanshin Tigers at Koshien Stadium on Oct. 2, 1965. Nearly three years later, Sotokoba struck out an NPB record 16 batters while tossing a perfect game against the Taiyo Whales on Sept. 14, 1968. He threw his third and final no-hitter against the Yomiuri Giants on April, 4, 1972.

Sotokoba's standout season came in 1975, when he made 40 starts and had a 20-13 record with a 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 193 strikeouts and was an All-Star as well as a CL Best Nine selection.

"Although what I can do may be limited, I'd like to continue to contribute to baseball and its development for as long as I physically can," the 67-year-old Sotokoba said.

The selection of Ono and Sotokoba marks the second consecutive year a pair of players who spent their entire careers with the Carp were chosen for induction at the same time. Former Hiroshima pitchers Manabu Kitabeppu and Tsunemi Tsuda were inducted in 2012.

Overall 18 Carp have been elected to the Hall of Fame, including Tetsujin Kinugasa (1996), former holder of the world's consecutive games streak (2,215), and Yamamoto (2008), Mr. Akaheru himself and Japan's current World Baseball Classic manager.

"Last year it was Kitabeppu and Tsuda, and this year Sotokoba and Ono, "Yamamoto said. "Two years in a row, players from the Hiroshima Carp have been inducted. So it feels like there is a strong wind behind the team. "Obviously I'm from this team, so hopefully that helps us win the WBC."

Fukushima, who rounds out the class, was a high school pitcher for Fukuoka's Kokura Junior High, which has since been remained Kokura High School and led the school to summer National High School Baseball Tournament titles in 1947 and 1948.

Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.

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Vettel grabs pole for Japanese GP

SUZUKA, Mie Pref. — Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position for the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix by qualifying ahead of teammate Mark Webber on Saturday.

Speed on by: Sebastian Vettel celebrates taking the pole for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday in Suzuka, Mie, Prefecture. AP

Vettel, a two-time winner in Japan, secured his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka and will be in a good position in Sunday's race to further erode the championship lead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

"We had a very smooth qualifying session, nearly perfect," Vettel said. "The car felt perfect from the start. We didn't have a great result yesterday so I'm very happy with today's session."

Vettel won the previous race in Singapore and is just 29 points behind Alonso in the standings with six races left. The German has always performed well at Suzuka, winning here in 2009 and 2010 and taking third place last year to wrap up his second consecutive drivers' championship.

Alonso qualified seventh, and all of Red Bull's championship rivals will start the race several places back after a yellow caution flag in the final moments of qualifying prevented them getting in a last flying lap.

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen, third in the standings, caused the yellow flag when he spun at the edge of the track, and qualified eighth, while McLaren's Lewis Hamilton obeyed the flags and slowed, qualifying ninth.

"I spun. I was on a good lap and I was pushing — maybe a little too hard — and lost the rear," Raikkonen said. "It's a shame as the car feels the best it has all weekend. If the car's good tomorrow we should be able to move forward. Let's see what happens."

Hamilton's McLaren teammate Jenson Button qualified third but will start eighth due to a penalty for replacing the gearbox in his car.

"It's going to be tough tomorrow," Button said. "Never say never, and we will have a good car for the race tomorrow."

Hamilton, who is fourth in the standings and needs a good result in Sunday's race to avoid losing ground, said he was unhappy with Saturday's qualifying.

"Today's qualifying session was one of the most disappointing of my year," Hamilton said.

"To be honest, I went the wrong way with the setup and ended up with too much understeer. Until qualifying, the car had felt great all weekend, but I just couldn't make it turn this afternoon, and as a result I just couldn't extract the best from it."

Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher — who announced Thursday he will retire at the end of the season — qualified 13th but has a 10-place penalty for causing a crash in the Singapore Grand Prix so will start on the back row.

Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi gave the local fans a thrill by qualifying fourth, ahead of Lotus' Romain Grosjean.

"From where I am starting I should have a chance to fight for a podium finish," Kobayashi said. "It would be a dream come true if I could achieve my first podium in Formula One in front of my home crowd."

Sauber's Sergio Perez, who will switch to McLaren next season to replace the Mercedes-bound Hamilton, was sixth.

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Japanese baseball union approves participation in 2013 WBC

After weeks of uncertainty, the Japanese Professional Baseball Players Association has decided to participate in next year's World Baseball Classic, it was revealed on Tuesday.

"We want to announce that the players from the 12 teams have decided to take back the non-participation resolution (passed on July 20) in order to participate in the WBC," said union president Takahiro Arai of the Hanshin Tigers at a press conference in Osaka prior to the team's game against the Yomiuri Giants.

The union's declaration seemingly paves the way for Japan to compete for a third consecutive title in next year's WBC. Nippon Professional Baseball had previously agreed to compete, but the union had resisted, until Tuesday.

"The fact that the JPBPA and NPB have apparently reached agreement is certainly a positive development. We look forward to receiving an official acceptance from NPB," MLB's vice president for Asia Jim Small, representing WBC Inc., said in an email to The Japan Times.

The decision to compete is a reversal from the stance the union took July 20, when its members voted to not compete in the tournament unless NPB secured the sponsorship rights for the team.

After meeting with tournament organizers, NPB officials revealed Japan in fact owned certain rights to sponsorship revenues stemming from the Samurai Japan team, likely a contributing factor in bringing the JPBPA on board.

"The reason we decided not to participate was not because the players were struggling," read a statement on the union's website. "We just wanted to have the rights normally given to a participant country at a regular international sporting event. Because of that, we wanted to obtain a more successful future for NPB and more of all for Japanese professional baseball."

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Japanese men lose volleyball opener to Serbia

Access denied: Kunihiro Shimizu sees his spike blocked during Japan's 25-19, 25-23, 26-16 loss to Serbia in its opening match of the men's Olympic qualifiers on Friday. KYODO PHOTO

Japan failed to put up much of a fight in its opening match of the men's world Olympic qualifiers, losing 3-0 to Serbia on Friday.

Japan went down 25-19, 25-23, 25-16 to the world's No. 7 team at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, where the Serbs were led by 13 points from Nikic Milos and 10 each from Nikola Kovacevic and Marko Podrascanin.

Serbia also enjoyed 24 points off errors by Japan, which faces Venezuela on Saturday. Venezuela was thrashed 3-0 by Australia earlier Friday, when China beat Puerto Rico by the same score as did Iran over South Korea.

To qualify for London, Japan needs to either win the eight-team round-robin tournament or be the highest finisher from Asia. The Japanese women qualified for their third consecutive Olympics on Sunday.

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Uribe, Gulbis hold off Japanese golfers in Match Play Championship

Gladstone, New Jersey — Ai Miyazato and Mika Miyazato fell in the first round at the Sybase Match Play Championship on Thursday.

Columbia's Mariajo Uribe defeated fourth seed Ai Miyazato 2-up, while Mika Miyazato, the 23rd seed, fell 1-up to Natalie Gulbis of the United States, who is seeded 42nd.

Having trouble with both her shots and her putter, Ai Miyazato allowed Uribe to come from behind by winning four of the last five holes.

"Match play certainly has its attractions, but today I got the other side of the coin," Ai Miyazato said. "It's too bad that there is no tomorrow."

Unable to get good distance off the tee, Ai Miyazato couldn't match the big-hitting Uribe down the stretch.

"Now I have three extra days off," Ai Miyazato said. "I'll rest up and get ready for my next (competition)."

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Sawa's achievement sets new benchmark for Japanese game

There was never any doubt that Homare Sawa would be named Women's World Player of the Year on Monday, but the significance of the award to the Japanese game still cannot be overstated.

Sawa ended the five-year reign of Brazil's Marta and also saw off the challenge of U.S. striker Abby Wambach to claim the prize at FIFA's Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zurich, becoming the first Japanese player ever to be officially recognized as the world's best in either men's or women's categories. National team manager Norio Sasaki was also named Women's Coach of the Year and the Japan Football Association won the Fair Play Award, but on a night when Japanese soccer commanded the world's attention, it was Sawa's star that shone brightest.

After the year she has just had, few would argue with the judges' decision. Sawa won both the Golden Ball for best player and Golden Boot for top scorer as she led Japan to a historic triumph at the Women's World Cup in Germany, playing the captain's role to perfection with a crucial late equalizer in the final to set up a penalty shootout win over the U.S.

Sawa's skill, technique and intelligence were plain to see throughout the tournament, but it was her determination and refusal to accept defeat that left the deepest impression. Nadeshiko Japan faced stronger and bigger opponents as the competition progressed, but Sawa made sure her younger teammates remained undaunted and welcomed the responsibility as the stakes moved ever higher.

The World Cup victory was a fitting reward for a player who began her international career as a 15-year-old in 1993, but what was striking was Sawa's unwillingness to be satisfied with what she had achieved. No sooner had the team returned to Japan than the veteran was targeting gold at the London Olympics, and suggestions that success in Germany would provide the perfect fairy tale finish to her career were given short shrift.

That mental profile was a good fit on the winner's podium alongside men's recipient Lionel Messi on Monday, and Japan can feel rightly proud of producing a player to stand alongside him as the world's best.

The fillip it gives the women's game in this country is obvious. Sawa provides a focal point not only for a sport that has long struggled to attract attention, funding and respect, but also for the thousands of girls who now have unequivocal proof that they too can reach the very top if they put their minds to it.

The impact of Sawa's award need not be limited to the women's game either. The bar has now been set for Japan's men to aim for, and although a candidate to challenge Messi for the Ballon d'Or stills seems some way off, who would have thought 20 years ago that Japanese players would earn league-winner's medals in Italy, Germany and Scotland?

Sasaki being named Women's Coach of the Year was also a significant achievement, and one that should help raise the profile of Japanese managers worldwide. Domestic talent has always been somewhat obscured by the number of foreign coaches in the J. League and national team over the years, but Sasaki being bracketed alongside men's winner Pep Guardiola of Barcelona should help change that.

Sasaki was certainly helped by having a player as formidable as Sawa to call on, but for all her determination, the 33-year-old cannot go on forever. This summer's London Games will be her fourth Olympics — to add to her participation in five World Cups — and when the curtain finally comes down, Sawa's place among the greats of the women's sport will be assured.

The impact of her achievements on Japan's next generation, however, could well be her greatest legacy.

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Don't expect Japanese basketball to embrace a real, workable plan

Every few months a false sense of hope surfaces on the blogosphere and in the mainstream media, where optimists peddle the message that Japan's basketball "leaders" finally have their act together, that a new men's pro league will, ahem, finally replace the outdated, increasingly irrelevant JBL and the ever-growing bj-league.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The new process will last a few years, at least until 2015, it says in the latest publicly released documents.

With years to come up with something concrete, the latest talk of a new league is highlighted (lowlighted?) by the insistence by the Japan Basketball Association that it wouldn't be a purely pro league, that a gradual phasing in of pro-style teams would be the norm.

And what does that exactly mean? The fear of setting standards?

That's enough of a reason in my mind for all of the JBA's board members to immediately resign en masse.

How can the public ever gain an ounce of respect for a sport when its leaders arrive at the critical fork in the road and do nothing but wiggle out of making a real decision, and do so with a shocking lack of guts?

As a well-informed source wrote in a recent email, "Is there anyone surprised by any of this? The whole reason the bj-league was formed was that the JBA and the JBL could not and would not come up with a way to form a pro league. They still can't. Nor do they seem to have any interest in doing so.

"I can't wait to see the marketing campaign for the Absolutely Nothing New League (ANNL)."

But if hoop insiders are correct, the current JBL, which features eight teams, could have two new clubs in the near future in a league that may take a new name to spin the image that it's actually a new creation. Sources say the bj-league's Kyoto Hannaryz and Ryukyu Golden Kings have filed paperwork to be members of the new league if/when it is formed.

Don't hold your breath. The status quo has a greater chance of sticking around for a long, long time.

"Of course the JBL and JBA aren't going to form a professional league," a source told The Japan Times. "Toshiba and Toyota have stated for years they won't form professional teams, so why does either side pretend that it 'might happen?' It's like Lucy telling Charlie Brown she won't pull the football away ... just trust her."

That, however, doesn't excuse the clueless bj-league from being identified as a major part of the problem.

"While the JBL and JBA stumble along on their no-progress-at-all course, the lack of leadership from the bj-league is sickening," the source added. "They could have come up with a plan, rule changes, a draft, dispersal draft for Japanese players, potential schedules, suggestions for hometowns of the JBL teams, getting rid of under-performing bj-league teams, new playoff format, the list is endless.

"The JBL hasn't come up with one new idea in 15 years, 20 years, who knows how long, so why would you wait for the most incompetent people in that organization to propose their no-change-at-all plan?

"The bj-league should have gone (into the JBA board meetings) with various plans for number of teams, game schedules, salary caps, etc."

In a sense, the bj-league's crucial development years — Japan's first pro circuit began play in the fall of 2005 as a breakaway league with six teams (two former JBL clubs) and now features 19 clubs minus the Tokyo Apache, one of the original six — have offered it a chance to raise its profile as a true visionary for basketball. Instead, the league, facing a shortage of cash and aggressive, forward-thinking, competent leaders, wasted a golden opportunity to expand its relevance and gain a major following in a nation where basketball-playing individuals and fans number in the millions.

"The best thing (the bj-league) could have done over the past 3-4 years is to treat the JBL as a competitor to be defeated," the hoop insider said. "Imagine if over the last six years of the bj-league they had gone to Toyota, Toshiba, Hitachi, Panasonic, etc., and tried to persuade them that the money they spent on their JBL team could be better spent as a main sponsor for the bj-league? Of course they would have been rejected and rejected ... but now Toshiba is 2-18 (through Dec. 11).

"There's probably somebody in that company right now wondering why they are spending money to keep a terrible team afloat. But that would've taken foresight, perseverance, dedication, planning."

The JBA's target to establish a new league, a merger, whatever the latest name for the project happens to be, has been 2013, with a phased-in process for a few years. Though the day that was revealed in 2010, my email inbox was flooded with messages suggesting that 2016 would be the earliest for such a proposal to be finalized.

Again, these sides have proven they are incapable of doing what's best for the sport.

Or as one player, describing the process in crude terms, put it, "It's like a pissing contest."

For all its faults, the bj-league has a system in place that's the framework for long-term appeal to fans and basically the right amount of teams. What it needs, though, is the JBL's money and bigger sponsors. Bigger, bolder marketing and TV air time on the big networks on a regular basis are also necessary for basketball to rise in prominence as a genuine national league that can stand next to Nippon Professional Baseball and the J. League for public attention. The JBL is too small, too timid, too much of a corporate oddity to be taken seriously by the public.

"I have no idea what will happen in 2013, most likely things will basically stay the same," the source said. "But the bj-league has wasted some of its best opportunities. Over the last two seasons with two former NBA players (Robert Swift, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) and a former NBA coach (Bob Hill), the bj-league made no effort to promote these people or distinguish their product from the JBL.

"Allowing terrible teams with no fan support to continue completely undermines the good teams that attract a lot of fans and local sponsors. The bj-league wants to be defined by teams like Okinawa (the Golden Kings, the three-time Final Four participants), but outsiders only see Takamatsu (0-18 entering this weekend) and Oita (4-14).

"This is a battle that will probably be lost because the bj-league didn't realize they were in a fight."

Shimane Susanoo Magic coach Zeljko Pavlicevic, whose bj-league team has established one of the top fan bases, a strong presence in the community and further recognition overseas by the steady play of ex-guard Takumi Ishizaki in Germany's ProA League this season, believes a merger is the best hope for Japanese basketball to gain a greater following, a better economic model and a brighter future.

Pavlicevic, the former Japan national team coach, is well versed in the JBA's bureaucratic machinations but isn't fazed by the prospects of many more years of wasted time. Instead, he believes it's time to get things started: a 24-team top league would be ideal, he said.

He also suggests a top 16-team playoff tournament each year, with the top four-finishers in each of four groups reaching the playoffs. Divide them into two playoff brackets of eight, he told me. That sets the framework for an appetizing format.

"We are show business," he said, accentuating the positives of the sport, which the JBA is lousy at doing. "More games, more competition and more money for clubs and good for sponsors."

I replied, "And much-needed TV air time and media coverage, which can grow year after year."

Unfortunately, the JBA's inner circle does not promote trust or confidence, nor does it build faith among the key parties that could usher in a better era of basketball here.

"The JBA exists so one faction has power over the other, not for the players, fans, or even the corporate sponsors," a well-connected insider told The Japan Times.

It's worth pointing out that the JBA's official top leader (but really in a de facto role) is ex-Prime Minister Taro Aso, who should by theory be able to accomplish something as chief executive in a mere sports governing body. A meeting of FIBA and JBA leaders in Tokyo in February 2009 was intended to push the bj-league and JBL in the right direction to create one league. There's no evidence of any real progress.

Which takes us back to a pair of major speed bumps within the JBL's inner circle, Toyota and Toshiba.

"Toyota and Toshiba always seem to be mentioned as teams that do not want to be professional," a hoop insider stated correctly. "OK, put them in the second division, and keep them there. They will either de-emphasize their teams or decide they actually do want to be in the top league and will form a professional team. Let them choose. Just don't stop all progress because they, or any other team, doesn't want any.

"With the NBA lockout, there were countless proposals that included all kinds of specific numbers and rules in great detail by sports writers all over the country. That should be happening here."

Instead, the Japanese and foreign press corps in Japan is resigned to the fact that basketball is stuck on a metaphorical treadmill — people are moving but going nowhere.

And no one feels their ideas will be taken seriously. The lack of hope is depressing.

Here, though, is one forward-thinking, common-sense plan. A hoop insider calls it the PBnJ League (Pro Basketball in Japan), which features a pro division and a second division.

The 22-team pro division consists of two conferences. The East includes Hokkaido, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Tochigi, Gunma (set to join the bj-league as an expansion team next season), Chiba, Hitachi (also based in Chiba), Saitama, Yokohama and Hamamatsu.

The West features Aisin, Mitsubishi — with both in Nagoya or Aichi, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Panasonic (also in Osaka), Hyogo (in Kobe), Shimane, Fukuoka, Kagoshima and Okinawa.

The second division consists of Toyota, Toshiba, all JBL2 teams (minus Hyogo, which moves up), Aomori (another new bj-league franchise set to begin in 2012), Iwate, Toyama, Nagano (the Shinshu Brave Warriors) and Miyazaki.

Meanwhile, "Oita and Takamatsu are buried in the basketball graveyard," the source decided.

So how would the league be set up?

The specifics would include the stipulation that "JBL teams protect three players, maybe four, the rest can be drafted by the pro teams from the bj-league," he said. "Set a salary cap that applies to both imports and Japanese players. But grandfather in all existing contracts, have them count 50 percent or 67 percent or some percentage of their value.

"Require all teams to have at least 12 players under contract at all times. Best for the fans would be four import players per team,with three on the court, maybe with the same second-quarter rule the bj-league has now, but the JBL might want to go for three imports and two can play. ...

"Teams must average 1,500 fans per game, with that number gradually increasing, or they drop to the second division the following season. Set up a draft for the college players."

The JBL currently plays a 42-game season, while the bj-league has had a 52-game schedule since the 2008-09 campaign.

For the new league, "how about 62 games?" the source offered, proposing an enticing plan. "Or 51, four games against each team in your division, one against each team in the other division. Play Friday and Sunday afternoon on the back-to-back games. Travel on Saturday for the inter-conference play."

This proposal makes sense but it would require change. It would also require compromise and a big step forward that resembles in many ways what launched the J. League two decades ago. Nobody now is saying the Japan Football Association and soccer's corporate big wigs made a colossal mistake by forming a pro league in the early 1990s. The time was right.

And now's the time for Japanese basketball to arrive at that point.

"The number of teams, the rules, etc., all might change, but I refuse to believe that a few smart people couldn't figure out a good compromise in a matter of days," the architect of the above plan declared.

"As the attendance figures climbed, some teams might drop back to the second division. And if a team wants to move up, work to get your attendance figures to a certain level. Show that your team has a sufficient level of financial support, etc."

Many people may believe there are individuals with good intentions in key positions of power within Japan's basketball hierarchy. But really, what's taking place is this: recycled ideas that are framed as new, progressive and/or original.

"Over and over the JBA asks that we just trust them," said one source. "They never follow through, and yet those same people are asking that we believe this time. The latest proposal talks about a first step for 2013-14, 2014-15, and then a second step for 2015-16. But this is exactly the gradual process they have proposed over the years, and they never reach the planned next step."

The primary example, he said, dates back to the 20th century. "After the 1999 season, four teams folded, and the league moved into the eight-team 'Pre-Super League' phase. So the 2000 season was supposed to be a transitional phase, introducing 'home towns' (often quite far from where teams actually lived or practiced) and giving teams time to move towards being professional.

"But of course when the 2001 season rolled around and the 'Super League' started, it was exactly the same as before, because too many teams objected to moving their team operations and players contracts towards professional ones.

"Then for about two years (2005 and 2006), as Japan was preparing for the Basketball World Championships in 2006 in Saitama, there was talk of a New League, with its own website. Finally the move to a professional league was going to take place. Everyone had two years to plan and prepare.

"Of course the 'New League' turned out to be ... the JBL," the source added. "Not only same teams and same system, but they used the same name, JBL, that they had just made of big deal out of retiring, with its own commemorative book to remember the JBL by, as they moved into the new era of the 'New League' which they named, the JBL.

"After twice promising a new and better league, and failing to deliver anything new at all, why do the people at JBA even get the chance to try again? Were these people actual managers in companies like Toshiba, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Hitachi, or Aisin, instead of working for the JBA or JBL, they would have been fired and replaced by people who could actually produce results."

Expect more of the same.

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Japanese baseball finally ready to get season under way

A patch with those words will be worn on the sleeve of every member of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles this year while the rest of the NPB will wear a patch that reads, "Gambaro Nippon," subtle reminders of the important things in life.

Professional baseball returns Tuesday, poised to follow the example set by the high schoolers at the National High School Invitational Tournament at Koshien Stadium last month and provide a distraction while restoring a small bit of normalcy to the nation.

NPB teams have been mostly out of sight recently, playing practice games in empty stadiums and venturing into the public eye only for 12 charity games April 2-3.

Tuesday marks an Opening Day that was supposed to have happened 18 days ago, before real life intervened.

The devastation of March 11 won't soon be forgotten, but the Eagles are hoping to give their battered region something to feel good about.

They'll likely be the sentimental choice of many as they try to follow in the footsteps of the 1995 Orix BlueWave.

The BlueWave that season were led by a sweet-swinging star named Ichiro Suzuki and helped galvanize the Kansai region after the Great Hanshin Earthquake with a triumphant march to the Pacific League pennant.

Eagles manager Senichi Hoshino has a pair of aces in his hand in Hisashi Iwakuma and Masahiro Tanaka. His lineup got an injection of fresh blood over the winter in Kazuo Matsui and Akinori Iwamura, who return to Japan after lengthy MLB sojourns that saw both play in the World Series.

The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks look more equipped to win the PL title, having beefed up their lineup with Seiichi Uchikawa and Alex Cabrera to match a pitching staff led by reigning PL MVP Tsuyoshi Wada and Toshiya Sugiuchi.

Yu Darvish and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters should also make their presence felt while the defending Japan Series champion Chiba Lotte Marines will try to work their way into the mix.

In the Central League, the triumvirate of the Chunichi Dragons, Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants are expected to battle it out for supremacy.

All three have question marks, however, and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows will be waiting to take advantage of any missteps to claim a spot in the Climax Series, if not the outright pennant, for themselves.

The NPB made the right call in delaying the season, but it's important the game returns.

Baseball is ingrained into the fabric of Japan and touches many parts of the nation's culture and psyche.

Still, compared to relief efforts, determining the Japan Series winner isn't really that important.

The important thing is going to be the journey to that point, during which the sport can do its part to help the country heal through fundraising or just by giving people something to smile about.

Because in the end, a small patch on every sleeve, will signify more than the banner the eventual Japan Series champions unfurl in November.

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