Perhaps there will be no understanding after all...
Discussion in the NPB News forum
Comments
Re: Perhaps there will be no understanding after all...
[ Author: westbaystars | Posted: Oct 7, 2001 1:11 AM
| YBS Fan
]
Whew! The NY Times one really stunk of a journalist trying to make an issue where there isn't one. OK, speaking bad about what Daiei did is fine, but you're right, more about how the fans reacted to it deserves coveage as well. Of course, doing so would throw the whole hypothisis that eveyone is against Rhodes and the U.S., and that isn't what the author wanted.
The ESPN article was much better, siting more than just that one game out of six (even if the headline's only purpose was to mislead).
Up to #55, Rhodes was concentrating on winning the pennant. He said over and over that the home runs didn't matter. While I think they did, he was able to focus on the task at hand, winning, not hitttng a home run every at bat. However, once Kintetsu won the championship, Rhodes stated that he wanted to hit that home run. With that, his focus changed from winning to hitting a home run.
Now, how often to you hear a player state that he was swinging for the fence in the hero interview when he has hit the game winning home run? Somewhere close to 0? Compare that to how often a player says that he was just trying to make contact, to get the ball to the outfield, etc. Many times? I thought so.
Rhodes was trying so hard to hit that home run that his batting style was nothing like normal. He was making huge upper cuts at balls.
Daiei's staff deserves the repremand their getting from fans, the Commissioner's Office, and the press. Even if Oh-kantoku was "out of the loop," he should have put himself in the loop when the crowd started booing how they were pitching to Rhodes.
I had just scanned Cromartie's book looking for a reference to Egawa pitching to Bass, but it looks like Cro went home before the end of that season. Cromartie had nothing but praise for his former manager (he even named one of his kids after him!), but said that his major weekness was not being firm with the players, leaving all the nasty stuff to the coaches. So, it's well in Oh-kantoku's profile to sit back and passively allow his coaches to dictate a no-pitch policy to his pitching staff.
But none of the above articles do anything to allow the reader to understand Oh-kantoku. They're just a bunch of word bytes put together to spread hatred and bad will towards ones fellow humans. Isn't there enough ill will in the world right now?
The ESPN article was much better, siting more than just that one game out of six (even if the headline's only purpose was to mislead).
Up to #55, Rhodes was concentrating on winning the pennant. He said over and over that the home runs didn't matter. While I think they did, he was able to focus on the task at hand, winning, not hitttng a home run every at bat. However, once Kintetsu won the championship, Rhodes stated that he wanted to hit that home run. With that, his focus changed from winning to hitting a home run.
Now, how often to you hear a player state that he was swinging for the fence in the hero interview when he has hit the game winning home run? Somewhere close to 0? Compare that to how often a player says that he was just trying to make contact, to get the ball to the outfield, etc. Many times? I thought so.
Rhodes was trying so hard to hit that home run that his batting style was nothing like normal. He was making huge upper cuts at balls.
Daiei's staff deserves the repremand their getting from fans, the Commissioner's Office, and the press. Even if Oh-kantoku was "out of the loop," he should have put himself in the loop when the crowd started booing how they were pitching to Rhodes.
I had just scanned Cromartie's book looking for a reference to Egawa pitching to Bass, but it looks like Cro went home before the end of that season. Cromartie had nothing but praise for his former manager (he even named one of his kids after him!), but said that his major weekness was not being firm with the players, leaving all the nasty stuff to the coaches. So, it's well in Oh-kantoku's profile to sit back and passively allow his coaches to dictate a no-pitch policy to his pitching staff.
But none of the above articles do anything to allow the reader to understand Oh-kantoku. They're just a bunch of word bytes put together to spread hatred and bad will towards ones fellow humans. Isn't there enough ill will in the world right now?
Re: Perhaps there will be no understanding after all...
[ Author: Dusanh | Posted: Oct 7, 2001 8:55 AM
]
The following stats says a lot about what Oh-kantoku had to put up with as a player, which those columnists naturally ignored.
Rk Player, (Team) BB Year Games
1 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 158 (1974) 130
2 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 142 (1966) 129
3 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 138 (1965) 135
4 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 130 (1967) 133
5 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 126 (1977) 130
6 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 125 (1976) 122
7 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 124 (1973) 130
8 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 123 (1963) 140
8 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 123 (1975) 128
10 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 121 (1968) 131
10 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 121 (1971) 130
12 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 119 (1964) 140
12 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 119 (1970) 129
14 Petagine, Roberto (Swallows) 116 (1999) 134
15 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 114 (1978) 130
16 Kataoka, Atsushi (Fighters) 113 (1998) 133
17 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 111 (1969) 130
18 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 108 (1972) 130
19 Matsui, Hideki (Giants) 106 (2000) 135
20 Chiba, Shigeru (Giants) 105 (1950) 121
20 Kiyohara, Kazuhiro (Lions) 105 (1990) 129
I don't think there's anyone in the world who knows more about not getting pitched to...
Rk Player, (Team) BB Year Games
1 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 158 (1974) 130
2 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 142 (1966) 129
3 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 138 (1965) 135
4 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 130 (1967) 133
5 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 126 (1977) 130
6 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 125 (1976) 122
7 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 124 (1973) 130
8 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 123 (1963) 140
8 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 123 (1975) 128
10 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 121 (1968) 131
10 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 121 (1971) 130
12 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 119 (1964) 140
12 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 119 (1970) 129
14 Petagine, Roberto (Swallows) 116 (1999) 134
15 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 114 (1978) 130
16 Kataoka, Atsushi (Fighters) 113 (1998) 133
17 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 111 (1969) 130
18 Oh, Sadaharu (Giants) 108 (1972) 130
19 Matsui, Hideki (Giants) 106 (2000) 135
20 Chiba, Shigeru (Giants) 105 (1950) 121
20 Kiyohara, Kazuhiro (Lions) 105 (1990) 129
I don't think there's anyone in the world who knows more about not getting pitched to...
Re: Perhaps there will be no understanding after all...
[ Author: Guest | Posted: Oct 16, 2001 4:46 PM
]
I found it most shocking that a respected news paper like the New York Times would get a total idiot like Rob Dibble as a guest comentator. A little backgound on Mr. Dibble. He was a fierce competetor as a player but would do stupid things like throw at runners on their way to first! His rage and anger was as storied as his fastball and became famous for his childish antics and eagerness to say foolish things to the media. As for his media credentials, his father was a long time member of the media at WTIC-AM in Hartford, Connecticut and was able to work with him to get an interview at ESPN. ESPN's Bristol, Ct. home happens to be the next town over from the Dibble's, thus giving ESPN an analyst who didn't need travel expenses. He's not even one of the network's best analysts. How he got hooked up with the Times is a mystery to me. However, his article on Rhodes was just as dumb as anything he did as a part of the "Nasty Boys" with the Reds.
Re: Perhaps there will be no understanding after all...
[ Author: CFiJ | Posted: Oct 17, 2001 5:46 PM
]
> I found it most shocking that a respected news paper
> like the New York Times would get a total idiot like
> Rob Dibble as a guest comentator.
Um, the NY Times article was written by Howard French. Rob Dibble wrote a completely different article talking about how he had doubted Ichiro at first, but now was a believer. While I don't think Dibble is the greatest of commentators, I also don't want him to get blamed for an article he didn't write...
> like the New York Times would get a total idiot like
> Rob Dibble as a guest comentator.
Um, the NY Times article was written by Howard French. Rob Dibble wrote a completely different article talking about how he had doubted Ichiro at first, but now was a believer. While I don't think Dibble is the greatest of commentators, I also don't want him to get blamed for an article he didn't write...
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Tuffy's attempt at the HR record was of course news that reached the American shores. But his failure to get the record was analyzed by a New York Times writer in this article. It is unfairly critical, IMO, and attempts to make the case that Rhodes didn't get the record because Daiei walked him. Of course, Nikkan Sports picked up on the article right away and did a story on it. I should have known. The fact that in two seperate games the BlueWave came right after Rhodes and challenged him has been lost. They keep wanting to draw parallels to Bass's situation, and I don't think that's right or fair. The Giants took Bass's chance completely away. Daiei simply made sure Rhodes didn't get the record against them. They knew Rhodes had two games against Orix, and they knew that Ohgi-kantoku (whom I'm beginning to feel is a true prince of a man) would challenge him. I don't want to sound harsh, but the reason Rhodes didn't get the record is because Rhodes swung under the ball. But he did tie the record, which is much more than Bass did.
Similarly, ESPN's webpage had the AP press release, but when with a rather provactive headline. They've changed the headline to something a little less accusatory, but you can still see the original in the page title at the top of your browser. What ticks me off is that both of these American articles contain throwaway quotes from the NPB commissioner and/or some "fans-on-the-street", but do little to report just how upset the Japanese fans and baseball establishment were about Daiei's actions. And they incorrectly lead the reader to believe that this was all done because Tuffy was American, and ignore the fact that Japanese players do similar things to each other.
We all know that Japanese baseball still is protectionist when compared to the Major Leagues. But Japanese baseball has grown so much since 1985. I think most of us were pleasantly surprised and happy that Cabrera and Rhodes did what they did. I think it's sad that no one wants to report on how much Japanese baseball has changed...