A Name to Remember

If one could trumpet a single name from this year's Seibu Lions baseball
squad that embodies both the present and future hope of the entire team,
that name might not belong to fireballing phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka or to
superstar shortstop Kazuo Matsui or even to prized foreign import Tony
Fernandez.

Instead, that crucial name might belong to Masahide Kaizuka.

Now at this point you're supposed to be either chuckling with disbelief
or rattling your eyeballs and shouting, "Who in the makizushi is Masahide
Kaizuka?"

Because most fans don't know Masahide Kaizuka, Seibu's 1999 fifth round
draft choice. Yet, they should.

For in a nutshell, Kaizuka symbolizes the hopes and worries of not only
Seibu's 2000 season, but also of the next ten seasons.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. When chosen in last year's draft,
Kaizuka was as unknown as any late round selection. Seibu's high profile
picks were high school sluggers Hisashi Takayama (first round) and Hiroyuki
Ohshima (3rd round) and brash teen-age hurler Ryu Mayama (2nd round). Even
with nods to the generous potential of these three youngsters, not one
of them was expected to contribute to the parent club in 2000 and so far
they have not. Yet, the fifth round nobody from Nagasaki captured the hearts
of the coaching staff almost from the first day of spring training. From
earliest February, everyone acknowledged Kaizuka was destined to make the
roster.

So who is this guy? What makes him so special?

Unlike the rookies chosen before him, Kaizuka is 26 and mature enough
to handle pro level pressure. He also has fast feet, an attribute of almost
all Seibu regulars. What's more, he switches, fitting right in with a Lions
roster packed with left-handed bats and other switch hitters. In addition,
Kaizuka cracks the ball. He rarely strikes out and spanks line drives to
all fields.

One more thing: He is a catcher.

Seibu learned last year -- too late -- that the key to their fortunes
was not their brilliant pitching staff, but rather the man who guided those
pitchers, aging catcher Tsutomu Itoh. The last surviving veteran of the
Seibu power teams of the previous decade, Itoh is the team's soul. But
he is also 38 years old.

In 1998, the team brought in Satoshi Nakajima from Orix as the Lions
catcher of the future. In fact, Nakajima started the majority of games
last year, as Seibu limped after the Daiei Hawks. While better defensively
that Itoh, Nakajima never displayed the plate savvy, leadership or clutch
hitting of the older veteran. When the team went back to playing Itoh everyday
in the last few weeks of the season, the Lions almost immediately made
a run at Daiei, an effort that for a while pulled them within one game
of first place.

With last season in mind, there is no question that Itoh is the man
behind Seibu's plate in 2000. He continues to play well despite his age
and the Lions are neck and neck for the league lead. Yet, how many games
will the veteran catch? He already played in his 2000th career game earlier
this year and will later catch his 2000th game, an incredible milestone.
Yet, keeping him fresh will be crucial for the pennant drive.

And as far as the future goes, somebody, someday -- and in the not too
distant future -- is going to have to replace him.

Right now it looks like that someone is Masahide Kaizuka. Not only has
Kaizuka proven the team's most productive pinch-hitter, Manager Osamu Higashio
is also allowing him ample time behind the plate, usually in late inning
mop-up duty. At this point, the rookie catcher is playing almost as much
as number two man Nakajima and, with his speed and hitting, is contributing
much more. Fortified by his depth of experience, Nakajima is in no threat
of losing his second spot -- yet. But Kaizuka is coming on strong.

Certainly no one doubts the value of Matsuzaka, whose brief stint on
the injured list so unnerved the Lions that the team decided to remove
him as a candidate for the Olympics, not willing to risk their ace for
any reason, even a Japanese Gold medal.

Nor does anyone question the value of Matsui, whose steady bat and fleet
feet may make him one of the best all-round players in Japan.

And with Tony Fernandez adding a consistent bat to the core of Seibu's
lineup, no one disputes his role in rejuvenating the Lion's lost offense.

Yet, the name that really makes the Lions purr is Tsutomu Itoh. And
the name growing larger and larger behind Itoh's is that of Masahide Kaizuka.

It's a name you should not forget.