Konami Cup: A Joke
And the lack of attention to the tournament by the Japanese public is similar to that for Asian international club soccer competitions. It's the usual thing of eyes focused to the West, rather than to Asia.
As pointed out in this topic already, it's not really that ironic that the PL playoffs weren't televised. The Central League is clearly in the upper hand of TV execs with Hanshin and Yomiuri.
Also, Softbank's games were televised, albeit they were on the Internet. Though they were still showcased to a live auidence.
- Of course on the same basis one could argue that the Japan Series this year was also a joke.
They could also argue that the CL needs a solution to the playoff question. Hanshin showed up after a long hiatus obviously tired as shown, as it was a 33-4 difference in score [2005 Japan Series - Borisov's Pro Yakyu]. They need a playoff system, to prevent the slugfest that happened. Though it does need to be a universal playoff system for both leagues, with no differences in the format between leagues.
- Maybe the 2005 Marines are just that much better than everybody else.
I agree, the Marines have shown that they're that one step above everyone else. That included the Seibu Lions, Softbank Hawks, and the Hanshin Tigers. Then in the Konami Cup Asia Series it included the Samsung Lions, Sinon Bulls, and the China Stars.
- But seriously, of course there's a talent gap, but I suppose the early MLB-Japan games were a little like these ones, too.
There is a talent gap, but of course I believe that the talent gap can be met like Japan's was. Former Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Tommy LaSorda commented about how the NPB would improve in it's performance (see the 1980 video Part 2 [Link - MLB.com]). It might take a while, but I definetly think it can be met.
- On balance, I think Asian baseball is better off with the tournament than without it.
I also agree, Asian baseball is way better off with the Asia Series than without it. This series is a way of improving Asian baseball as a whole.
But seriously, of course there's a talent gap, but I suppose the early MLB-Japan games were a little like these ones, too. At the very least it's good to see how the various leagues stack up against one other, and I'm sure the visitors will come away with a better idea of what they need to do to match the best in Asia.
On balance, I think Asian baseball is better off with the tournament than without it.
Also, Lotte vs. Lotte is probably quite a real possibility as well.
As for Korea beating Japan in previous international events, those weren't Japan's top players while the KBO did send basically an all star team. You had a lot of industrial leaguers and even some college players on some of those Japanese squads.
FWIW.
- NPB allows more foreign players per team than the other leagues, and also pays higher salaries, attracting better players. This is a legitimate disadvantage to teams from the other leagues.
- Many of the better players from Korea and Taiwan begin playing in the U.S. at rather young ages, without playing in their home country's league. This weakens the leagues overall, in contrast to Japan where most guys play locally before jumping to the States.
- None of the other Asian leagues have been around for nearly as long as NPB.
Once again I find myself agreeing to the facts presented, but strongly disagreeing with the conclusion reached.
Yes, from the start pretty much everyone figured the 2005 Asia Series (Konami Cup) would finish in the order:
- Chiba Lotte Marines (NPB)
- Samsun Lions (KBO)
- Sinon Bulls (CPBL)
- China All-Stars (CBL)
When everything finished, that's exactly how everything ended - as predicted.
Furthermore, I'm one of those people who thought, "Finally!" - but I'm very pleased at how things turned out for this first ever Asian international championship.
Why would a baseball fan be willing to endure a competition that has to resort to the "mercy rule" to keep things friendly? For the future.
I've written a number of times that I would like to see the Pacific League became a "true" Pacific League, including regular season games against Korean and Taiwanese teams. The reason I would like to see this is to alleviate the problem of playing the same five teams over and over and over again. (I started this vision when I thought that inter-league play would never happen - I was wrong on that count.) As I stated with the proposal, the Japanese teams would probably clean up on wins at the beginning, but the other leagues would gradually become more competitive. And this is the ultimate goal, to improve competitiveness.
Each league, on its own, will only improves in slow increments. Japan's league is the oldest, and therefore has had the most time to improve. Futhermore, having more teams to compete against tends to promote refining of skills to become better. On the other hand, too many teams in any league will lead to a dilution of high quality players (as shown when Taiwan had two leagues). By having inter-league play spanning NPB, KBO, and CPBL organizations, you get the benifits of more competition without the detriment of diluting the talent pool. As the teams play each other more, the strategies and skill sets of the various leagues will start to complement each other and all of the leagues will improve at an accellerated rate.
At least, that's what I believe will happen.
At any rate, the Konami Cup is a good stepping stone to more international competition between teams as opposed to all star teams[*].
PLNara's post about the differences in leagues is very interesting. To further the problem of players from Korea and Taiwan going to MLB, many of their best players are also coming to Japan. In 2006, NPB will be allowing one Asian player on each team to be excluded from the foreign player limits, making it more likely that even more Korean and Taiwanese players will be making their way to Japan, leaving a gap in quality players for the KBO and CPBL.
But, how can the differences that PLNara-san brought up be closed in the future? This is something that would not have even been noticed by many had there not been a Konami Cup. Each baseball organization would continue going on in their own little worlds without thought of rules that other leagues have. For future competitions, though, and possibly for a True Pacific League, these issues are at least being recognized. The Konami Cup has meaning beyond what happened on the playing field. The Konami Cup is anything but a joke.
[* I left out the CBL, which sent an all star team to the Konami Cup and is still far too young a league to include competitively in my proposed True Pacific League. You could point out that they would benifit most from having more high caliber competition. But I do think that there is a certain bar that needs to be crossed first. Competitions like the Konami Cup will help them a great deal, especially in setting goals for themselves. But I wouldn't want them to be part of a larger league until their league has matured a bit more.]
Makoto Suzuki was an exception because he was brought over to the U.S.A. by Don Nomura at the age of 16, two years before his high graduation to avoid the NPB draft.
For example, there were a few MLB teams attempting to sign Takanobu Tsujiuchi, and there are at least a couple who are working on that Tanaka kid who is breaking Matsuzaka's strikeout records. In past years, MLB clubs tried to sign Takumi Nasuno, Yasuhiro Ichiba, Yu Darvish, Hiroshi Kisanuki, and Hayato Terahara, among others. It's just that given the amount of money Japanese teams throw at these kids, both under and over the table, it is tough for careful MLB teams to compete with, and that is before you add in the comforts of home factor.
Of course, once those players are under contract, no MLB team can touch them.
As for the Taiwan and Korean leagues, both of those are in their infant stages historically. The countries involved are also much smaller population-wise, which limits the available talent pool. Furthermore, just not many kids play baseball in Korea to begin with and soccer continues to have an increasingly stronger pull there.
A scout I know for an MLB team says that the talent is pretty thin in Taiwan right now and that most of the really good arms have already been cherry picked off the island. And that is likely to continue.
I'll reply to several of your points below:
- I've written a number of times that I would like to see the Pacific League became a "true" Pacific League, including regular season games against Korean and Taiwanese teams. The reason I would like to see this is to alleviate the problem of playing the same five teams over and over and over again. (I started this vision when I thought that inter-league play would never happen - I was wrong on that count.)
I think this a good idea, but it's probably more appropriate at the Industrial League, rather than Pacific League, level. I think the disparity is just too great between the teams, and anyway, the Pa-League tends to have two or three competitive teams, and 3 or 4 doormats. I'd rather see the Pacific League get to the point where it's more competitive as a whole before it becomes a pan-Asian league.
- PLNara's post about the differences in leagues is very interesting. To further the problem of players from Korea and Taiwan going to MLB, many of their best players are also coming to Japan. In 2006, NPB will be allowing one Asian player on each team to be excluded from the foreign player limits, making it more likely that even more Korean and Taiwanese players will be making their way to Japan, leaving a gap in quality players for the KBO and CPBL.
I didn't know that rule about Asian players for 2006. Does it extend to players of Asian descent from America (particularly) Brazil?
One thing is that many of the Asian players that come to Japan do so after establishing themselves in Korea or Taiwan first. Lee Sun Yeop and Koo Dae Sun are two examples that immediately spring to mind. Japan also picks off some of Korea and Taiwan's top foreign talent, like Tyrone Woods (Korea) and Alex Cabrera (Taiwan) - though I think Cabrera may have played in America between Taiwan and Korea.
The Korean and Taiwanese players that come to America seem more likely to be younger players, without significant experience in their home leagues.
- But, how can the differences that PLNara-san brought up be closed in the future? This is something that would not have even been noticed by many had there not been a Konami Cup. Each baseball organization would continue going on in their own little worlds without thought of rules that other leagues have. For future competitions, though, and possibly for a True Pacific League, these issues are at least being recognized.
Fans like to complain about the NPB rules restricting foreign players in Japan, and limiting Japanese players' ability to move the Major Leagues, but you can't argue that Japan has developed to the point where it's generating top-quality baseball players and building competitive baseball organizations. I belive that giving homegrown players a chance to play, and keeping them around, has allowed NPB to grow to the point it's at now.
So maybe it's obvious, but to improve the quality of the Korean and Taiwanese leagues, I think they need to let their guys play, and keep them around long enough to develop the league. I think progress can be stimulated by occasional competitive games with higher level competition (such as NPB). I've also always wanted to see more exchange between NPB and MLB, i.e. more players going back and forth, more scouts and coaches working together. I think this could be even more beneficial among the Asian leagues - in ways that go beyone just baseball.
Another thing is Japan has an amazing baseball culture. Just look at things like Koshien, just about any team's oen-dan (especially Hanshin, Softbank, Lotte, and Yomiuri), and the level of attention that Japanese big leaguers get. It would be great if players and coaches, and ultimately fans, from the other Asian leagues could get to experience those kinds of situations firsthand. It's those kinds of games that really mean something, that really make you excited about baseball. I don't know if Korea or Taiwan have anything equivilant.
- The Konami Cup has meaning beyond what happened on the playing field. The Konami Cup is anything but a joke.
Absolutely, I couldn't agree more. I think this is a great first step. Remember, the first time Japanese players played against Major Leaguers, it was Babe Ruth and other Hall of Famers against high school and college players. Since then, Japan has developed an excellent pro league and several Major League-level All Star players. I hope that the other Asian leagues will also reach this level.
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Everybody knows that the Marines are going to finish on top followed by the Lions, Bulls and China All-Stars. Nobody's really excited about this Konami Cup. At first the idea seemed novel. Everybody thought, "Finally!" But this is turning out to be a laugher with game ending after a mercy rule.