NPB Tracker

I’m sitting here trying to watch tonight’s Korea-Venezuela game, but ESPN is showing college wrestling instead. Why??? How can this possibley attract more viewers than the WBC game? 

The game is on ESPN Classic until the wrestling is over, but that channel isn’t included in my cable package. I guess I’ll either have to wait for find a live feed.

Update: Okay, the wrestling ended and they switched back to the WBC, 19 minutes after game time and just in time to see Korea jump out to a 1-0 lead. The wrestling match was in overtime, which I didn’t know they had in wrestling.

Japan cleanup hitter Shuichi Murata is out of the WBC with a pulled a hamstring, suffered rounding first on a single in Thursday night’s win over Korea. Despite replacing him in the game with scrub Yoshiyuaki Kamei, Japan won the game. Manager Tatsunori Hara has called on Hiroshima Carp infielder Kenta Kurihara to take Murata’s spot. Kurihara bats cleanup for Hiroshima but doesn’t have Murata’s power and hasn’t played much at third recently. 

Maybe Hara will have Kurihara DH and play Munenori Kawasaki or Yasuyuki Kataoka at third.

A non-profit organization, “Sports Community” is spreading the importance of sports to the Yokohama community. Former players from NPB, former and current players from the Yokohama based industrial league team ENEOS, and former players from women’s softball league make up the teachers in the Sports Community. Their goals are to teach the importance of sportsmanship and the excitement of sports in the right way. They also stress family relationships and communication within the community. Baseball and softball classes are held for the children and also provides family participation events throughout the year.

The Yokohama BayStars are building a community with knowledge of sports management as they build a partnership with Sanno University. Both sides are trying to create a win-win situation as the students of the sport business programs of Sanno University are gaining experience and learning from the real life situations with the Baystars and their minor league team, the Shonan Searex.

Another big part of community service and creating awareness during the BayStars games is blood donations. Before games at certain times of the year, the prefecture’s Red Cross Society comes out to the games and call out for donations before the game. For the participants, the Baystars provide a free sticker and an opportunity to be in the drawing for an on-field event after the game.

There are other projects that the Baystars are involved with such as the Make a Wish to the Stars Project, where the players visit local elementary schools to teach the importance of having a dream to the children. Other members of the Diana team, which is the cheerleading squad, are involved with the Pink Ribbon Project which creates awareness and collects donations for breast cancer. Kanagawa prefecture is second in Japan in deathes due to breast cancer and the Baystars are trying to help the community become aware of the disease.

The BayStars are another team that will have a new look for the 2009 season with their first new home and away uniforms since the 1992 season. The transition comes in the year of  Yokohama harbor celebrating their 150th anniversary since opening the harbor to the world. As the city will be in celebration mode throughout the year, the Baystars hope to add on to the excitement with their new style.