Chiba Lotte vs. Bobby V

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Robert Whiting on how the Valentine Era unraveled in Japan:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20100117j1.html

A new assistant general manager named Akira Ishikawa seemed intent on making Valentine's life as miserable as possible. He reportedly countermanded Valentine's instructions to players before and during games, and twice after Valentine had become involved in on-field disputes with the umpires came down to take the side of the men in blue. A key, if unusual, combatant in the effort of the front office to discredit Valentine was a moon-faced, middle-aged woman named Yoko Yoneda, who, at the start of the 2009 season, had been elevated to the No. 3 spot in the front office, in charge of media relations and VIP suites.

From spring training on, Yoneda had pressured scribes to criticize Valentine more in print and, in one case, demanded a reporter to write Valentine had chosen the wrong pitcher. She complained that Valentine's lifelong friend, coach Frank Ramppen could not even hit fungoes properly.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's true. Ramppen's fungoes are for shit.

[Fman99]

I won't be happy until I have a brand of sake named after me.

I kept waiting for the crazed shirtless executive to come along and yell at Bobby until he cried and left the hemisphere.

[metirish]

Not being able to hit fungoes properly is like this huge thing in Japan...Yoko Yoneda is the Japanese Steve Phillips....

[Fman99]

Not being able to hit fungoes properly is like this huge thing in Japan...Yoko Yoneda is the Japanese Steve Phillips....[/quote:v1n7j8bw]

So that means he likes to bang interns that look like Penn Jillette?

[metirish]

Yoko sounds a bit crazy

With a fondness for garish fashion � black, zebra-striped polyester shirts and loud pink dresses � and carrying a mauve business card that described her as a �fortune teller� who did �character and color analysis,� she was surely one of the strangest NPB executives in the annals of the game. Yoneda made news at the beginning of the season, when she ordered reporters to stop wearing jeans and to use keigo, or formal Japanese when speaking to the players. This was the cause of great mirth to some observers, since most reporters had nothing else in their wardrobe and most players, for their part, were so uneducated they could not understand honorific Japanese. A former cheerleader at high school baseball powerhouse PL Gakuen, Yoneda had been introduced to acting owner Akio Shigemitsu, by the president of Otsuka, and had been given a job in the Lotte front office in 2006. No one could figure out what the nature of her relationship was with the diffident billionaire�s son, who denied there was anything romantic going on. He simply explained in a news conference that Yoneda was an �eccentric character� who told his fortune.

[Guest Edgy DC]

[Guest Edgy DC]

Man, talk about fans vs. ownership.

http://marinerds.blogspot.com/2009/05/war-escalates-between-chiba-front.html

These peeps know how to make a protest banner.


"We fans demand an apology and explanation FROM THE FRONT OFFICE THEMSELVES for all of the insults and confusion caused"


"The front office says we're useless fans, but we want to fight with Bobby who says we're the best in the world."
(and below that)
"Keep the team in Chiba and make the CLUELESS FRONT OFFICE go away!"


But when you see this disgraceful form on a Nippon baseball field, you really see where ownership is coming from.

[Frayed Knot]

So now we've got grounds to convince Bobby that the NYM hierarchy would be an improvement in efficiency and stability as compared to what he's been used to.

Now all we have to do is think of something to do with that Jerry fellow. Hmmmm ... get me Conan's agent on the phone.

[MFS62]

The memory of 40+ years ago is pretty hazy.
When I was in the Army I learned my one and only Japanese epithet.
A loose transliteration is eye-ick-a-TIE Yoko Yoneda.
IIRC, I just told her to eat dung.

Fman, you may now add that to your collection.

Later

[Fman99]

[scribbling furiously]

[Centerfield]

A new assistant general manager named Akira Ishikawa seemed intent on making Valentine's life as miserable as possible.

This is just a shame. I loved his samarai movies.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

A new assistant general manager named Akira Ishikawa seemed intent on making Valentine's life as miserable as possible.

This is just a shame. I loved his samarai movies.

[bmfc1]

The 2d and 3d parts are out, at the same website. It's well worth reading.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

http://shrinecastle.blogspot.com/2010/01/q-with-bobby-v.html

Nice recap of a January Q-and-A at New York's Japan Society, covering a wide range of topics. Including...

Valentine fielded questions about managing the Mets again ("It's not as though you don't go back to the girl that dumped you, but it takes a little while, it takes a little convincing . . .") and what the Mets need to do to be successful in the 2010 season. ("They need to stay healthy, but I like their talent.")

Hmm. HMM.

[seawolf17]

DO IT, OMAR.

[HahnSolo]

A key, if unusual, combatant in the effort of the front office to discredit Valentine was a moon-faced, middle-aged woman named Yoko Yoneda, who, at the start of the 2009 season, had been elevated to the No. 3 spot in the front office, in charge of media relations and VIP suites.

From spring training on, Yoneda had pressured scribes to criticize Valentine more in print and, in one case, demanded a reporter to write Valentine had chosen the wrong pitcher. She complained that Valentine's lifelong friend, coach Frank Ramppen could not even hit fungoes properly.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Maybe we should turn this thread into an All Purpose Bobby Watch.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Maybe we should turn this thread into an All Purpose Bobby Watch.

[Guest Kong76]

I renewed our sponsorship of BV on bbrdotcom today.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/valenbo02.shtml

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

On further, further review, we really don't deserve Bobby V as a fanbase. At least, not nearly as much as the Chiba Lotte fans do, as evidenced by their AWESOME Val Passucci (Chiba Lotte, 2005-06) chant-song... which lasts through the at-bat... ALL the way through the at-bat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCeRxBtp4YM (via Ted Berg)

On a side note, we need more brass at Citi. And possibly more overcaffeinated Japanese. (Actually... definitely more overcaffeinated Japanese.)

[Guest Edgy DC]

I bet Soupcan has been with an overcaffeinated Japanese.