Japanese professional baseball begins a new season today amid hope the game has taken major steps to regain its popularity.
Interleague play and the first expansion team in 50 years are among several changes that will make the 2005 season like no other as the fist game kicks off today at Chiba Marine Stadium.
"We're trying to do everything we can to make the game more fan friendly," said Bobby Valentine, who is entering his second season in his second stint as manager of the Marines. "Japanese baseball should be very proud of the changes it has made."
The Eagles were formed after a two-day players' strike was staged last season over the merger of the Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave.
While it still may be Japan's most popular sport, baseball here has suffered from a talent drain to the North American major leagues and a lack of vision among owners that has resulted in a gradual decline in attendance over the years.
As part of the agreement between players and management after last year's walkout, it was also decided that interleague play would be introduced for the first time, giving teams in the Pacific League the opportunity to cash in on the overwhelming popularity of the Central League's Yomiuri Giants.
"That's a very positive change," said Rakuten's American general manager Marty Kuehnert. "For a long time the players wanted interleague play and the fans wanted it and now they have it."
The Eagles, who will play out of the northeastern city of Sendai, are owned by Harvard graduate Hiroshi Mikitani, who immediately put his stamp on the team by selecting the crimson red of his alma mater for the team's colors.
Elsewhere, SoftBank owner Masayoshi Son took over the Pacific League's Daiei Hawks and renamed them the SoftBank Hawks. Like Mikitani, Son made his fortune in Japan's IT industry and has promised major changes in the way his team will be run.
Son has set a goal of putting together the World's No. 1 team and immediately went out and signed former major leaguers Tony Batista and Jolbert Cabrera, who will join what already was one of the best lineups in Japanese baseball.
Both the Hawks and the Eagles will broadcast their games live on the Internet, a welcome addition in a land where baseball television broadcasts are cut off before the final out.
Another positive addition to Japanese baseball will be the introduction of field-level seats in several parks that will give fans an unobstructed view of the playing field. In the past, protective screens down each foul line prevented a clear view of the players.
In the Central League, the defending league champion Chunichi Dragons got stronger when they signed slugger Tyrone Woods in the offseason.
Woods had 45 homers last season for the Yokohama BayStars and will add some much-needed pop to the Chunichi batting order when the Central League opens a week later.
With veteran Tuffy Rhodes and former Boston Red Sox backup player Gabe Kapler roaming the outfield, the Giants will be strong contenders in the senior circuit.
Two milestones will likely be reached this season by the same player. Yomiuri veteran Kazuhiro Kiyohara needs 20 homers to reach the 200 plateau and just 18 hits to reach 2,000.
Not wanting to be outdone, the Hiroshima Carp have employed the services of a golden retriever named Mickey, who will bring fresh baseballs to the home plate umpire in a basket carried in his mouth.
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