| Haruko Minakami: Haruko and I have been friends for
more than 20 years and she was the one who hipped me to the existence of
Japan's pro baseball leagues back in the early 1980's and even arranaged
for me to see a couple of games during my intial stay there. As a result,
I used Japanese baseball magazines as part of my Japanese studies. I also
have to say that someone as accomplished and as intelligent as Haruko-san
even giving me the time of day much less allowing me the privilege of calling
her my friend is one of the highlights of my life.
Robert Whiting: For a lot of english speaking baseball fans, Bob's books were our first windows into the workings of the sport over in Japan. They continue to be classics and I was honored when Bob mentioned my Baseball Guru writings in one of his books. He has since given me much encouragement in the creation of this site. Jim Allen: A great guy in general, Jim has been reporting from The Hot Corner for eons now for the Yomiuri Shimbun. His articles and insight are indispensible for any fan of baseball in Japan. Michael Westbay: Michael, along with Allen, was one of the first people who attempted to tell the real story of Japanese baseball and clear up some of the misleading reportage in the U.S.. He was kind enough to periodically permit me to contribute to his site and Japanese Baseball.com continues to serve as an important gathering place on the internet for fans of the sport. It is no exaggeration to say that without Michael providing me a forum for my initial forays into writing about the subject, you wouldn't be seeing any of what is before you now. Thanks, Michael! Craig Tomarkin: The webmaster and owner of Baseball Guru.com, Craig allowed me to report on the daily goings on in Japanese baseball and with a free hand at that. Baseball Guru was responsible for the creation of my reputation, such as it is, and the growing focus it helped bring to the subject spurred me to get off my behind and attempt to create a database for statistical information that can be used as a reference by an english speaking fanbase, the media, or the merely curious. Jim Albright: For the finest statistical analyses of
Japanese baseball that can be found anywhere despite not being able to
speak or read Japanese.
Larry Stone, Joe Posnanski, Ross Newhan, Ken Rosenthal, Buster Olney, Wayne Graczyk, Dan Latham, Marty Kuehnert, Jim Callis, Tim Kurkjian, Dan Graziano, Jason Stark and the late Jim Healy: Just as baseball writers or commentators, pure and simple, these guys are among the best in the business and have given me endless hours of reading pleasure. I have even had the good fortune to have exchanged emails with some of them over the years and they have never ceased to be kind and thoughtful. Of course, in a thousand lifetimes I could never come to write as well as any of them or have the insight they do, but they definitely set a standard to strive for. Mischa Gelman: For informing me of my mistakes. He has helped make this site more accurate and and readable than it would have otherwise. Vin Scully: For providing the soundtrack to my baseball life as a youngster and showing night after night what true excellence and consistency is. Dick Enberg: Dick used to to the Angels broadcasts while I was growing up in Southern California. It has been a great loss for baseball that he no longer does it. Sankei Sports, Nikkan Sports, Chunichi Sports, Sports Nippon and Shukan Baseball: The source material for my reports. Yuhoko Wadwha, Nobuko Sugamoto, Keiji Matsumoto and Mitsuko Ujihara: Thank you for teaching me Japanese. To Bill Stevens, Dan Johnson, Ben (the Jingu Bleacher Bum), Mark Garcia, Ray Poitevant, people with MLB teams whose names I can't mention here, players in Japan as well as dyed in the wool baseball fans in general, I am truly blessed when you take time out of your busy schedules to use this site. It has made the thousands of hours I have spent on it more than worthwhile. |