For an interview with the author, check out Episode 90 of the podcast.
You’ve watched the Hanshin Tigers and you know you like them. There’s just something unique about this club and you can’t quite put your finger on it. Look no further than this book for an in-depth explanation of what your heart has been trying to put into words all along.
No, this is not a baseball book that will tell you about all the great players in team history, though most of them get at least a mention. Instead, this book, the culmination of 8 years of fieldwork plus several years processing it, is an anthropological look at all aspects of the world inside (and surrounding) the Hanshin Tigers.
You want answers about how the Japanese baseball season flows? Chapter 2 provides that answer: it’s both cyclical and linear at the same time.
Want to know what a player’s daily life and playing career look like? Look no further than Chapter 3, which outlines this plus the interesting phenomenon of turning import players into either saviors or scapegoats.
Chapter 4 introduces you to the difficulties of being a longstanding Tigers manager. (Hint: There is no such thing! Of the four managers Kelly highlights in this chapter, the longest tenure was that of Katsuya Nomura, who led the team to three consecutive last-place finishes.)
Ever wondered how the front office and parent company figure into the operations of the team? Look no further than Chapter 5. Some of the names and executive titles you see in articles will start to make more sense.
Chapter 6 will give you clear insights into what the fan clubs used to look like, and why it was so difficult for the club to unify and control them.
Not to be left out of the mix, the media and their complicated relationship with the Tigers gets fully fleshed out in Chapter 7. The love-hate relationship that they have with each other is quite fascinating.
After carrying you back through the history of professional baseball in Japan in Chapter 8 (a great read that was bolstered but not limited to what Robert Whiting explained in some of his works), the book at last comes to its most enlightening chapter. Chapter 9 explains how Osaka went from running neck-and-neck with Tokyo as front-running city in Japan, to playing second fiddle in multiple areas, baseball being just one of them. No chapter explains the mysterious way that the Hanshin Tigers have such a fierce fan base better than this one.
Finally, Chapter 10 ends the book off by looking at what has changed since Mr. Kelly was in Japan doing field work (mostly from 1996 to 2003). He expresses doubt about professional baseball’s ability to thrive in the 21st century as soccer gains popularity and NPB fails to take advantage of the trends of the age (social media, streaming, globalizing the brand, etc.).
I hope this review has not given away too much about this book. I can honestly say that this is the best baseball book I have read. Ever. English or Japanese. Kudos to Mr. Kelly for putting together an amazing compilation of what truly is a soap opera society: the sportsworld of the Hanshin Tigers.