Japanese version on Daily Sports here / デイリースポーツのコラムはこちら
Spring training! Yes, I know… it’s still winter. Snow monkeys are still bathing in hot springs. Polar bears are still snoring. Birds are still suntanning down south. Not to worry, feathered friends! The felines are flying south to Okinawa and will join you in paradise soon!
Ah, Okinawa. My first home in Japan. It was actually there that I was first introduced to NPB, albeit vaguely. I lived in Yomitan for four of my 12 years down there, and heard of some team called the Chunichi Dragons. What did I know about them? They stayed at a nearby hotel, and the restaurant next door, which I loved frequenting, closed for February to cater to their needs. Instant bad image for the Dragons.
A few years later, I was in Ginowan, and had befriended an American baseball nut. He encouraged me to head out to camp with him, So there we stood, watching Yokohama BayStars players walk towards the practice field and dugout. A rockstar-like American pitcher came strutting up, and a handful of mainland girls started swarming him. Turns out it was none other than Marc Kroon, one-time record-holder for fastest pitch in NPB history. (Some kid named Shohei something-or-other obliterated that record a few years back.) He basically ignored us and posed with the ladies for a few minutes before shuffling off to the training facilities. Snubbed.
Well, fast-forward a decade and I find myself living in Kansai. In 2016, I went down to Okinawa with the expressed purpose of watching the same spring training that I failed to take in during 11 of my 12 years of living there. Obviously I concentrated my efforts on sticking near Ginoza, where the Hanshin Tigers practice. But after a dozen years of living on the island, I also had friends I wanted to catch up with.
One particular date was with a former student. I asked him where he wanted to meet up, and he said, “How about Obbligatos at 7pm?” I agreed, and got there a few minutes early. I sat down, texted him to say I had arrived and was already seated. When I looked up from my smartphone, my jaw dropped. The front door to the restaurant opened, and in walked: Randy Messenger, Mauro Gomez, Marcos Mateo, Matt Hague, Tom O’Malley and an interpreter. Like a true fan boy, I rushed up to them and shook their hands. I kept things brief with them, to respect their right to a quiet dinner. But when they were on their way out, I got this gem of a photo.
The morals of the story are as follows: (1) The Dragons and BayStars aren’t your friends. (2) The food at Obbligato’s is excellent and is endorsed by our Tigers. (3) Okinawa is waiting for your arrival. GO!