From T-Ray’s Daily Sports Column (Japanese) / トレバーの虎場（デイリースポーツ）から
I can’t remember the exact day it dawned on me that I would never be a professional athlete, but I clearly recall my ambitions changing very quickly from athletic to journalistic. Like, if I could not be in that locker room celebrating a Stanley Cup with my teammates, I would find a way into the room as someone asking questions to the champs. Still getting soaked with suds, still feeling the adrenaline rush, the thrill of victory. I must have been eleven or twelve years old.
That starry-eyed kid has traveled down the road of life just like we all do, changing up career paths as various roadblocks presented themselves. Somehow, I ended up back at square one a few years back. Only this time, I was not vying to celebrate a Stanley Cup with a bunch of bearded (mostly) Canadians. I wanted to somehow find myself in the mix with the import players on the Hanshin Tigers.
For real, I partly started H-TEN because I wanted to be part of the lives of the players, or of their families at the very least. Little by little, I have managed to contact someone in the families of several of your favorite baseball guys from across the pond.
First, Randy Messenger’s mom found my blog. Then his wife joined the Facebook group I had created. So did Matt Murton’s wife. A couple of years later, Matt Hague reached out to me (or maybe I instigated it). Through a follower of my site, I got introduced to Rafael Dolis. Then Eric Campbell’s brother touched base with me. And Jason Rogers and I would have gone out for a burger were it not for his premature farming the day I was supposed to meet him after the top squad game at Koshien. Pierce Johnson and I even exchanged pleasantries via text, though we never got to meet.
But the fun was only just beginning. Though I haven’t met any of the current Hanshin imports, I have made strong connections with two of the families in particular. Both started as social media encounters with the wives of the guys, but both have also become more than just a “how do you do”.
First, the Bours. Hayley, wife of Justin, has asked me several questions about all sorts of things Japan-related, and as a result, we occasionally just talk about everyday stuff. Like the time my young son broke his leg. “Poor guy! Is he OK? If there is anything I can do, let me know!” Well, my wife worked overtime to help my son through the surgery, check-ups, and recovery process, so that part was all fine. But Hayley suggested something else to me: “Like maybe a signed bat or something to cheer him up.” Hmmm… my son *does* like the Tigers, and so does his daddy… I wouldn’t mind an extra piece of Bour lumber in the house! Turns out we “settled” for an autographed ball, but hey! It’s even got a personal message on it! I feel like I practically know Justin!
The Sands clan has actually done us one better. Without getting into too many details, I have had the privilege of talking with the whole family (minus Jerry) on several occasions. His two sons are an absolute joy to be around, and typical of little boys, they will wrestle around with anyone, even me! (We were wearing masks and disinfected our hands: wrestling in a pandemic has to be done differently!) My wife and Morgan have been able to swap contact information as well, so it’s nice to be able to see the friendship goes beyond baseball interests.
Through all of this, I have come to realize something: this is not just some silly childhood dream anymore. First of all, I have essentially created a new pipeline between import players and H-TEN. But more importantly than that, this comes down to the human side of life in Japan. Coming to a new country is not easy for anyone, even well-paid star baseball players. It is not afternoon tea and massages all day for their wives. It is not a year-long vacation for their kids, either. They struggle with communication, with finding a good social circle, with “filling the time” when the man of the house is on the road for weeks at a time.
Now, I am not suggesting that I am going to become besties with the players’ wives from now on. No, far from it. I work full-time and have a family to take care of. But I also have a decent understanding of what it’s like to pack up your whole life and move to a country where nothing makes as much sense as it did back home. I also now have 20+ years of building up connections and contacts in Japan. And so, if any of the imports’ families needs friends, I can probably hook them up with someone who shares something in common with them.
This is not champagne showers in a sweaty euphoric dressing room after a championship. It’s real-life in a real country with real people who have real needs. And if I can be part of their story, to make their stay in Japan a more pleasant one, well then, I will consider that fulfillment of my own childhood dream.