Daily Sports Column (Japanese) here / トレバーの虎場（デイリースポーツ）から
I can still remember July 1998 like it was yesterday. I wouldn’t call myself traumatized by what happened. Just shell-shocked. I had just come to Okinawa, Japan, and the town Board of Education threw me a welcome party. There I was, sitting at a table with a bunch of people I had never met before. Lots of drinking going on, and a lot of staticky chatter buzzing through the air. Even if it had been in English, I still would have been a little taken aback, what with this being the first time a party was thrown in my honor. And even if it had been in Japanese, I would not have stood a chance of understanding it, literally being fresh off the boat. But they weren’t speaking textbook Japanese, and it wasn’t even close. Almost all communication was being done in the local Okinawan dialect. Spoken by locals who were bloated with beer and awamori. Enunciation was not exactly a high priority on this night. I understood nothing of what was going on around me. Literally, nothing. It was kind of a lonely feeling, to be honest.
And then, in the midst of my discomfort, I heard the MC of the party ask me to stand up and give a speech. A speech? For whom? I don’t know these people. About what? I’ve never given an impromptu speech like this in my life. And oh, you want me to give it in Japanese if possible? You’ve got to be kidding me!
I stood there frozen for 3 whole agonizing minutes, trying to figure out what they wanted me to say. All eyes were on me, and it felt like every drop of blood in my body had invaded my face. I have no idea what I finally said, but it couldn’t have sounded coherent to anyone there. Still, the applause I received was polite enough to make me feel like I’d done something well, even if I hadn’t.
I remember that night every time I hear our Hanshin Tigers import players get asked to say something to the crowd in Japanese on the hero’s podium. Only they’re not at a welcome party of 50 or so local colleagues and dignitaries. No, their audience stretches beyond the 40,000+ fans at Koshien Stadium, and encompasses millions watching the game on TV, too.
So how have the guys performed in recent years?
Matt Murton is probably best remembered for his “Nohmi-san, aishiteru” bit (0:55 – of the video below), but more often than not, he used his platform to speak about his faith: “Kamisama wa watashi no chikara desu.” or “Iesusama ni heian ga aru” (2:38 of the video below).
Matt Hague tried hard but ended up getting his words just slightly wrong: “Gombate” and “Kompai” come to mind.
This year’s guys have impressed me with their Japanese skills.
Joe Gunkel’s “Tigers fans, itsumo arigato” was charming enough that Suguru Iwazaki took to mimicking him when his turn came to be interviewed (7:15 of the video below). He even repeated it two weeks later in another hero interview, independent of Gunkel.
Jerry Sands picked up a Kansai dialect phrase from Murton, and has used the “Tigers fans, okini!” when asked for Japanese.
Justin Bour has made a few jaws drop with phrases like, “Ii otenki desu ne!” and “So desu ne” that sounded quite natural and well-rehearsed (and yet spontaneous).
Jefry Marte even busted out some pretty impressive Japanese the other day: “Tigers fans, meccha aishiteru! Oen, arigato gozaimashita!” (from 4:00 of the video below)
Upon which one commentator said, “タイガースの外国人選手の日本語が本当に堪能です” (The Tigers imports’ Japanese is really good!)
The reply: “選手は彼らにそれを教えているし、もうちょっときっちりした日本語を教えてあげてほしい！” (The Japanese players are teaching them all kinds of things… I just wish at times that they would teach them more proper Japanese.)
Sure, it’s fun to hear them misusing the word “meccha” all the time, but the announcer did make a point. Why not give them a catch phrase that can endear them to fans beyond their tenure with the team? Ask fans what they remember about Tom O’Malley, and many of them will mention one of two things: the CD he released or his sign-off phrase from the podium: “Tigers fans wa ichiban ya.”
I’m telling you, having a few extra tricks up one’s sleeve is never a bad thing. And if you don’t have the pipes to put out music for the fans, it sure would be nice if their Japanese were sweet music to the fans’ ears instead. Need a teacher? H-TEN’s got you covered!