Hi everyone! This is just a reminder from me to you. Although I do my best to provide as much Hanshin Tigers information as I can, some things in life are not free… but they are worth the money! Therefore, in an attempt to give the hardcore fans a little more of what they want, I started a Patreon account roughly three years ago.
What do I offer on Patreon, you ask? Good question! Presently, there are 9 different tiers. All of them include my original (but sometimes just translated) data report on a particular aspect (or player) of the Tigers’ game. I call it “Tigermetrics”. Here is a brief description of the tiers you can join (which, again, include the Tigermetrics report):
$2/month – Monthly Hanshin Tigers magazine article: I translate one article from the team-produced magazine every month into English. Patrons on this tier get to vote for which article they want. (BONUS: If you want to receive a physical copy of one magazine — pre-read by me — per year, there’s a separate tier for you, for just a dollar more per month!)
$2/month – Podcast shoutout: Every time H-TEN puts out a podcast (usually twice per month, sometimes more), you will be thanked for your patronage. (BONUS: To either advertise on the show or guest once per year, there’s a separate tier for you, for just a dollar more per month!)
$3/month – Proxy services: It is not easy to order and/or obtain Tigers merchandise from overseas. This tier allows you to use us as your Japanese shipping address and storage locker. We will send you everything you’ve ordered from Japanese sites at season’s end. (Shipping needs to be covered by you as well, naturally.)
$5/month – Jersey & trinkets: This tier will be shut down soon, as I have almost run out of merchandise. However, making payments to H-TEN for a year will earn you a jersey and some other vintage Tigers goods. Shipping is included in the cost.
$5/month – Full Digital Experience: You get the first two tiers listed here (including the deluxe podcast tier), plus the right to vote in the monthly Tigers viewing parties that we do together via Zoom.
$10/month – Japanese language lessons: Want to learn more of the language that you hear while watching the Tigers? Look no further! T-Ray will sit down with you (on Zoom) for a half-hour per month and teach you whatever you want to know! The lessons are completely customizable to fit your level and goals.
$10/month – Koshien tour: For those of you who are thinking of coming to Koshien to take in a ballgame this year, this tier (plus the cost of a ticket for me) will get you a tour of the stadium museum, a walk around the ballpark with full explanations of what is what, and a rich fountain of information in your ears as the game itself unfolds!
Unlike most Patreon accounts, I do not collect funds year-round – I pause the billing cycle for three full months in the off-season. Therefore, you can calculate that an annual “membership” is the tier price above x 9. I do not do this for the money, though… I am doing this for the love of the game, the Tigers, and the fans who want to get more into the team! Please consider joining us on Patreon in 2023!