publications

Toreba no Toraba: Don’t Read the Comments!

Toreba no Toraba: Don’t Read the Comments!

As seen in Daily Sports (Japanese) / デイリースポーツの連載コラム・トレバーの虎場から Happy New Year everyone! I hope that your 2022, the Year of the Tiger(s), is a much more prosperous year than last year was. It seems as though Covid-19 is not going away any time soon, which means we have to remain vigilant against its contagious nature….

Toreba no Toraba: Yogurt Bird Envy

Toreba no Toraba: Yogurt Bird Envy

As seen in Daily Sports Online (Japanese) / デイリースポーツの連載コラムから I want to introduce you to my friend, John. He and I met around five years ago when we were two of the only foreigners in attendance at a Stryper concert in Osaka. What I found out about John that day was that when he has…

Toreba no Toraba: Who Cares About the Pennant, Anyways?

Toreba no Toraba: Who Cares About the Pennant, Anyways?

As seen in Daily Sports Online (Japanese only) / デイリースポーツオンライン連載コラム・トレバーの虎場から I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since last Tuesday night’s anti-climactic loss mathematically eliminated the Hanshin Tigers from winning the pennant in 2021. Which Tigers fan has NOT been doing a lot of thinking??? Why could we not seal the deal? How long will…

Toreba no Toraba: Keep the Faith!

Toreba no Toraba: Keep the Faith!

Based on my Daily Sports Column (Japanese) / トレバーの虎場(デイリースポーツ)の連載コラムから Well, September was a real letdown of a month for the Hanshin Tigers, wasn’t it? Actually, though, they finished with a winning record (10-9-4), though you would never guess it based on the numbers or the mood in Kansai. Those numbers included… only 10 home runs,…

Toreba no Toraba: Lessons of an Olympic Driver

Toreba no Toraba: Lessons of an Olympic Driver

Based on the Daily Sports Column (Japanese) / トレバーの虎場(デイリースポーツ)から “You’d be perfect for the job. Why don’t you look into it?” My wife’s friend not only made the suggestion but also set me up with an interview to be a driver for a certain media outlet during the Tokyo 2020 (2021?) Olympics. Being the laid-back…

Toreba no Toraba: Heidi Games All Year Long

Toreba no Toraba: Heidi Games All Year Long

As seen in Daily Sports Online (Japanese) / トレバーの虎場から OK, I’ve about had it. Earlier this month, I was hosting the monthly H-TEN viewing party on Zoom. I and three others sat down in front of our respective computers while watching the Tigers-Hawks game on our own TV screens. Most of them were on Toratele,…

Toreba no Toraba: The Olympics, NBC, Koshien and Me

Toreba no Toraba: The Olympics, NBC, Koshien and Me

As seen on Daily Sports Online (Japanese) / トレバーの虎場から The decision to go through with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been a controversial one, and has been as full of questionable political moves as everything else during this pandemic. To be completely honest with you, I have been against Tokyo 2020 from the start, and…

Toreba no Toraba: Sato’s Shiny Star & (Finnish) Flashbacks

Toreba no Toraba: Sato’s Shiny Star & (Finnish) Flashbacks

As seen in Daily Sports / デイリースポーツのコラム(トレバーの虎場)から Teruaki Sato. The young man who plays like he’s already in his prime. Does interviews like he’s been there, done that a thousand times before. Brings excitement to the stands (empty though they may be) and the nation like no one has in ages, if ever. Gives dreams…

Toreba no Toraba: Koshien the Movie

Toreba no Toraba: Koshien the Movie

As seen in Daily Sports Online (Japanese) / トレバーの虎場(デイリースポーツ)から Ah, Koshien… how we missed you last year. It’s so great to have high school boys back at the best ballpark in Japan, leaving everything on the field for a chance at glory. It truly is a beautiful tournament and set-up, and damn you, Covid-19, for…