Yokohama vs. Yomiuri - Triple Play and Team for Sale

Want the wind taken out of your sails? Turn over the lead and hit into a triple play. Just when you think that there's no other method of losing, Yokohama has got surprises in store.

The Yokohama BayStars started the scoring off with a run on a pair of hits in the top of the 2nd inning. And as has been typical, they handed the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning on a pair of home runs, the first a solo blast by Alex Ramirez who leads the league in home runs, this being his 47th (9th against Yokohama). The second home run was a 3-run shot by third baseman Ryota Wakiya, who went on to be one of two heroes of the game.

OK. Down 1-4 we need to get back into this. So in the top of the third Wakiya puts a glove on a sharply hit ball to third, but it goes off his glove and leadoff batter Takehiro Ishikawa is aboard on the error. Giant starter Shugo Fujii then walks Keijiro Matsumoto to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Seiichi Uchikawa, batting .330 against the Giants, then grounds the ball to Wakiya almost standing on the third base bag. Wakiya makes the step to touch third, throws to second for out number two, then the relay to first gets Uchikawa by a step. Triple play!

Might as well pack up now, because there was no wood action on the Yokohama side thereafter, other than a single to left by left fielder (filling in for Terrmel Sledge) Tatsuya Shimozono in the 7th inning. Sure, we got a couple of walks, but nothing that would amount to anything. Meanwhile, the Giants scored 1 in the 4th and another 2 in the 7th (payback for the hit we got?) to take this game 7-1.

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Now that that's out of the way, I'd been asked to comment on the prospect of Jyuseikatsu ("Housing Life") Group (a group of companies that mostly deal with home construction and remodeling) potentially buying the BayStars.

Well, how do I feel about TBS' ownership of the team? I really like that they show the home games from start to finish on their CS news channel. I always liked TVK's (local UHF channel) broadcasts before, but they tended to start late and cut off early, so this was the right way to go for a broadcaster owning the team.

However, for those without cable or satellite, TBS only showed games against the Giants. And then they'd usually bring in "special guests" from some drama they were promoting who was a Giants fan more often than not. Even the CS channel ran ads into game play when the BayStars hosted the Giants, turning the broadcast there to the same mess one usually sees on the terrestrial channels (except before 7:00 pm and after 9:24 pm).

Furthermore, with the exception of one daytime TV host, TBS really didn't seem to get behind their baseball organization. I felt at the time that they bought the 'Stars that it was only at the urging of the Giants' president Watanabe at the time after he thwarted off the president of Nippon Housou (radio station) from buying the team due to indirect corporate ties to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. So TBS didn't seem to really want the team in the first place, but grudgingly took it as a back-room favor to Nabetsune.

Since buying the team, very little changed in terms of the front office operations until this past off season. I didn't expect much difference to come by hiring a "Dentsu Man" as the new president, but the first I saw of Takao Kaji at the Searex Fanfest changed my mind. And he really did start off his job with change (manager, acquiring free agents, making trades, etc.) It seems like there was more turnover both on and off the field with Yokohama over this past year than over the previous 10 years.

But in the end, the team didn't change in the standings, where it counts the most.

Can a company that specializes in home fix-up reform the team into a champion? Can they do any worse than a radio and TV broadcaster that only promoted a rival team's games? Unlike the two bidders for a new team after the thwarted contraction attempt in 2004 by the owners (Livedoor's Horie and Rakuten's Mikitani), there is no personality behind names like INAX or Tostem (just beautiful toilets and system kitchen units). Until I see a plan for what they want to do with the team, I can't really say if they'd be a good steward for the team or not.

The other main issue with the selling of the team is whether or not the team will be moving to Niigata. On the one hand, I'd really like to see a team give that a try. On the other hand, I'd rather it not be my local team. There were scattered fans at the game against the Giants with cards saying "Niigata NO!!!" or "Against moving." But for the team as a whole, would it be a bad thing to leave Kanto and stake a claim to virgin territory? And if some deal could be made whereby all home games were still broadcast on TBS Newsbird, all the better. I think I could live with that.

So, there you have it. My initial thoughts on the possible sale of the BayStars. All opinions are subject to change based on further information that is revealed in the coming months. I believe I'd read that if a deal wasn't ratified by the 12 team owners by the end of November, then it won't go through this off season, so everything will be happening at a fast pace from now to then.