This is a site about Pro Yakyu (Japanese Baseball), not about who the next player to go over to MLB is. It's a community of Pro Yakyu fans who have come together to share their knowledge and opinions with the world. It's a place to follow teams and individuals playing baseball in Japan (and Asia), and to learn about Japanese (and Asian) culture through baseball.
It is my sincere hope that once you learn a bit about what we're about here that you will join the community of contributors.
Michael Westbay
(aka westbaystars)
Founder
Talks broke down earlier this morning (October 27, 2010) between the two sides, the location of their future home being a major sticky point. I can't help but wonder if the pressure from outside groups to keep the team in Yokohama is a big reason. After all, this news is coming right after Kanagawa prefecture's governor Matsuzawa stated in the press that he still has a dream to see a multi-purpose domed stadium in the Minato Mirai area built.
There may still be a chance that Nojima Denki, a local electronics store chain, may swoop in and save the 'Stars. But with hardly a month to go before such a sale can be approved, it's looking unlikely to be concluded for the upcoming season.
On the bright side, it's now clear that the BayStars are up for sale. So any interested parties have a full year to get the negotiations done. I just hope that any such bargains are kept in the open and not shut up in some smoky back room. I guess that BayStars fans own Nabetsune a note of gratitude for bringing this deal to the light of day.
And I'd like to thank TBS for sticking to pushing for a condition to keep the team in Yokohama. I had started to wonder if TBS really cared, and this showed more than anything over the past 8 seasons that they do.