New NPB Boss Determined to Regain Public Trust

There is already a problem with the new NPB commissioner, he's delusional. It's not the headline writer who missed the boat with this one, but Commissioner Katsuhiko Kumizaki himself.

In this article, the biography of the rambunctious kid who grew up to be tough on criminals is a good story. But there are a few things that I feel are a bit of a reality disconnect with this story by Ryoji Yoshimura in the Asahi Shimbun.

First of all, why the demonization of former commissioner Ryozo Kato? His unifying the baseball in NPB was one of the best things any commissioner has done over the past several commissioners.

Then there was this quote:

"Kumazaki replaces Ryozo Kato, who resigned as commissioner after being harshly censured by fans and sportswriters when it was revealed that NPB had secretly switched to a livelier ball for the 2013 season, which resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of home runs."

Did the author of this hit piece pay any attention to the previous season? Kato-commissioner was criticized by the Player's Union and some of the press. But I don't recall fans getting up in arms about the coverup. In fact, the mild increase in home runs has done a great deal in bringing in more fans. While Kato-commissioner was not directly involved in tweaking the ball to be as responsive as the specifications stated (because they hadn't been the previous two years), his main crime is that he should have been guilty of what a loud few (with their own agenda?) did behind his back.

That's why the conclusion of having Kumizaki-commissioner state, "“I will work hard so that professional baseball can regain the people’s trust" really rubs me the wrong way. The whole loss of the "people's trust" is a fabrication.

What was the purpose of this hit piece?