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
I've now heard back from one person who tried to send a message to the BayStars' Steve Cox via the method outlined in the FAQ, and hasn't gotten a reply in over two months. Either he's too busy (actually, Cox is in the U.S. right now after having received surgery or theropy - don't remember which - for an injury) or that method doesn't work. I've heard from several former foreign players and many players' families, so perhaps this site can be used to get messages through to players more effectively than snail-mailing the clubs. Then again, the player may not get your message until years after he's retired. It's hard to say which will be the case.
In an attempt to create such a bridge between fans and players, I've opened an "Open Letters forum" to post open letters to players and/or management. Everyone can read these, so don't make them too private. SPAM-bots collect e-mail addresses from every site on the Internet, so protect your e-mail address by spelling it out or other armor plating technique if you're going to post it. Also, keep the posts nice. It is possible to critisize someone without attacking them - develop your language skills if you have something negative to say. And finally, in every open letter, begin with these words:
Any letter that doesn't have that, or something similar, will be rejected. [That line will be removed from the letter before being approved.]
One more thing to keep in mind: there is no way to verify who is sending a message. Use your best judgement in determining if the person replying is who he/she says he/she is.