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Who's the Next Commish?

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Who's the Next Commish?
There have been many jokes over the years about how insignificant the Nippon Professional Baseball commissioner is. After all, everyone knows that the Giants control NPB. Most polls conducted asking fans who the Baseball Commissioner is rate in the single digits with the correct answer.

After three years in office, the current commissioner is about to step down. (Do you know who he is?). However, rumor has reached my ears that a new commissioner cannot be found as "nobody has been found who meets the necessary criteria." So the current commissioner may have his term extended for another year. This could be quite embarrassing as he recently called for more transparency in NPB (obviously thinking that he wasn't going to be around any more so he could speak freely).

So, what exactly are the criteria for the commissioner, making this such a hard job to fill? Is it true that the main criteria is to be a close personal friend of Yomiuri's Tsuneo Watanabe (aka Nabetsune)? Since most of his friends have passed on or are no longer in power positions in business, I can see why it's so hard to find a candidate. And this would eliminate everyone's favorite candidate, Senichi Hoshino.

Looking at commissioners of the past, these appear to be the criteria:
  • Close personal friend of Giants' owner
  • Elite position in business or government
  • No baseball experience
  • No backbone
So, what should be the criteria of the Commissioner? If you were writing up the job description, what would you put? (Humorous criteria also welcome - just keep it clean.)
Comments
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Christopher | Posted: Jan 16, 2007 11:01 AM | HAN Fan ]

More requirements for the personal specification:
  • Must be committed to the principles of feudalism
  • Hide of a rhinoceros
  • 360 degree blind spot
  • Golf handicap of under 50
  • Must live outside Japan during the baseball season
The current guy is Negoro who I believe was linked to the Tigers which may explain his departure from the script. Nabetsune has softened quite recently, though, it was him who proposed Hoshino for the managership of the Olympic team (maybe a sense of humor).
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Kiyoshi | Posted: Jan 16, 2007 11:59 PM | HAN Fan ]

The NPB Commissioner's position is similar to the "window" desks that Japanese companies give to people who are no longer considered productive and placed "out of the loop" but not ready to retire. Instead of firing, Japanese companies put older employees "out to pasture" in peripheral "window" seats.
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Animaru Resulie | Posted: Jan 17, 2007 8:09 AM | HT Fan ]

Nikkei Smart Woman says the new commish will probably be a guy named Katsuhiko Kumazaki (64), a former attorney and division chief of the Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office. According to the article, he's been senior adviser to the commissioner's office since January of 2005. Kumazaki provided commentary on TV news programs on the Murakami Fund and Livedoor investigations.

No word yet on whether he'll be handing out indictments for the Ochiai sign stealing controversy. Some say subpoenas could be issued to Doala, Shaolon, Paolon, and Dome-ra (just kidding).
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Animaru Resulie | Posted: Jan 17, 2007 8:22 AM | HT Fan ]

Hey, Kumazaki [Forbes] has a bit of chutzpah!
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Kiyoshi | Posted: Jan 17, 2007 11:40 AM | HAN Fan ]

So is becoming the baseball commissioner a "promotion" or "demotion"?
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Animaru Resulie | Posted: Jan 17, 2007 11:52 PM | HT Fan ]

Maybe an "amakudari" [Wikipedia]? No, I guess not.
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Jbroks86 | Posted: Jan 17, 2007 1:52 PM | SFT Fan ]

If the Commissioner isn't an apparent puppet of Nabestune and a person independent from the league owners, I would be happy.

Maybe Kumazaki can help clean up NPB. Though the question is, will Nabestune support him. And as we all know, if Nabestune is against him it's highly unlikely Kumazaki will be the new commissioner.
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Animaru Resulie | Posted: Jan 18, 2007 12:44 AM | HT Fan ]

Be careful, dude. Evil Empire Tokyo Inc. could send the Giabbit over to whack you (probably with those things sticking out of his head, whatever they are). And if you're in the U.S., their cronies in Evil Empire New York Inc. could send Brian Cashman over to cut your hair.
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: torakichi | Posted: Jan 18, 2007 12:27 PM | HT Fan ]

- So, what should be the criteria of the Commissioner?

The position should be open to all people named Senichi Hoshino, and the pool whittled down from those candidates.
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: Animaru Resulie | Posted: Jan 20, 2007 7:54 AM | HT Fan ]

Kumazaki may not be the next commissioner after all. This morning's Asahi Shimbun reports that that Chunichi Dragons owner Bungo Shirai, representing the interests of the 12 ball clubs, failed to persuade Yasuchika Negoro to stay on as commissioner. He commented to the press later that this may lead to appointment of a de facto acting commissioner (Bud Selig?). I think some of you remember that there was a time when the owners actually wanted to fire Negoro for not acting decisively to thwart the ballplayer's strike. And now they want him to stay on.

Incidentally, this piece from a Jiji Tsushin wire has Kumazaki saying that he's got too much on his hands at the moment to take the commissioner's seat, and Takihana of the Giants saying that the news of Kumazaki becoming commissioner is some sort of a mistake. Incidentally, Takihana was brought into the NPB by Negoro, his former boss at the Tokyo Public Prosecutor's Office, to deal with the corrupt influence of organized crime in pro-yakyu [Nikkan Kyushu].
Conspiracy theories, anyone?
Re: Who's the Next Commish?
[ Author: torakichi | Posted: Jan 21, 2007 6:21 PM | HT Fan ]

- Incidentally, Takihana was brought into the NPB by Negoro, his former boss at the Tokyo Public Prosecutor's Office, to deal with the corrupt influence of organized crime in pro-yakyu.

Why go to all that bother when, according to these kinds of threads, all they have to do is get rid of Nori and Kiyohara?
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