Softbank Meets with Yomiuri

Surely this could be compared to a new capo paying respects to the godfather?

While I have no idea what was discussed, I imagine that he met with Takihana and Nabetsune to avoid incurring the wrath of the big man.

Another thought that occurs to me is, if there was some promise made by the Giants' ownership when they got Kokubo for free, such a promise could have been part of the discussion.

Jim Albright

No, nothing so dramatic as seeing the head Don. Son-president talked about two order of business:

1. coming together with MLB for a world championship, and
2. broadcasting NPB over broadband.

Talks of an Asian Championship have been alive for a while, and one friend tells me that they've already decided to do it in 2005 (although I don't recall seeing anything saying it was final). Son-president wants that extended to include (or be included in) MLB. Many of you have talked about it, so it's certainly not an original idea. But it is looking like an idea who's time has finally come.

Broadcast TV has focused on the Giants for a few generations now. That's how Yomiuri has built it's "G-Brand." What Son-san wants to do is to bring NPB to a new generation via broadband and build a "Hawks Brand." While the article in Nikkan Sports doesn't say that he's thinking of broadcasting all NPB team games live on the Internet, that's the impression I get. After all, he doesn't need to talk with Watanabe-former owner (or his puppet) to broadcast Hawk games. I have the feeling he's trying to setup a system whereby he can get all NPB Internet broadcast rights.

It's taken a while, but it looks like NPB is finally entering the Information Age, and Son-president appears to have not only the ideas, but the money and infrastructure to bring it all about (more so than Rakuten or Livedoor).

Sounds like Softbank is being pro-active. I've read that they want to create a second Golden Age of the Hawks. Not sure if this Golden Age would encompass the 2003 Championship, or would be a totally new era, but the dedication to winning is very exciting.

Son-president confirmed yesterday (November 27) after meeting with Hiroshima's owner that he would like to broadcast all NPB games live over the Internet. He also stated that he'd like to provide services like selling goods for all teams and promoting baseball teaching videos for kids over the Internet as well. He's going all out to become the defacto Internet site for NPB, similar to MLB.com for MLB.

This is very much what I suspected Horie-president was going to do had he won the bid for the new team (or bought out the Buffaloes). Or that Rakuten would try to become the defacto shopping center for Pro Yakyu, but I haven't yet seen any such move.

Softbank Hawks' owner Masayoshi Son on Monday proposed an exhibition series between major league teams that would be held in the United States before the 2006 season. Son said the "series would be a precursor for a bigger goal - a world champion series between the two countries' top teams." Also, Son said "that an exhibition series would be the first step toward the actualiztion of the goal of a world champion series in the future." [Link - Japan Ball]

Son also said that he hopes to meet with MLB commissioner Bud Selig and other MLB officials in the spring about the idea of an exhibition series. [Link - Daily Yomiuri]

- Son said the "series would be a precursor for a bigger goal - a world champion series between the two countries' top teams." Also, Son said "that an exhibition series would be the first step toward the actualiztion of the goal of a world champion series in the future."

Even if this exhibition series gets off the ground, I'm very skeptical about a truly meaningful "world champion" series. I admire Son's optimism and energy, but as a new owner, don't you think he has his priorities wrong? Surely he should be first concentrating on the Hawks rather than worrying about this adventurous undertaking.