MLB/NPB All Stars Series 2006?

Right now I have heard no official announcement of the series. Earlier this year, the JPBPA voted for the end of the Nichi-Bei series [Japan Baseball Daily], though any vote would have to be approved by the owners.

So as of now, I haven't heard anything official from the Majors or the NPB. All I've heard is that the JPBPA wants to end the long standing Nichi-Bei series, which would be a tragedy considering the long history of the Japanese-American baseball relationship which has dated for decades.

The JPBPA has further said it isn't interested in a NPB-KBO series either, which is just as sad. I would say it would be terrible if such a long lasting history would end overnight without something to replace it.

[Six Game Nichi-Bei Series Set for November - MLB.com]

What's funny is that so many people still talk about Barry Bonds playing in the series. Frankly, I'd rather see Ryan Howard or Pujols.

MLB Tour of Japan Set for November - MLB.com

Anyone here know when the tickets go on sale?

Expect them from early October - they are not going to sell out quickly. Interest in the series is not high and is unlikely to increase. The MLB/NPB series hasn't really generated much interest for a long time, and with the advent of the WBC has become even more irrelevant.

Really? Just about everyone I know is excited about seeing guys like Ryan Howard and Jose Reyes (just for starters) take to the field! I'm getting in early to get good seats!

- Really? Just about everyone I know is excited about seeing guys like Ryan Howard and Jose Reyes (just for starters) take to the field! I'm getting in early to get good seats!


The games will sell to a extent, but with the Konami Cup and the win of Japan in the WBC, the Nichi-Bei Series has lost it's once mighty aura. I'd rather see a series between the MLB Champions, NPB Champions, KBO Champions, and the CPBL Champions in a Konami Cup type format.

So it won't sell-out?

I went to one of the Tokyo Dome games during the last series in 2004. While there were a fair number of people there, it was far from being sold out.

Contrast that to the 2002 series which was pretty much sold out every game - this was Hideki Matsui's final series before departing for the Yankees the following year. There was a real buzz about the whole series back then.

With the success of Ichiro, Hideki, and the numerous other Japanese players plying their trade in the MLB, plus the advent of the WBC, the series (and MLB All-Star team) simply doesn't have the mystique it had even 4 years ago.