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Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?

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Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
I saw a wire article about the opening of the Japanese season on Friday, with Darvish facing Iwakuma in the opener. Should be a good game. What really caught my eye, though, was the statement that Tuffy Rhodes with 12 years of service in Japan is no longer considered a foreign player, meaning that Orix can have an extra foreign player on their roster. Is this the case?
Comments
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: Guest: guest | Posted: Apr 3, 2009 8:26 PM ]

Yes, believe it or not, that's true! After just 10 years in NPB, foreign players magically become Japanese and are not considered a foreign player anymore.
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: Deanna | Posted: Apr 4, 2009 12:37 AM | NIP Fan ]

Not 10, it's actually 8 now (got reduced last year). Orix has two "non-foreigners" in Alex Cabrera and Tuffy Rhodes now.

It's basically when they have enough service time that they would be a free agent if they were Japanese, that they essentially become Japanese.
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: Shinigami | Posted: Apr 4, 2009 1:55 PM | FSH Fan ]

And Tuffy actually speaks pretty good Japanese as well.
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: number9 | Posted: Apr 4, 2009 5:40 PM ]

Alex Ramirez of Yomiuri fits the bill as well.
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: Guest: N26 | Posted: Apr 5, 2009 1:13 AM ]

As far as I know, Tuffy's Japanese is not too good. If he speaks that well Japanese then why is it that he complains in English to the umpires and answers in Japanese in hero interviews on the otachidai? He should be speaking more Japanese.
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: Guest | Posted: Apr 13, 2009 4:21 PM ]

Actually you're wrong. I am friends with him and he does speak fluent Kansai dialect Japanese.
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: heavesrock | Posted: Apr 14, 2009 5:55 AM ]

Maybe if he complains to an umpire who only speaks Japanese in English they won't know what he says and eject him for it?
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: Jingu Bleacher Bum | Posted: Apr 15, 2009 3:31 PM | YAK Fan ]

Hehe, I've done that a few times myself when playing kusa-yakyu.
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: Guest: gotigersredsox | Posted: Apr 15, 2009 6:09 PM ]

Maybe if he complains to an umpire who only speaks Japanese in English they won't know what he says and eject him for it?

Tuffy is infamous for being ejected, so it's not working!
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: Guest: N26 | Posted: Apr 15, 2009 7:35 PM ]

I have not heard Tuffy speak a lot of Japanese in hero interviews, nor have I heard him speak Japanese. I have heard him use Japanese words here and there, but that I would not call a fluent Japanese speaker. He probably can get by ordering food in an Izakaya in Osaka, but I am sorry for being cynical here. Until I hear him speak Japanese on TV, maybe on a TV show where he actually speaks Japanese and not English relying on an interpreter, I am not going to think he is fluent in Japanese.

More players should not be afraid of speaking Japanese and stop relying so much on interpreters if they say they are fluent.

That goes for Japanese players in US, too. I hear Ichiro speaks English, so why does he use an interpreter?
Re: Tuffy No Longer Considered Foreign Player?
[ Author: number9 | Posted: Apr 16, 2009 12:59 AM ]

That way players can blame the interpreter if anything is taken the wrong way by the media or the public.
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