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Johjima interview
For your Turkey Day enjoyment, the Mariners MLB site features a translated Johjima interview.
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38 Responses to “Johjima interview”
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Sounds like a good guy, and after last year’s rotating debacle at the dish he will be a nice addition. Perhaps this will make the Mariners Japan’s MLB team again after Matsui brought Yankees to the forefront (at least that’s what McCarver said, so who knows). Uwajimaya is great…they have the strangest seafood section.
Who doesn’t like Uwajimaya’s? Maybe that should be a regular stop for any free agent visit.
He keeps refering to a manager’s “vision of baseball.” Has anyone checked to see if Hargrove has one?
Who doesn’t like Uwajimaya’s? Maybe that should be a regular stop for any free agent visit.
I know Sasaki visited before signing with the M’s.
Does Japanese baseball have any players similar to Terrell Owens? Guys who just way whatever they please?
Do all Japanese players talk like they’re Mr. Miyagi?
I wish all baseball players behaved like this.
Except Milton Bradley.
As was also evident with Felix, this interview confirms that the Mariners are very good at wooing foreign free agents.
“Q: In what way did you feel the goodwill/sincerity of the Mariners?
A: The executives of the Mariners took me and my family to a meal and presented us with what is good about Seattle. They showed me that I am necessary for the team in many different ways. I can’t specify one.
Jeez…take the family out for a meal and lay out some good reasons to come play here. If it was only always this simple…
Jeez…take the family out for a meal and lay out some good reasons to come play here. If it was only always this simple…
I imagine $16.5 million helped their case a bit too. Although selling Seattle as a great city isn’t that hard, unless the person is seriously into the nightlife/club scene.
Freddy and Carlos seemed to think the nightlife/club scene/strict DUI laws were pretty stringent.
So did Dale Ellis, come to think of it…
#10 – Matt: I was kinda counting the $16.5 million among the “good reasons to come play here.” 😉
10: Based upon the approximate 8-to-1 male-to-female ratio I observed in Belltown last night, using the club scene as a selling tool would be akin to blowing one’s brains out.
/wasn’t my choice
13: I expect expousing on the quality and quantity of the local women is not a good sell strategy when talking to a married guy who also has his wife sitting next to him.
14: It’s not exactly a good sell strategy for the single guys, either.
There is a Terrell Owens of Japan, used to be a great slugger, he’s still decent when he’s not injured (which is often). Kazuhiro Kiyohara. He’s even rumoured to have some ties with the organized mafia, the yakuza 😛
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Kazuhiro_Kiyohara
He would be more like the Jose Canseco of Japan, wouldn’t he?
A “smart” newspaper would hire an interpreter on retainer so they could regularly interview Johjima and Ichiro. Perhaps the local rags could even jointly contribute to his salary so they could share the goodness that is Johjima and Ichiro with the fans.
Perhaps the Ms should insist on it so they can properly market their stars.
This signing is just a nice, extremely solid move by the Ms. They should get all the kudos in the world for bringing him in. I have to say, I can’t wait for opening day to see Johjima catch the first pitch thrown by The King.
it did sound as thought they’d run the original interview thorugh Babelfish– wonder where mlb.com got their translation….
#2) Who doesn’t like Uwajimaya’s? Maybe that should be a regular stop for any free agent visit.
So when Manny visits he should be taken to Uwajimaya’s.
Ok, great store. I’ll never forget seeing an old gf jump up and down almost screaming with amazement at the place. (she was from Montana)
#18) This signing is just a nice, extremely solid move by the M’s.
Agreed. After reading this interview I am totally sold. His guy has my full support.
#13) …the approximate 8-to-1 male-to-female ratio I observed in Belltown last night
Maybe this is the real reason the wife liked Seattle? Sounds like a decent way to keep her husband’s mind on the game.
I enjoyed reading this interview because it demonstrates the respect this player has for the game, the coach, the management , the other players and himself. He even has respect for his old team and fans wanting to return their when he retires. Plus he didn’t want to go meet with other teams because the M’s would see this as him dissing them. I wish there were more US players with this approach to the game. Welcome Johjimasan
A “smart†newspaper would hire an interpreter on retainer so they could regularly interview Johjima and Ichiro. Perhaps the local rags could even jointly contribute to his salary so they could share the goodness that is Johjima and Ichiro with the fans.
Or hire a stringer from someone at the North American Post (Nikkei Times)….that’s the local Japanese/Japanese American community paper….
The more I read, the more happy I am with this signing. I have a feeling Johjima will end up being the best signing this team has made since Ichiro. He sounds like a solid ballplayer and a good person. (Which I’m sure the feel good fans will love! LOL!) But like others have mentioned, it sounds like he really respects the game, which could have a definite impact on the clubhouse next season.
Now if only we could find a way to get Manny without killing our chances of picking up some good pitching, we would become the team to beat! It’s good to dream, huh?!
Uwajimaya is great…they have the strangest seafood section.
Not that strange, or at least not strange enough. I was trying to find shiroko for a friend and they didn’t have it, though I know it was available from somewhere because Maneki had it on their specials sheet.
10: Based upon the approximate 8-to-1 male-to-female ratio I observed in Belltown last night, using the club scene as a selling tool would be akin to blowing one’s brains out.
Only 8-to-1? That’s not bad for Seattle, where the ratio at nominally straight bars is often more unbalanced than at places like the Rebar and Neighbors…
OT, but…
“The Pirates are expected to hire Jeff Manto as their hitting coach, which would complete manager Jim Tracy’s staff. The announcement could come as early as today … Manto replaces Gerald Perry, who spent three seasons as the team’s hitting coach.
What a humble and honest guy, very refreshing to hear some of the things he said.
He is really gonna have to change that to fit in the in US sports scene. 😉
This might explain why the M’s are always so eager to find players who have the right sort of personalities.
It makes it easier to recruit Japanese players.
I love the traditionally Japanese mindset. His responses show that he cares more for how the team thinks of him than trying to get the most money he can. Imagine that. A player concerned about how the F.O. thinks about him…. and not trying to quantify it with a dollar sign. Freaking Awesome. I’m hearby nominate myself for president of the Jo(h)jima Fan Club.
It’s (Joh)jima time!!!
RE:29
Because everyone knows that the portrayal of an individual in a newspaper article accurately reflects his personality and out-look on life.
Before getting too exited about Johjima’s interview read this article on Honne and Tatemae:
http://www.mynippon.com/RomanceNews0201/story12.htm
Now this isn’t to say that Johima isn’t indeed interested in coming to the Mariners, he did sign a contract after all, but the answers he gave seem to be the “right” answer. Having spent some time living in Japan I can tell you that Japanese tend to be much better at giving the “right answer” than American’s are at asking the “right question.” My experience was that when it comes to discovering the truth getting the “right question” is the tough part.
Regardless I’m excited for next season, now if the FO will just go out and get us some pitching!
What I can’t believe is that he didn’t want to drive up the price of the contract. Nice guy. He seems innocent compared to the usual MLB players. I wonder how long it will take before he becomes a cynic. I hope never. And on that note, I can’t wait for: his taking the first pitch, his first blocked ball, his first throw out, his first hit/HR/RBI. I’m really looking forward to the first game.
32. “I can tell you that Japanese tend to be much better at giving the “right answer†than American’s are at asking the “right question.””
(thanks for that link)
My question to your caution is whether getting the “true” answer is actually relevant in this situation. We can very reasonably expect his behavior to match the “right answer”. Actually I suspect we shouldn’t really expect any other sort of answers or behavior from Japanese players.
Obviously, I’m thinking of Ichiro now and Johjima later when I wonder and worry about whether Japanese stars can just step into an American “clubhouse leader” role.
#34
I think the question of whether or not a Japanese star can step into the clubhouse leader role depends a lot on whether or not you need a shepard or a sheepherder in the clubhouse. I think a Japanese player could play the shepard role and lead the team by quiet example, but I’m not sure that approach works in a major league clubhouse. It all comes down to team chemistry which I think other threads have downplayed has an important factor in team success.
Um, how about “Team success largely determines team chemistry” then.
It all comes down to team chemistry which I think other threads have downplayed has an important factor in team success.
The 2004 M’s were the same bunch of people as the 2003 M’s, largely. Please explain how the chemistry changed.
While you’re at it, explain the 70’s A’s and Yankees…
My team chemistry remark needs to be taken in context. What I was trying to say and probably not too well was that a Japanese player can probably be a clubhouse leader, but only in certain team chemistry situations. If folks in the clubhouse will follow a quiet leader who goes out on the field, gets his job done, and doesn’t spend a lot of time yaking it up in the press and with other players then I think a Japanese ballplayer would work as the team leader. But if you require someone who vocalizes a lot to lead the team then I don’t think a Japanese player leader works well if at all.
Anyhow, my personal view on this team leader talk in general is that it’s a trival issue. The only time you seem to need a team leader is when you have ball players who still need to be babysat because they can’t make responsible choices on their own. If everyone in the clubhouse is truely a “professional” than they understand their role, and go out and do their job on the field which translates to games won.