Sponichi is reporting that DeNA may be prepared to offer Kimiyasu Kudo the managerial job as soon as they gain approval to purchase the Yokohama Bay Stars on 12/1.  And that fits right in with Kudo's timeline -- he told reporters recently that he wanted to make a decision on whether or not to retire before the end of the month.

Sanspo adds that DeNA may also be looking into 56-year-old Mitsuo Tatsukawa as a head coach candidate.

Daily Sports notes that Kudo was probably selected over Masumi Kuwata because of the three seasons he spent with the Bay Stars.  They also mention that the Ichi-gun coaches that weren't dismissed along with Takao Obana on the 22nd (batting coach Yoshikazu Takagi, pitching coach Atsushi Kizuka, and batting coach Hitoshi Nakane) stayed because of their past ties with the team.

Incidentally, Kudo threw about 300 pitches during a baseball clinic he attended on Wednesday and said, "Getting my thoughts across to the next generation [of players] is more important than my shoulder."

UPDATE 11/25 @ 12:55am - When reporters approached Kudo for comment on Thursday, he replied, "I'm flattered and grateful, but I cannot comment because I have not received any official offers."

Be Sociable, Share!

•