=== 3/25/2010 1:03am JST

...An interview with Akinobu Mayumi that took place on Thursday has been posted at the Hanshin Tigers website.

...Kenji Johjima took 46 swings during BP on Thursday and hit 12 over the fence.

=== 4:24pm JST

...The Tigers will be carrying just one rookie on their opening day roster: Shunsuke Fujikawa.

...The Tigers are carrying seven relievers (including Kyuji Fujikawa) on their opening day roster.  Seems like a lot considering they're only carrying eleven pitchers in all.  But then they do have a one more spot open on the active roster and they can easily add another start or two when they're ready to join the Ichi-gun roster.

...Casey Fossum was not one of the pitchers on the opening day roster.  He'll begin the year at Ni-gun.  He told reporters on Wednesday that he had nothing new to say and that he would continue to do his best.

...Ryo Asai started in left and batted fourth in a Ni-gun game against Orix on Wednesday and went 0-for-2.  The game ended up being called after three innings due to the weather.  Assuming Matt Murton plays well, Asai will likely end up being his "back-up" player.

...And speaking of Murton, he also a played in the same game (started in center and batted lead-off) and went 0-for-1 with a walk in his two trips to the plate.

...Yasutomo Kubo started the Ni-gun game on Wednesday and tossed 2 scoreless innings and gave up 4 hits.  He also struck out 4.  Kubo's outing was cut short due to the rain (he was supposed to go 3 innings) so he tossed another 50 pitches in the bullpen for a total 100 for the entire day.  He will likely pitch in the Hiroshima series that begins on 3/30.

...It seems the Tigers are planning on adding Ikusei player Kenichi Tagami to the regular roster at some point within the next few days.  The Tigers see Tagami as a potential defensive specialist early on.

...Kenji Johjima took 78 swings during BP on Wednesday at Kyocera Dome and hit 22 over the fence, including four into the 5th deck in left.

...Takahiro Arai and Tomoaki Kanemoto also took BP on Wednesday.  Based on what I can gather, the two combined for about 90 swings with about half of them going over the fence.

...The pitchers and catchers held an hour-long meeting on Wednesday to discuss pitching strategies for their upcoming games.

...There's a good chance Yuya Ando will be the opening day starter for the Tigers this year.  On Wednesday, after the meeting for pitchers and catchers, Ando spent some time playing catch and running dashes.

...It seems Keiji Uezono's first regular season start will likely come against the Hiroshima Carp on the 31st.

...The Tigers don't want to rush Minoru Iwata back from elbow surgery and are also preparing for the worst: that he'll be out the entire season.  He is still set to begin his rehab on the 26th.

...The Tigers posted details for their opening day ceremonies: there will be an opening act, followed by ET-KING singing the anthem, flower presentations, and Maki Tamura throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

...Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi faced 13 batters during a simulated game on Tuesday and threw 48 pitches (he gave up 1 hit and walked 3).  He was original scheduled to start a Ni-gun game against Orix, but the outing was washed out due to the rain.  Shiomyanagi later told his reporters that his knee felt fine.

Shimoyanagi will likely start the game on the 27th against the Yokohama Bay Stars.  Daily Sports predicts a start on the 28th.

...Keiji Uezono also faced 13 batters during a simulated game on Tuesday and gave up 5 hits.

...Matt Murton went 1-for-3 during his simulated game at bats on Tuesday.  He was the only experienced player that took part in the game.

...Takahiro Arai worked out with the hi-sock look on Tuesday.  He told reporters that he plans to go with the new look this season.  Takashi Toritani started sporting the hi-sock last season.

...Kenji Johjima practiced making one-hop throws to first and second on Tuesday.  He's obviously trying to take advantage of the fact that most stadiums in Japan use turf.

...Minoru Iwata could be out for the entire first half.  He recently had surgery on his left elbow.

...Daily Sports and Johjima have teamed up for a giveaway: Johjima will be giving away one autographed bat to one Daily Sports reader for each home run he hits during the regular.

...The Tigers and Abiste collaborated on new mobile phone strap called the Kira Kira Tiger Strap (targeted for female fans).  The strap carries a 4,620 yen price tag and will be sold over a 6 day period beginning on 4/6.  Straps will be limited to the first 600 customers.

...Tigers' mascots To Lucky and Lucky are looking for kindergartens schools to visit.

=== 3/24/2010 12:05am JST

...Tigers announced on Tuesday that Minoru Iwata had surgery on his left elbow (elbow arthroplasty and ligament repair).  Iwata is scheduled to begin rehab training at Naruohama on the 26th.

=== 3/23/2010 7:00pm JST

...Akinobu Mayumi is thinking about making the team take situational BP at some point between Tuesday (when practice restarts) and opening day on the 26th.  He's hoping the extra work will help some of the younger / under-used pitchers on the staff.

...The Tigers led the NPB with 22 home runs during exhibition play.

...Atsushi Nomi's first start of the regular season could come against the Yokohama Bay Stars on the 27th.  Sanspo mentions Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi as another possibility.

...Keiji Uezono could make his first regular season start on the 28th against the Yokohama Bay Stars.  He and Casey Fossum were fighting for the same spot in the rotation and it seems Uezono may have come out on top.  Yasutomo Kubo's name has also been mentioned for the 28th.

...Shimoyanagi, Uezono, and Kubo were all scheduled to pitch at Ni-gun against Orix on Tuesday.

...Tatsuya Kojima will likely start a Ni-gun game against the Orix on Thursday.

...Randy Messenger had a chance to watch some sumo with his family on the Monday.

...Matt Murton could play in a Ni-gun game against Orix on Wednesday for a final tune-up (at his request).

...The pitchers, catchers, and coaches will likely get together for a meeting on Wednesday to discuss pitching strategies.

...It seems owner Shinya Sakai is fine with the team going after a player on the foreign market (if needed), although it doesn't seem as if talks have really gotten that far yet.  He also said that he expects his staff to find someone that can win more than 10 games this year.

...Kenji Johjima apparently won a fishing tournament that took place in Nagasaki between October 2009 and January 2010.

...Kenji Johjima went 0-for-11 over team's final four exhibition games.

...Matt Murton closed out the exhibition play with an eight game hitting streak.

...Takashi Toritani ended exhibition play with 6 home runs (the most out of all 12 NPB clubs during exhibition play).

...Atsushi Nomi's first regular season start will likely be on the 30th against the Hiroshima Carp.

...Randy Messenger didn't appear to have any problems pitching on consecutive: a scoreless inning on Saturday and a scoreless inning on Sunday.

...Kyuji Fujikawa entered the game in the 9th against the Hiroshima Carp and struck out the side.  The three batters he struck out: Soichiro Amaya, Kenta Kurihara, and Shigenobu Shima.

...The Tigers are apparently pushing hard to find some help on the foreign market in time for the start of the regular season.

...Seems Shunsuke Fujikawa has a solid chance of making the opening day rosters.

...Casey Fossum could start his year at Ni-gun, depending on how he pitches during a Ni-gun game against Orix on the 24th.

...Yuhei Kai hit his first pro home run during a Ni-gun game against Softbank on the 21st.  Kai hit the home run off Shinsuke Ogura in the 5th with the bases loaded and 1 out.

=== 11:59pm JST

...Masanori Fujihara graduated from Ritsumei University on Sunday.

=== 8:45pm JST

...Takahashi Toritani continues to swing a hot bat.  His numbers from Sunday's exhibition game against the Hiroshima Carp: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.  Unfortunately, his glove taketh away: in the 4th, his bad throw to first ultimately resulted in 3 runs scoring.

...Tomoaki Kanemoto recorded his first exhibition game hit on Saturday.  The hit came in his 15th trip to the plate.  He finished 1-for-4 with 2 strikeouts.  Kanemoto did even better on Sunday: 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SO

...Matt Murton played in right field during the ninth inning on Saturday.  Murton might find himself playing in right whenever the team needs to strengthen its outfield defense -- Shunsuke Fujikawa would enter the game and play center, right fielder Kodai Sakurai would come out of the game, and Murton would slide over to right.

...Kenji Johjima told reporters that he wasn't happy with his game-calling on Saturday, claiming that his calls just happened to fall into the same patterns the Hiroshima batters follow, which happens to be swing at fastballs.

...It was a rough game for Yuya Ando on Saturday -- he gave up 6 earned runs in 5 innings of work.  Just another reason why the Tigers are hitting the panic button.

Ando's final line: 5 IP, 24 BF, 90 NP, 10 H, 2 SO, 0 BB, 6 R, 6 ER.

It seems his new change was largely ineffective (at least that's what he told reporters).

...Tatsuya Kojima started a Ni-gun game on the Saturday against Softbank and threw three shutout innings while scattering two hits.  Kojima will likely have one more change to pitch against between 3/23 and 3/25 (Orix series).

...Perhaps one of the most pathetically sad images of a pitcher you'll ever see.

=== 3/21/2010 2:40am JST

...It appears the Tigers are going to start looking for a "quick fix" for the starting rotation via the foreign market.

...A small stoop / step was constructed in the Hanshin dugout for Akinobu Mayumi.  The step will allow Mayumi get a better view of the field while still standing in the dugout.

=== 2:00pm JST

...Yuya Ando wants to be more economical with his pitches so that he can throw more complete games.

...Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi's first regular season start could come against the Yokohama Bay Stars on the 27th.  He rejoined the team for general practice on the 19th and kept his workouts light.  Shimoyanagi is scheduled to pitch in a Ni-gun game against Orix on 3/23.

Shimoyanagi is hoping to throw a bullpen on either Saturday or Sunday.  He will not be with the team while they play out their final two exhibition games on the road.

...Atsushi Noumi's first start of the regular season could be on the 30th against the Hiroshima Carp.

...Naoto Tsuru tossed seven shutout innings and scattered three hits during the Tigers' Ni-gun opening day game against Softbank on Friday.  Tsuru threw a total 102 pitches and also struck out 5.  Shinobu Fukuhara tossed a perfect 9th.

...The Tigers could go into the regular season with 9 relievers in the bullpen, instead of the usual 6-7.

...Matt Murton hits his second home run during exhibition play on Thursday and Nikkan Sports is already translating that into 24 home runs over the course of a season.  Yep, let's just keep piling on the pressure.

...Takashi Toritani extended his exhibition play hitting streak to four games on Thursday.

...Shunsuke Fujikawa showed off his arm during Thursday's game against the Yokohama Bay Stars.  In the 6th, he threw out Takehiro Ishikawa trying to stretch a single into a double.  And while his throw to home plate in the 8th wasn't in time to get a sliding runner out, he did probably turn a few heads and could make future players think twice before running on him.

...Tomoaki Kanemoto played out his first full game on Thursday.  He went 0-for-4 in the game and is now 0-for-12 overall.

...Takahiro Arai is now 7-for-19 with 1 home run and 2 RBI during exhibition play.

...Yuya Ando and Atsushi Noumi will likely pitch in exhibition games against the Hiroshima Carp on the 20th and 21st, respectively.  Tatsuya Kojima will likely start a Ni-gun game on the 20th against Softbank.  On Thursday, the trio worked out at the indoor training facilities at Koshien.  Ando threw 57 pitches in the bullpen with a figurine standing in the batter's box.

...Akinobu Mayumi decided on Thursday that both Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi and Casey Fossum will get starts at Ni-gun before the regular season (likely in a 3-game series against Orix that begins on the 3/23).  Shimoyanagi, Fossum, Yasutomo Kubo, and Keiji Uezono are all vying for one of three remaining spots in the starting rotation.

...If Minoru Iwata doesn't hit any major bumps in the road during his rehab-training, he could begin shadow pitching as early as the 22nd.

...Naoto Tsuru was the opening day Ni-gun pitcher on Friday.

...Kenji Johjima on pitching:

If we don't get pitchers to throw pitches that have been hit in the past, we lose the initiative.  So I need to make sure that pitchers don't try to avoid throwing certain pitches to certain batters.  My thinking is to get the pitcher to throw the same pitch that was hit during a hitter's previous at bat, during their next at bat.  After all, these are all guys we'll be seeing 20+ times over the course of the year.

This quote was in reference to what happened on Thursday with his approach to Shuichi Murata.  Murata nailed a palm ball (or slow curve) off Kubo in the first inning.  He made Kubo throw the same exact pitch during Murata's second at bat and that one was also hit pretty hard, albeit for a single.

...Katsuya Nomura apparently feels the Tigers will finish in third place in 2010.  And he still doesn't like Johjima.

...When the Tigers added Kenji Johjima to their line-up, they not only added his bat, but they also extended their line-up.  Craig Brazell (.308/.509/.291) and Kodai Sakurai (.377/.509/.302) will now likely be batting in the 7 and 8 holes.  Not too shabby if you ask me.

...Another key piece to the Tigers line-up will be Matt Murton.  If he can get on base, he'll definitely pick up a fair share of runs.  And it'll be interesting to see how long Takashi Toritani can keep up his torrid hitting.  Murton and Toritani both lead the team in batting average (.343) during exhibition play.

...Tomoyuki Kubo took part in practice for pitchers at the Koshien indoor training facilities on Wednesday (playing catch, running sprints, and various other exercises).  He also started Thursday's game against the Yokohama Bay Stars.  As of this post, he has given up 6 run (all earned) on 10 hits over 4 innings of work.

...Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi next outing could be against Ni-gun Orix, some time between the 23rd and 25th.

...Minoru Iwata began his rehab training at Naruohama on Thursday.  Early estimates place his return some time in May.

...Kyuji Fujikawa mixed a 127km/m fork and a 150km/h fastball during his outing against the Yakult Swallows on Tuesday.

...I forgot to mention that Kenji Johjima caught Casey Fossum's game on Tuesday.

=== 3/18/2010 3:38am JST

...Casey Fossum told reporters after his start on Wednesday that he tends to have good regular seasons when he has bad pre-seasons.  Still, he could end up being the best option they have, unless they make some changes.

=== 10:09pm JST

...Casey Fossum may have just pitched himself out of Ichi-gun.  In his start against the Swallows on Wednesday, he allowed 7 runs (6 earned) on 10 hits, 2 walks, an HBP, and 3 strike outs over 4 innings of work.  But it seems like Akinobu Mayumi may try to get him into another game before the start of the regular season.

Here are a list of his three exhibition game outings up until now:

3/17 vs Yakult Swallows: 4 IP, 24 BF, 96 NP, 10 H, 3 HR, 3 SO, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 7 R, 6 ER

3/11 vs Orix Buffaloes: 5 IP, 26 BF, 80 NP, 11 H, 1 HR, 0 SO, 1 BB, 6 R, 6 ER

3/3 vs Nippon Ham Fighters: 3 IP, 11 BF, 38 NP, 2 H, 1 SO, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER

...Minoru Iwata had his left elbow examined at a hospital on Wednesday and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis.  The team will shut down his arm for the time being and see how the it feels after some rest.

...Chief trainer Taizo Tsunekawa told reporters that the team will give Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi two days of rest after left knee was hit by a comebacker on Tuesday.  The team will check to see how he's doing on Friday and go from there.

=== 2:59pm JST

...A little more on Minoru Iwata:  it seems he felt something "strange" in his left elbow (not pain or stiffness though).  Iwata didn't do anything throwing on Tuesday and focused on exercising for his lower body.

Iwata had actually gone to the hospital on the 15th and it was decided then that he'd rest his arm for a few days.

...Yasutomo Kubo is scheduled to start an exhibition game against the Yokohama Bay Stars on the 18th.  He missed his last two due to rain and acute gastroenteritis.  He workout on Tuesday included a 58-pitch bullpen session.

...Yuya Nohara complained of pain in his right hamate bone on Tuesday and worked under from a different training menu.  He apparently hurt the area while playing in an Ikusei League game against Chunichi on the 14th and went to an area hospital on Monday to have it checked out.

...Tatsuya Kojima is gearing up for a Ni-gun start against Softbank on the 20th and threw 75 pitches in the bullpen on Tuesday.

...Kenji Johjima stole second in the 4th inning of Tuesday's game against the Yomiuri Giants.  Johjima actually has an NPB / MLB career total 70 stolen bases.  He also hit his first exhibition game home run.  Tetsuya Yamaguchi was on the mound for both.

...Craig Brazell is using a different bat this season.  Last year he used a bat made out of white ash, weighing in at about 910 grams.  This year he's using a bat made out of Japanese Ash weighing in at about 930 grams.

...Daily Sports Online thinks there's a good chance Yuya Ando might be the opening day pitcher.

=== 11:36pm JST

...Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi was hit by a comebacker to the mound during Tuesday's game against the Yomiuri Giants.  Shimoyanagi had just given up a 2-run homer to Alex Ramirez in the first inning with 2 outs when the next batter, Yoshiyuki Kamei, nailed a pitch back up the middle that hit Shimoyanagi on the left knee.

Shimoyanagi was able to walk off the field on his own.  He did not go to the hospital and instead returned to the hotel for rest.  He joked with reporters and said that his knee must have been harder than the baseball.

...It was home run derby time for the Tigers on Tuesday against the Yomiuri Giants: Takashi Toritani hit a solo homer in the first off Tetsuya Yamaguchi; Kenji Johjima hit a solo homer off Yamaguchi in the second; Craig Brazell hit a home run of Micheal Nakamura in the 6th; and Toritani hit his second home run of the game, a 3-run shot, off Nakamura, also in the 6th.

...Ryuji Wakatake hurt his left knee while pitching on the 14th.  He had the knee checked out on the 15th and was diagnosed with what I think is a minor medial collateral ligament injury (左ひざ内側側副靱帯損傷).  The Tigers announced on Tuesday that he will be out for at least one week.

...Masanori Fujihara received word that he will be receiving the President's (Dean's?) Award during his graduation from Ritsumei University on the 3/21.  The award is given to students with top grades and / or to students that excel in extracurricular activities during their college years.

=== 3:56pm JST

...Akihiro Yano selected Funky Monkey Babys' Hero for his batter walk-up this season.

...On Monday, the Tigers decided to keep Shunsuke Fujikawa on the Ichi-gun roster over the remaining 5 exhibition games on the schedule.  He will then likely stay with the Ichi-gun team for opening day.  Fujikawa could become the first rookie outfielder to make the opening day roster since Norhihiro Akahoshi in 2001.

Kodai Sakurai, Wei-Chu Lin, Shinji Komiyama, and Kenichi Tagami were recently demoted to Ni-gun.

...Casey Fossum apparently has one last chance to prove that he belongs in the starting rotation.  His next scheduled start will likely be against the Yakult Swallows on Wednesday (Sanspo mentions Thursday against the Yokohama Bay Stars).  And it seems the team has no intention of using him out of the bullpen, so that means if he doesn't pitch well during his next outing, he could start the year at Ni-gun.

...Kenji Johima will likely be the starting catcher for all five of the remaining exhibition games on the schedule.

...Tomoaki Kanemoto will begin playing the outfield on Tuesday.  He'll likely play out a full game during the team's last exhibition game on the 21st.

...Akinobu Okada told reporters that the team will take the Yakult Swallows more seriously this year and will focus on stopping their running game.  Last year, the Swallows were 24 out of 27 in stolen base attempts.

...Minoru Iwata likely won't be ready for the start of the regular season.  On Monday, Iwata told reporters that his elbow is getting close to being ready but that he wasn't in any position to say anything further.  He also added that nothing has been decided yet.  Iwata will likely get his left elbow checked out again some time in the near future.

...Team owner Shinya Sakai apologized to guests for his and the front offices mistakes last season during Monday's pep rally.