Motohiro Shima (Rakuten) was officially named the new chairman of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association (JPBPA) during a organizational meeting at a hotel in Osaka earlier today.  He took over for former chairman Takahiro Arai (Hanshin).  As chairman, Shima is: the 8th in JPBPA history; the first player from the Pacific League; and, at twenty-seven years of age, the youngest (first player in his twenties to be named JPBPA chairman).  Source: Nikkan Sports 12/6/2012, Sanspo 12/6/2012

Arai made a parting speech today and mentioned that he was disappointed he could not do more to help make it easier for former players to find jobs as coaches at the high school level.  Shima will now resume where Arai left off.  Source: Nikkan Sports 12/6/2012, Nikkan Sports 12/6/2012

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Snaspo has posted portions of Shima's press conference.

What did you think when you were selected?

I was a bit worried.  I am still in my sixth year as a professional [player].  At first, I wondered if I could really handle this position.

Why did you accept?

I decided after Arai approached me and asked that I take over because I was the only one he felt could handle it.

What are some of the things you learned from watching former chairman Arai?

The biggest thing is saying what is on your mind, saying what you feel.  When Arai speaks, he mixes in emotion.  I would like to be like that.

What kinds of things will you do to help Tohoku Earthquake victims?

We have been sending baseballs and equipment.  Continuing to do things like that over the next few decades will be important.

What are you plans for the JPBPA?

I think it will be important to remember how this association grew and developed as we step forward and carve out a new history.  I do not want to forget our past as we take on new challenges.

Source: Sanspo 12/6/2012

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Past JPBPA Chairmen

• Kiyoshi Nakahata (Yomiuri Giants) - November 5, 1985
• Tatsunori Hara (Yomiuri Giants) - July 25, 1989
• Akinobu Okada (Hanshin Tigers, Orix BlueWave) - July 26, 1992 
• Kozo Shoda (Hiroshima Carp) - December 5, 1995
• Atsuya Furuta (Yakult Swallows) - December 4, 1998
• Shinya Miyamoto (Yakult Swallows) - December 1, 2005
• Takahiro Arai (Hanshin Tigers) - December 4, 2008

Takahiro Arai (Hanshin) is planning to step down as the chairman of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association (JPBPA) once he finishes his current term in December.  Motorhiro Shima (Rakuten), vice chairman, could step in as his replacement.  The matter will be discussed during the next meeting on December 6.

Arai has served four straight terms as chairman of the JPBPA.  There have been seven chairmen in the association's history.  Four terms is second only to Atsuya Furuta's seven terms.  If Shima is selected as the next chairman, he will be the first out of the Pacific League in the JPBPA's twenty-seven year history (Akinobu Okada was a member of the Orix BlueWave when he stepped down, but he was a member of the Hanshin Tigers when he first took office).

Source: Sports Hochi 11/18/2012, Sponichi 11/18/2012

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JPBPA Chairmen

Kiyoshi Nakahata (Yomiuri Giants) - November 5, 1985

Tatsunori Hara (Yomiuri Giants) - July 25, 1989

Akinobu Okada (Hanshin Tigers, Orix BlueWave) - July 26, 1992 

Kozo Shoda (Hiroshima Carp) - December 5, 1995

Atsuya Furuta (Yakult Swallows) - December 4, 1998

Shinya Miyamoto (Yakult Swallows) - December 1, 2005

Takahiro Arai (Hanshin Tigers) - December 4, 2008

According to a report by Sanspo, the Hanshin Tigers are interested in a possible trade with the Rakuten Eagles that involves twenty-seven-year-old Motohiro Shima.  The Tigers would reportedly be willing to part with some pitchers in order to make the deal work.

Source: Sanspo 11/1/2012

Masahiro Tanaka is scheduled to join the Ichi-gun players for workouts on Friday.  That could mean he gets an Ichi-gun start on May 30 against the Yomiuri Giants (at Tokyo Dome).

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Motohiro Shima was taken off the active roster today after he was diagnosed with a fracture in his right thumb (metacarpal).  He will likely require about a month for a full recovery (he will have pins inserted within the next day or so).

Shima suffered the injury when he took a foul tip off his thumb during a game against the Orix Buffaloes on May 13.

2012 Stats

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The Eagles took part in a welcoming ceremony at Kin Stadium today.  The facilities at the stadium are still incomplete (no indoor training area or secondary field) and will likely require another two to three years before completion.

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Batting coach Hiromoto Okubo told reporters that they are planning to put together their best possible line-ups using the players they currently have on hand, for their upcoming practice games.

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Kazuo Matsui did not play in any of the team's three intra-squad games.  He will, however, most likely be in the starting line-up (at short, batting third) when the team plays the Yokohama Bay Stars on February 18.

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Katsuya Nomura visited Okinawa camp today.  He told reporters he was a little worried about the team with Hisashi Iwakuma gone.

Kazuyoshi Tatsunami also visited Okinawa camp today.

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Motohiro Shima stayed back after general workouts for extra batting practice in the cages (against a pitching machine) today.

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Upcoming starting pitchers:

• February 18 vs Yokohama - Ryohei Isaka
• February 21 vs Yomiuri - Kohei Hasebe
• February 22 vs Hanshin - Keiji Uezono
• February 24 vs Samsung (KBO) - 1st round draft pick Yoshitaka Muto
• February 25 vs Nippon Ham - Takahiro Shiomi
• February 26 vs Yakult - Masahiro Tanaka (4+ innings)

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If it is raining in Okinawa and there is no where else to practice (since Kin Stadium has no indoor facilities), batting coach Hiromoto Okubo will check to see if the banquet hall at the player hotel are available.  While they will not be allowed to use baseballs, players will still be able to work on their swings.  And it seems the team has prepared about 1,000 sponge balls.

Kenji Tomura worked out for about two hours at Kleenex Stadium on Tuesday.  Tomura later spoke to reporters and said that his goal was to stay healthy, maintain a spot in the starting rotation, and record double-digit victories.  He also said that he was working on a new pitch that has some break, like a forkball, cutter, or two-seamer.

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Takashi Kawai also worked out at Kleenex Stadium on Tuesday (played catch, threw into a net).

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Shinichiro Koyama, Motohiro Shima, Tomohiro Tsuchiya, and Kazuya Takahori left for Okinawa on Tuesday.  Before leaving, Koyama dropped by Kleenex Stadium in the morning and told reporters that he planned to lose some weight during his workouts in Okinawa.

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Takahiro Shiomi told reporters on Monday that while bunting was a top priority, he also wanted to work on collecting hits (his ultimate goal is to hit a homer).

Shiomi once hit four homers in three games during his third year at Teikyo Dai Go High School.

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1st round draft pick Yoshitaka Muto weighed around 69-70kg last year; he has thus far managed to push that up to around 75kg by increasing the amount he eats.

2nd round draft pick Yoshinao Kamata started his training on 1/3 and has focused primarily on working his lower body (30-40 minutes of running every day plus ten 300-meter dashes a day).  He also has not down any throwing for about three months.

5th round draft pick Rintaro Kitagawa is having problems with acne and is hoping his skin clears up before the start of the season -- he moved in with a tube of Bifnight (acne medication).

The NPB announced today that the 2011 Georgia Spirit Award went to Masahiro Tanaka, for his complete game, 12-strikeout victory against the Nippon Ham Fighters on September 10 (he received 15,852 of the 91,275 votes that were cast by fans).  It was also the game in which he faced Yuki Saito for the first time since the summer of 2006 and the game in which he recorded his 15th victory of the year.  Georgia video - Box score

The Runner-Up Award was given to Motohiro Shima for his inspiring game against the Chiba Lotte Marines on April 12 (selected by a committee).  Shima committed an catching error in the 4th inning that allowed Lotte to take a 1-0 lead.  He then came back and hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the 7th to the put Eagles ahead, 4-1.  Georgia video - Box score

UPDATE 12/13 @ 4:38pm - NPB commissioner Ryozo Kato told reporters he wanted to see the Georgia Awards continue to expand in the coming years.

The selection committee is made up of Hisashi Yamada, Yutaka Takagi, Hideki Kuriyama, Tsutomu Ito, Seijun Ninomiya (sports writer), and Mitsuo Kobayashi (Shukan Baseball).

Motohiro Shima was taken out of tonight's game after Hiroyuki Oshima (SEI) ran hard into him at home plate in the 3rd inning.  Shima could not walk on his own power and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.  The injury appears to be in the left ankle.

UPDATE @ 10:00pm - Shima was examined at a hospital in Sendai and diagnosed with a contusion on his left shin.  The team will take things day-to-day with Shima for the time being.

UPDATE 5/7 @ 1:29pm - Shima was diagnosed with a contusion on his left anterior tibial muscle (左前脛骨筋打撲).  There was no damage to the bones.  And if it's up to Shima, he'll be in the starting line-up today.

Motohiro Shima made a speech to fans after the Rakuten Eagles home  opener on Friday at Kleenex Stadium.  Daily Sports has posted the speech, which I've translated down below:

To the fans that came out to the stadium, that watched the game on TV, that listened over the radio: thank you for joining us today during these [tough] times.  I'm sure there were many fans that came despite a lot of difficulties and a lot of fans that wanted to come but couldn't...

When the earthquake struck, we were in Hyogo.  We were far away from our homes and we couldn't get in touch with our families; we traveled to various places Japan, full of uncertainties.  And we grew gloomy as more information became available through the media.

When I think back to how things were then and think of how we just played a homer opener here at Kleenex Stadium, I just can't believe it...

After the disaster, the players waited until the day we could return to Tohoku by talking about what we could do, what we should do.  Then 5 days before the start of the regular season, we all returned to Sendai.

While burning the images of the vastly changed Tohoku region into our eyes and spirits, we visited relief shelters and apologized for taking so long to return.  And when everyone greeted us with open arms and told us not to quit because they weren't going to quit, it made me cry.  That's when it became clear why we had to play [baseball].

We learned something [important] over the last month and a half.  We learned that people who have something to fight for are strong.

The people of Tohoku, let's get through this.  Now, this time right here.  We're going to beat this, no matter what.  If we can get over this now and get to the other side, I'm sure we'll be greeted by even stronger versions of ourselves and a much brighter future.  Let's show everyone how strong Tohoku is!

Thank you very much.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

=== 12:03am

After practice, Hoshino left the field in a car, but partway through decided that he wanted to walk back to the hotel and got off.  Along the way he bumped into three local kids that walked with him.  When the kids asked where he was headed, they realized he was walking in the wrong direction.  Long of the short, the kids walked Hoshino back to the hotel (about a 5km distance) and Hoshino presented them with his autograph as a thank you.

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All the pitchers (other than the foreigners) tossed bullpen sessions today.  Masahiro Tanaka threw 18 pitches to a standing catcher and 29 with the catcher kneeling.

The Eagles announced today that Kelvin Jimenez's registered name was changed from Kelvin to Jimenez.

=== 7:08pm

Akinori Iwamura took 58 swings during BP and hit 4 over the fence.  Said Iwamura, "It's been a while [since I attended spring camp in Japan] and was a little worried if I'd actually make it through warm-ups."

=== 1:40pm

Takeshi Yamasaki showed up at the beach behind the team hotel 10 minutes before today's scheduled morning calisthenics exercise session at 7:30am.

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Motohiro Shima was the first player to shout during today's morning shouting exercises.

This is my 6th year...  Scratch that, 5th year.  I'm Shima Motohiro. ... My goal this year is to toss the manager, Hoshino, up into the air.  I want him to talk about how reliable I am.  I want to win over his confidence!

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About 1,500 fans saw the Eagles off at Sendai Station on Monday.

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Senichi Hoshino told players during yesterday's team meeting that he wanted all his players to fall in love with baseball and meet the expectations of the fans. ... The charter plane Hoshino flew in yesterday was originally labeled flight JTA 3173, but the airline company changed it to flight 1001, which can be read senichi, which is also Hoshino's first name.  Kumejima officials also added special sand (used in raising shrimp and effective in water drainage) to the Ni-gun training grounds to avoid major puddles when it rains in February. ... Hoshino wore his uniform for the first time today for his pictures.