=== 10:31pm JST

...In preparation for the Fighters' home opener, Atsunori Inaba worked out for about 2 hours (playing catch, taking BP) at Sapporo Dome on Friday.  He told reporters that while they won the Pacific League title last year, they can't forget what it feels like to be the challengers.

...Yu Darvish also took part in general team practice on Friday and went through his usual workouts (playing catch, running sprints).  He told reporters that opening day was just business as usual for him.

...After general practice on Friday, Sho Nakata told reporters he was really excited about his opening day debut on Saturday and wanted to show everyone what he's been working on until now.

...Masataka Nashida is one win away from 500 career wins as a manager.

=== 4:24pm JST

...Tomohiro Nioka is working his way back from tightness in his left calf. Nioka didn't take any fielding practice on Thursday and worked out under a separate menu.  He'll likely be the DH batting second on opening day.

...Yu Darvish tossed 45 pitches in the bullpen on Thursday.  Shinya Tsuruoka, his likely battery-mate on opening day, caught his session.  Pitching coach Takeshi Shimazaki stood in the batter's box at one point and later told reporters that Darvish looked great and that he had no worries.

Darvish gave up 3 early runs against the Eagles during his opening day start last year.  Tsuruoka said that Darvish was likely tired from the WBC last year and that he was looking much better this year.

Note: Hokkaido Shimbun mentions 60 pitches, although it seems like it was 45 pitches with Shimazaki in the box, and the difference with no one in the box.

...Masataka Nashida apparently gave out the opening day starting line-up during a TV appearance on Thursday.

Kensuke Tanaka
Tomohiro Nioka
Atsunori Inaba
Shinji Takahashi
Yoshio Itoi
Eiichi Koyano
Sho Nakata
Shinya Tsuruoka
Makoto Kaneko

...Masayoshi Kato got a baggy uniform.  Why?  When he was a kid, he apparently had a thing for pro players wearing loose uniforms.

...Part four of the Nikkan Sports' series on Yu Darvish is now up.

=== 3/19/2010 12:03am JST

...Masataka Nashida was a guest speaker at a seminar on Thursday.  When he was questioned about his thoughts on Sho Nakata, he said that he wanted to use him in left field.

...The Fighters held a two hour practice at Sapporo Dome on Thursday.

=== 4:54pm JST

...Just how big of a deal was that home run by Sho Nakata anyway?  Perhaps big enough to warrant a marker commemorating the event.  And it was apparently Pepsicola Japan that suggested the idea, since the ball dented the wall above where they have one of their vending machines.  They're obviously banking on fans to go out and find the marker and then oh, what's this, a vending machine?  I'll grab me a Pepsi.

It seems Pepsi sells about 300 cans of beverages through various vending machines inside the park, but only about 10 at the particular vending machine close to where the ball hit a wall.

And regardless of the marker, Pepsi plans on naming the vending machine the Nakata Vending Machine.

For those that want to see a shot of it, there's a video of it on YouTube.  You'll probably want to check it out ASAP since it might get removed (it's footage from a Japanese news show).

...Yu Darvish spent about 2 hours working out (weight training) on his day off Wednesday.

...Shinji Takahashi also worked out on his day off, spending about 45 minutes in the batting cages.

...Sponichi seems to think that Tomohiro Nioka will play an important role in the team's offensive success, perhaps more so that Sho Nakata.

...As if the Fighters didn't have enough ticketing plans for women (not that I have anything against women and baseball mind you) called Ladies' Wednesday.  Each ticket purchased under the new ticketing plan will include various classes / courses to help women learn more about baseball.  Nikkan Sports mentions two: a baseball course taught by a former Nippon Ham player and a course on uniform sewing.

...Buddy Carlyle started an Ikusei League game on Wednesday and was removed from the game in the second inning after he experienced some discomfort in his left hamstring.

...Of the 15 batters Bobby Keppel retired on Tuesday, 10 were on grounders, including two double plays (one runner got on via walk in the 2nd and a second batter reach on an error in the 5th.  He also topped out at 148km/h.

Keppel's first start of the regular season will likely be on the 22nd against the Softbank Hawks (third game of the opening series at Sapporo Dome).

...Yoshio Itoi ended exhibition play with RBIs in his last three games.

...Sho Nakata tried out a number of different bats this month and appears to have settled on a bat he borrowed from Itoi, which also happens to be based on Atsunori Inaba's bat.  He has been using the new bat since the 4/13.  Nakata also apparently picked up a few books on mental conditioning.

With the left-handed Toshiya Sugiuchi set to start the opening day game against the Fighters, Nakata could end up being in the starting line-up, batting 7th and playing in left.

Incidentally, the second home run Nakata hit on Tuesday cleared the netting out in left.  According to Nikkan Sports, it's not something that happens very often (they have a quote from a club official that said he didn't recall any Japanese players hitting one out) and the last time it did happen apparently was when Ken Griffey held a batting clinic in November 1997 and knocked out one.

...Bob Keppel tossed 5 no hit innings against the Chunichi Dragons on Tuesday.  His final line: 5 IP, 15 BF, 50 NP, 0 H, 1 SO, 1 BB, 0 R, 0 ER.  Keppel apparently forgot his uniform in Sapporo and had to borrow Brian Wolfe's uniform.

...Sho Nakata (started in right and batted 7th) ended exhibition play with bang, quite literally.  He hit home runs in back-to-back at bats against the Chunichi Dragons on Tuesday.  Both home runs (solo shot in the 5th and a 2-run shot in the 6th) came off  Edward Valdez.  For the game: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

All this coming on the heels of a work out on Monday that had Masataka Nashida and head coach / batting coach Junichi Fukura watching over his BP session and providing advice and tips.  GM Masao Yamada also apparently dropped by to watch.

...Yu Darvish threw 45 pitches in the bullpen on Monday in preparation for his start on the 20th against the Softbank Hawks.  He originally wasn't scheduled for the bullpen but decided that he wanted to check on a few things before his start.

...It seems Hichori Morimoto may end up being out for a lot longer than originally anticipated.  Hichori is still working out under a separate menu at Ni-gun and there is currently no ETA on when he might be able to make a return.  Nasahida told reporters that Hichori might not be ready until some time in or after March.

...Masao Kida informed fans that of a spat between Ni-gun pitching coach Masato Yoshii and Ichi-gun pitching coach Kazuyuki Atsuzawa at his own personal blog Monday night.  According to Kida's blog post, Yoshii made a comment at his blog about how busy Ni-gun pitching coaches are and how little Atsuzawa does as an Ichi-gun pitching coach.  The exact post:

２軍のコーチは、忙しすぎる。美容と健康のためのトレーニング、全然できへん。ブルペンで球数を数えてるだけの厚沢コーチがうらやましい。

Atsuzawa caught wind of the post and confronted Yoshii.  Now it seems the incident will be tried at a kangaroo court with Romash Tasuku Dass presiding.

=== 10:55pm JST

...Masataka Nashida told reporters on Monday that the players on the Ichi-gun roster right now will likely be with the team on opening day.  That means there's a good chance both Sho Nakata and Masayoshi Kato will make the opening day rosters.

The team worked out at Kamagaya on Monday.

...Nashida spent some time giving Nakata hitting pointers on Monday.  Nakata also stayed back for extra batting practice after general practice.

...Yutaka Ohtsuka's surgery on Monday was a success.  He will be hospitalized for about a week.

=== 4:27pm JST

...Seems Sho Nakata has a good shot at being on the opening day roster.  General manager Masao Yamada told reporters prior to the game on Sunday that the team's decision to help Nakata grow by letting him play in games has no changed and that it's likely he'll be with the Ichi-gun team come opening day.  That doesn't include a starting position though.

...Takahiro Matsuka broke a nail on his right middle finger during Sunday's game against the Yakult Swallows.  He is listed as day-to-day.

...Yutaka Ohtsuka had apparently been feeling pain in his right elbow since he was in college.

...Part three of the Nikkan Sports' series on Yu Darvish is now up.

=== 8:20pm JST

...Masaru Takeda's exhibition game outings:

3/14 vs Yakult Swallows: 4.2 IP, 23 BF, 96 NP, 8 H, 3 SO, 2 BB, 3 R, 3 ER

3/9 vs Hanshin Tigers: 2 IP, 8 BF, 26 NP, 2 H, 2 SO, 0 BB, 1 R, 1 ER

2/28 vs Yakult Swallows: 5 IP, 23 BF, 72 NP, 7 H, 4 SO, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 R, 4 ER

During his outing on Sunday, Takeda surrendered three consecutive hits in the third inning that led to a run.  In the 5th, he surrendered 4 consecutive hits and was charged with two earned runs that inning.

...Makoto Kaneko continues to hit well out of the bottom of the lineup.  On Sunday he collected a hit in his 6th consecutive game -- a solo home run in his first at bat in the 3rd inning.

...Sho Nakata collected his first hit in 14 plate appearances.

...Dai-Kang Yang (Yoh) joined the Ichi-gun roster on Sunday.

=== 3:53pm JST

...The Fighters announced on Sunday that 2nd round draft pick Yutaka Ohtsuka will have surgery on his left elbow on Monday.  It appears he needs the surgery to address a medial collateral ligament injury in his elbow.  Ohtsuka will likely be out for at least a year.

=== 2:51pm JST

...While Sho Nakata did struggle with the bat on Saturday, he did record an assist in the third when he threw out Tomoya Satozaki at home plate.

...Masao Kida (41 years, 6 months, 1 day) and Satoshi Nakajima (40 years, 11 months, and 14 days) appeared in the same game on Saturday.  The two could set a new record for oldest battery mates this season.  The Hanshin Tigers' Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi (41 years and 3 months) and Akihiro Yano (40 years, 8 months, 10 days) set a new record last year on 8/13 against the Yomiuri Giants and could also lift the bar higher this year.  Incidentally, the dates in the parentheses are how old the players were on the day they pitched.

=== 10:29pm JST

...Yu Darvish's exhibition game outings:

3/13 vs Chiba Lotte Marines: 7 IP, 24 BF, 103 NP, 4 H, 1 HR, 4 SO, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 ER

3/6 vs Yakult Swallows: 6 IP, 19 BF, 78 NP, 1 H, 7 SO, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER

2/27 vs Rakuten Eagles: 5 IP, 19 BF, 68 NP, 4 H, 3 SO, 0 BB, 1 HBP,2 R, 2 ER

...Sho Nakata started in left and batted 7th.  He was the only starter in the line-up without a hit, going 0-for-3 with an RBI.  Masataka Nashida told reporters that he needs to learn how to handle fastballs better.

=== 3:40pm JST

...Mari Yaguchi threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Saturday's game against the Chiba Lotte Marines; Gekidan Hitori was the catcher.  It was part of a segement for their show, How to Monkey Baby! (How toモンキーベイビー！).

...Yu Darvish worked out for about an hour at Kamagaya on his day off on Friday (played some catch, ran some sprints) in preparation for his start on Saturday against the Chiba Lotte Marines at Tokyo Dome.

...Sho Nakata spent about 40 minutes working on his hitting at Kamagaya on his day off on Friday (according to Sponichi he hit 200 baseballs).  Including the game on Saturday, he only has three more games to prove that he belongs at Ichi-gun.  After his Ikusei League game on Thursday, Nakata sat down to watch footage from the game and from his games at Ichi-gun to see what he was doing differently.  Nakata told reporters that he looked more relaxed in his at bats on Thursday and that he was probably pressing himself too much during his Ichi-gun at bats.

...Hirotoshi Masui tossed 39 pitches in the bullpen on Thursday in preparation for his start against the Yomiuri Giants in an Ikusei League game start on Saturday.

=== 11:12pm JST

...The Fighters announced on Friday that speed skater Miho Takagi will be taking part in an event called Half-time Pitch during a game against the Softbank Hawks on 4/22.  Fighters' mascot B.B will be the catcher.

Half-time Pitch will take place after the 5th inning.

=== 8:34pm JST

...Masataka Nashida told reporters that he doesn't feel the need to set assign specific jobs to relievers in the bullpen, other than the closer.  Seems he'd just like to pick his battles and go with the hottest hand.

...Yu Darvish rejoined the team on the 11th.  Prior to the team's exhibition game against the Bay Stars that day, Darvish also had a chance to meet former teammate, Terrmel Sledge.

...Sho Nakata showed up to Thursday's Ikusei League game against the Chiba Lotte Marines with his head shaved.  For the game, Nakata picked up 2 hits, a home run, and 3 RBI.  Nasahida told reporters that it all worked out according to plan (a change of scenery to help get him going again).  Nakata is scheduled to rejoin the Ichi-gun roster on Saturday.

Nakata was also seen using his "old" batting stance from last season during the game.

=== 10:13pm JST

...Sho Nakata started in left and batted third during Thursday's Ikusei League game against the Chiba Lotte Marines.  Nakata went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI (including a double and a 2-run homer).

...The first four spots in the starting rotation could go Yu Darvish, Masaru Takeda, Bob Keppel, and Tomoya Yagi.

...Shota Ohno had a solid game on Wednesday against the Orix Buffaloes. With the bat he went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.  Behind the plate he threw out Tomotaka Sakaguchi twice: once in the first and once in the third.

=== 12:25pm JST

...Yu Darvish threw 64 pitches in the bullpen on Wednesday in preparation for his start against the Chiba Lotte Marines on Saturday.  He is set to rejoin the Ichi-gun team on Thursday.

...Seems all isn't quite lost for Sho Nakata yet.  The Fighters are planning to have Nakata play in an Ikusei League game against the Chiba Lotte Marine on the Thursday.  If he does well, he could be brought back up to Ichi-gun in time for the Chiba Lotte Marines game on Saturday.  If not, he may end up starting the 2010 season at Ni-gun again.

After Thursday's Ichi-gun game against the Yokohama Bay Stars, the Fighters will have only three more games: 3/13 vs Chiba; 3/14 vs Yakult; and 3/16 vs Chunichi.  The Ikusei League Fighter games are also limited.  After Thursday: 3/13 vs Yomiuri; 3/14 vs Yakult; and 3/17 vs Yomiuri.

FYI on his 0-for-3, 3 SO on Wednesday: Nakata struck out swinging on a change on the outside corner in his first at bat; he struck out swinging on a fastball on the inside corner in his second at bat; and struck out on a fork in his third at bat.  Nakata is hitless in his last 8 trips to the plate.

...Going into Tuesday's game against the Hanshin Tigers, Shinji Takahashi did not have a hit in his last 11 plate appearances.  Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi changed all of that for Takahashi as he hit a home run in his first at bat and a double in his second at bat.  He ultimately ended the game 3-for-5 with a double, home run, 2 run scored, and an RBI.

He kept up the hitting on Wednesday as well, going 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI.

...Bob Keppel's last exhibition game outing will likely be against the Chunichi Dragons on the 16th.

...Sho Nakata doesn't like domed stadiums.   Here's some evidence (albeit a very small sample size):

March 3: 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and 2 SO at Sapporo Dome (rest of line-up: 8-for-30)

March 4: 1-for-3 at Sapporo Dome (rest of line: 3-for-26)

March 6: 1-for-4 with a run scored and 1 SO at Sapporo Dome (rest of line-up 13-for-31)

March 7: 1-for-4 with a double and 2 SO at Sapporo Dome (rest of line-up: 3-for-26)

March 9: 0-for-4 at Kyocera Dome Osaka (rest of line-up: 12-for-33)

March 10: 0-for-3 with 3 SO at Kyocera Dome Osaka (rest of line-up: 12-for-35)

Total: 3-for-21, 1 BB, 1 2B, 2 R, 8 SO

Ok, so maybe it's just a coincidence.  But it's always a lot more fun overstating a possibility.  In any case, it seems Nakata is Ni-gun bound after going 0-for-3 on the 10th.