Roster moves: Takeshi Yamasaki and Kei Nomoto were taken off the active roster today because they were diagnosed with influenza B.  And Masahiko Morino was taken off the active roster after he was diagnosed with a minor contusion on his right abdominal oblique muscle.  There is currently no timetable on his return.

Tony Blanco and Victor Diaz were called up to fill the open spots.

The Dragons announced today that Kazuki Yoshimi will donate 10,000 yen for every inning he pitches this season to a foundation that helps kids that lost parents during the Tohoku Earthquake.  He also plans to raise money by holding a charity auction, via his official blog.

===

Kenshin Kawakami will likely make his first regular season start on March 31 against the Hiroshima Carp (Nagoya Dome).

===

Sanspo wonders what kind of car Takeshi Yamasaki might buy during the next off-season.  They also list out his past off-season purchases:

2006 - Ferrari 512M (~23M yen)
2007 - Lamborghini Murcielago (~35M yen)
2011 - Lamborghini Aventador (30M~40M yen)

And Sponichi notes that if Yamasaki finishes exhibition play leading the league in homers, he will be the first forty or over player to do so since Katsuya Nomura led the league with with five in 1975 at the age of forty.

===

Daola successfully turned a back-flip, with a twist, after the 7th inning today.

Nikkan Sports notes that the Dragons have dropped hints to reporters that Kazuki Yoshimi may be their opening day starter.

===

Takeshi Yamasaki is looking forward to the chance of facing his former teammate Masahiro Tanaka when the Dragons play three exhibition games against the Rakuten Eagles at Nagoya Dome between March 23 and 25 at Nagoya Dome.

===

Kenshin Kawakami and Kenichi Nakata will likely get starts during the second series of the season: vs Yokohama at Yokohama, April 3-5.

The Dragons practice game against the Yakult Swallows at Nagoya Stadium was canceled due to poor ground conditions.

===

Morimichi Takagi told reporters on Tuesday that he felt Takeshi Yamasaki was a better quality hitter than Tony Blanco.  And Blanco has not been able to prove otherwise because of a bad lower bad.

===

Akifumi Takahashi (coming back from left shoulder problems) and Enyelbert Soto (coming back from lower back pain) tossed batting practice at Nagoya Stadium today.

===

Yamasaki does not plan on changing his intro music: Diamond Yukai's Babe-na Takeshi.

According to Nikkan Sports and Daily Sports, Takeshi Yamasaki arrived at Nagoya Stadium in his black Lamborghini Aventador.  Yamasaki ordered the car last Fall and received it at the end of last year.  There are only three of these cars in Japan right now and they carry a price tag between 41M and 43M yen.

===

The team worked out indoors on Sunday after their exhibition game against the Hanshin Tigers was rained out. Workouts were kept light.  The team also has the day off tomorrow.

===

Tony Blanco started taking batting practice on Sunday (about thirty minutes).  Said Blanco about his lower back pains, "It is getting better everyday.  I am still a little worried so I will take it one step at a time."

===

Pitching coach Hiroshi Gondo told reporters on Sunday that the team can not take twenty pitchers to Nagoya Dome on March 2.  The plan at this point is to give nine young pitchers a chance to pitch in a practice game against the KIA Tigers on February 28 in order to begin the elimination process.  The Dragons are expected to carry twelve pitches.

===

Morimichi Takagi apparently left 1st round draft pick Shuhei Takahashi and Masahiko Morino out of the starting line-up on Saturday against the Chiba Lotte Marines because he heard reports that 2nd round draft pick Yuhei Nakaushiro was still having problems with the ball slipping out of his hand on occasion.

===

Takeshi Yamasaki will be forty-three years and four months on opening day.  If he is in the starting line-up batting fourth on opening day, he will break Tomoaki Kanemoto's (HAN) previous record of forty-one years and eleven months.  If Kanemoto manages to make the starting line-up as well, he will break his own record since he will be forty-three years and eleven months.  The NPB record is Hiromitsu Ochiai at forty-four years and three months.

FYI: Yamasaki played a February exhibition game on Saturday for the first time since 2004.

===

Kei Nomoto took things a little slow during practice today due to fasciitis in his right calf.  There are no plans to send Nomoto to a hospital at this stage but he will spend time away from Ichi-gun.

===

Hitoki Iwase will likely get to start an exhibition game against Hiroshima on March 2.

===

1st round draft pick Shuhei Takahashi spent some time signing autographs after practices on Thursday.

===

Through Thursday, 1st round draft pick Takahashi is 7-for-24 with five extra base hits and four RBI over seven games.

===

A Takeshi Yamasaki, Kazuki Yoshimi, and women's softball pitcher Yukiko Ueno got together with some kids today and wrote messages on baseballs for kids that attend Yamashita Junior High School in Miyagi prefecture.  This was a part of the Dragons' project to support victims of the Tohoku earthquake/tsunami.

===

Tony Blanco complained of back pains during warm-ups today and was taken to a hospital for an examination.  It was the same kind of pain he experienced on February 10.  He is considered day-to-day.

Victor Diaz was excused from practices due to a cold (fever, headaches).

===

Takeshi Yamasaki will likely bat clean-up during an exhibition game against Lotte on February 25.

===

Enyelbert Soto played some catch and did some running on his day off on Monday.  Soto, who has been working out at Ni-gun camp because of an injury to his right calf, said to reporters, "I have no more concerns about my leg.  My shoulder is still not quite ready, but close to 100%."

===

The team will soon begin giving Masahiko Morino more playing time at third base during pre-season games.  But the coaches want to keep giving 1st round draft pick Shuhei Takahashi opportunities to hit so they might actually try to keep his bat in the line-up by moving the rookie to the outfield.

===

Kazuhiro Wada worked with weights during the off-season for the first time since his Industrial League days.  He has also been hitting a baseball that weighs 300 grams, about twice the weight of the NPB baseball, during spring camp.

===

Takehiro Donoue told reporters on Monday that he is getting a better feel for how to use his left leg when swinging the bat.

===

Doala could become an honorary resident of the town of Chatan as early as Feburary 27.  However, it seems Doala is not ready to commit and has put his decision on hold.  His reason: he is concerned about public opinion.

It should be noted that Nagoya could step in and ask Doala to become an honorary citizen and the village of Yomitan is reportedly thinking about asking Doala to become a tourism ambassador.

===

Comedian/musician Boo Takagi visited Chatan camp today.

===

Morimichi Takagi was apparently impressed with Samsung's clean-up hitter, Hyung-Woo Choi.

===

Kenshin Kawakami continued to work out under a separate training schedule today because of inflammation in his right hamstring.  His condition has improved and he plans to toss a bullpen session on Friday.

Kawakami also spent time looking over footage of him playing catch today.

===

Two lucky fans got work the PA system and be a bat boy during the first and second inning of today's practice game against Samsung.

===

The Dragons announced that their cheer-leading squad will hold a dance lesson for the 450 or so students at Kuwae Junior High School on Friday.  Doala is also expected to attend.

===

While it is only ninety-eight meters out to left at Chatan Stadium, there is a fourteen meter high net near the left field foul pole.  Hitting one over the netting means the ball most likely traveled at least 140 meters.  Sosa hit one of his shots over this netting on Wednesday.  The only other player to do that was Joel Guzman last year.