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The story
Chunichi Dragons manager Kazuki Inoue has stepped down, and Asagei reports that Masumi Kuwata is the clear front-runner to take over as his replacement. Kazuyoshi Tatsunami and Kazuhiro Kiyohara are also said to be under consideration for coaching roles. The thread buzzed with excitement over the incoming regime, but opinions were split — some worried about Kiyohara’s coaching style and health if he actually joins the staff, while others questioned Kuwata’s whole philosophy on winning. Also drawing attention: even though Chunichi is finishing dead last this season, attendance has hit an all-time high.
[Exclusive Catch] ‘Masumi Kuwata’ Suddenly the Clear Front-Runner to Replace Chunichi Manager Kazuki Inoue! Plans Reportedly Include ‘Kazuyoshi Tatsunami and Kazuhiro Kiyohara as Coaches’…
Source: asagei.com / Read the original article here
What people said
The dugout hanging strap
Manager interviews where he talks over the reporter
Needlessly impressive calligraphy
Garbage bunts
Hit-and-runs
Dirty hustle plays
Victory rituals
The pratfall special
Calling players by first names & nicknames
Body-touching & wall-slamming specific players
Player rep Fujishima
Captain Okabayashi
What else?
Can't even scrape by with this crew 😢 (playing on "食えない," meaning "can't make a living")
https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/img/202607050001962-w1300_0.jpg
Wall-slam (kabe-don)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTdROeta0AAighx.jpg
◎ Tatsunami
◯ Ibata
△ Araki
▲ Kuwata, Ichiro
✖︎ Sho, Takeshi, Asao, Ramirez
Gondo, Hirooka, Kawato
Tatsunami — Head Coach
Kiyohara — Batting Coach
Kataoka — Infield/Baserunning Coach
Nomura — Pitching Coach
Tsuboi — Outfield Coach
Tsuboi was Yakult's batting coach, right?
If he actually becomes a coach he's going to bring back the iron-fist discipline for real 😢
Ibata will probably take it too, coming off a 3-year deal as team manager
If he turns it down, Araki might manage the team himself
Tatsunami would need handling on the sponsor/backer side
Shima's still too young and too much of an outsider — too soon for him
Teruhiro Yano — A-class finish, 4 times in 4 years
Alex Ramirez — A-class finish, 3 times in 5 years
Motonobu Tanishige — B-class finish, 3 years running
Kazuyoshi Tatsunami — Last place, 3 years running
Tsuyoshi Yoda — A-class finish once with Chunichi
"Scrap the pennant race and its rankings."
"Ban complaints to umpires and get rid of video review."
"Abolish announced starters, the DH, and interleague play."
"Baseball as a sport is way too obsessed with winning."
"If it were up to me [as manager], I'd be fine losing forever."
"Once you keep losing long enough, the obsession with winning fades, and you actually start enjoying baseball again."
Sounds perfect for Chunichi
Sounds more like a sandlot team manager
Even Togo bounced back once he left Kuwata's hands and Coach Kubo took over
The Chunichi Dragons front office
Masumi 'First-Team' Kuwata — Manager (a pun inserting 一軍/"first team" into his name, Kuwata Shin-ichigun-zumi)
Kazuhiro Kiyohara — Head Coach
Atsushi Kataoka — Batting Coach
Hiroki Nomura — Pitching Coach
Shinya Miyamoto — Infield/Baserunning Coach
Kiyoshi Hashimoto — Second-Team Manager
Not even in the Kaminomiya faction, yet somehow Motoki always ends up in the cabinet anyway
Players would freeze up around him, and he's the genius type — just not cut out for coaching
Nothing's gonna change even if they bring in Kuwata
Right now Chunichi's in last place but still pulling record crowds, so honestly they don't even need to get strong
They rake in the cash and can cut salaries too
Background and talking points
Masumi Kuwata only just took on a senior management role with the Oisix Shinjo BC ballclub this season, and commenters aware of that fact voiced doubts about how credible this report really is. Kazuhiro Kiyohara, meanwhile, is still in the process of rebuilding his life after his drug-related arrest, and the thread repeatedly raised concerns about his health and coaching methods should he actually join the staff. At the same time, even though Chunichi’s last-place finish this season is all but certain, attendance has hit an all-time high — helped in part by the new terrace seating — fueling recurring talk in the thread about a front-office reality where “you don’t have to win to turn a profit.” Given that financial backdrop, the choice of the next manager may not be driven purely by winning — a nuance that coverage focused solely on the managerial appointment tends to miss.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Urgent] Chunichi Dragons Manager Kazuki Inoue’s Replacement: ‘Masumi Kuwata the Clear Front-Runner,’ ‘Kazuyoshi Tatsunami and Kazuhiro Kiyohara as Coaches’ — It’s Happeningggggg.”
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