Chunichi Dragons manager talk buzzed on 5ch this week, with speculation that manager Kazuki Inoue will return next season, rumors that head coach Motohiro Shima could be promoted, and calls for a wildcard “third man” hire. Threads floated wishlists for Hideki Matsui and Kimiyasu Kudo, while others pointed out that the parent company, the Chunichi Shimbun, and factional politics within the alumni association have long shaped managerial appointments. The conversation naturally drifted to predictions for the Giants’ next manager (Yoshinobu Takahashi, Hayato Sakamoto, Tatsunori Hara, Hideki Matsui), showing just how much interest there is in managerial moves across the Central League.
They should just make him GM or put him in charge of personnel.
Tatsunami's biggest achievement as manager was pushing through the acquisition of Hosokawa,
whom DeNA had put up for the active player draft.
When reporters covered the breaking news of Tatsunami's resignation, Hosokawa broke down in tears, saying,
"All I can say is thank you."
Who's next, though?
Takahashi Yoshinobu again?
Also, if they win the Japan Series this year, Hashigami might finally shed the "acting manager" label.
Won't happen — the owner and the alumni association are too hidebound for Hashigami.
Even if he sticks around, it'd be as head coach at most.
No way that happens.
As long as the Chunichi Shimbun is calling the shots, it won't matter who's managing.
Actual attendance figures have been the highest ever this year, so for the club, staying weak while keeping payroll down actually works out just fine.
It's a regional protest against the self-proclaimed "national paper" Yomiuri.
Osaka doesn't have anything like that, which is why Ishin no Kai runs wild there —
the Hanshin Tigers aren't even an Osaka team.
For Yomiuri, it's better business to keep running him out there as a player.
Takahashi Yoshinobu gave up his shot at 2,000 hits too, you know.
As coaches, Motoki and Kuwata are the sharp ones, but they don't seem to have the political muscle for it.
Kuwata, sharp?
His "work the four corners" coaching is why so many pitchers ended up walking everyone and losing their control.
The Giants alumni association hasn't been chaired by Kawakami for ages — it's Nakahata now.
Hirooka, who never got to manage the Giants,
and Horiuchi, the worst manager in team history with that 80-loss season —
neither of those guys has any say in managerial decisions.
Have you heard Nakahata's commentary?
The guy's stubborn as a rock.
Way more hard-headed than his image suggests
— he's gotten crankier with age.
The Chunichi Shimbun's real business is real estate.
Kind of like a certain Hello Project situation.
That's a baseless rumor.
It's not really a "main business" for them.
It's not fine —
if the newspaper and Monthly Dragons magazine don't sell, nothing else matters.
Of course print isn't selling anymore.
Is the digital side not doing well either?
Personally I'd rather see Ochiai as manager.
Kudo only talks a big game — he won't take a job unless the roster's already stacked.
He turned down Yokohama too because they were weak.
They definitely do.
Koyama-faction guys like Takeshi Yamasaki, Masa Yamamoto, Ibata, and Morino will never become Chunichi manager.
Yamasaki not getting the job has nothing to do with factions.
The fact that Morino's stuck coaching under the Tatsunami regime shows that, at the very least, Morino doesn't have it.
Favorite: Inoue stays
Contender: Wada
Dark horse: Eiji Ochiai
Longshot: Fukudome
Giants' next manager, predicted:
Favorite: Takahashi Yoshinobu
Contender: Sakamoto
Dark horse: Hara
Longshot: Matsui
And that's exactly the kind of division that defined the Hoshino era.
This fanbase is out of its mind.
The Hanshin dark ages.
Case closed.
Nope, those games didn't sell out.
Pointing to some other crazy fanbase doesn't actually refute anything.
Background and Talking Points
Managerial appointments for the Chunichi Dragons are often shadowed by a distinctive dynamic: the club’s relationship with its parent company, the Chunichi Shimbun, and factional politics within the alumni association (often called the “Koyama faction”). The thread saw plenty of faction talk — claims that Takeshi Yamasaki, Ibata, and Morino could never become Chunichi manager — alongside criticism of the parent company’s management approach. At the same time, predictions for the Giants’ next manager (Takahashi Yoshinobu, Sakamoto, Hara, Matsui) came up too, underscoring just how much interest there is in managerial moves across the Central League as a whole. The futures of manager Kazuki Inoue and head coach Motohiro Shima, along with the “third man” wishlist, remain purely speculative, and the thread’s “favorite / contender / dark horse / longshot” style predictions were largely playful guesswork. What’s easy to miss is that all of this is anonymous-forum rumor and speculation — not an official announcement from the club.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello Project board) thread “Chunichi Dragons’ next manager — talk of Inoue staying on, Shima’s promotion to head coach, and a “third man” rumor…“.
