In a thread on 5ch’s Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ board, comments spread after SoftBank chairman Sadaharu Oh (86) — born the same year as Isao Harimoto and a fellow rookie from the same draft class — offered a tribute following Harimoto’s death on September 9, saying he hoped Harimoto could “go to heaven with his head held high.” Oh and Harimoto were lifelong friends who, after Harimoto’s 1976 transfer to the Yomiuri Giants, formed the famous “OH Cannon” batting duo and helped power the Giants to their first championship under manager Shigeo Nagashima. On the thread, some users found the phrase “with his head held high” an odd choice of words for a tribute, while others reminisced about Harimoto’s playing days and shared updates on Chairman Oh’s current health.
Thu, 9/10, 2:36 PM
SoftBank chairman Sadaharu Oh (86) mourned the sudden loss of his old friend Isao Harimoto, who passed away on September 9, in comments made on the 10th.
Both were born in 1940 and turned pro the same year, in 1959. In 1976, Harimoto transferred from the Nippon-Ham Fighters to the Yomiuri Giants, where he and Oh formed the famed “OH Cannon” batting duo, hitting .355 with 22 home runs and 93 RBIs that season. He contributed to manager Shigeo Nagashima’s first championship that same year. The following season, in 1977, he posted a .348 average with 24 home runs and 82 RBIs, driving the team to another league title.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
There's no heaven or hell. You just become nothing.
'With your head held high' sounds like something you'd say to encourage someone who's been badmouthed by people, doesn't it?
Lower than I'd have guessed.
If he didn't, then please don't send him somewhere he'd have hated.
Glad to see he's doing well.
When he came back as manager after having his entire stomach removed for cancer, you'd often see him looking unwell, probably from food getting stuck in his esophagus.
There was even an away game at Chiba Marine Stadium where his face suddenly turned ashen mid-game and he retreated to the back of the dugout and never came back — the head coach had to step in as acting manager.
He ended up resigning as manager that same offseason and moved into a front-office role.
Looking back on that, it's amazing how well he's doing now.
Wait, was Harimoto even Christian?
Not after mocking people the way he did.
As the saying goes, 'even a wicked man attains salvation — never mind a good one' (a sarcastic twist on the famous Buddhist teaching about salvation)
Not really a phrase you'd normally use about someone who's passed away.
During the 'Monaoka' scandal, Oh reportedly said something off-topic like 'What about the ¥9,800 hotel?' — he has a habit of dropping slightly odd comments sometimes.
Did he do something lol
Apparently it took some courage to leave the Yomiuri Group.
Glad the Son family (Masayoshi Son, SoftBank's founder) has taken good care of him.
'With his head held high'??? …Makes no sense.
Isn't it just meant like 'with pride for the incredible records he left behind'?
Oh's word choices are sometimes a bit '?' but it's nothing to worry about.
More importantly, can someone post that photo of Harimoto leaping for joy behind Oh right after he hit his 756th home run?
That reminded me of this incident —
this was also a case where a Carp fan charged at Oh and Harimoto stepped in to protect him.
Oh was probably grateful for that too.
What a wild era that was lol
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Isao Harimoto holds the all-time NPB record with 3,085 career hits. After transferring from the Nippon-Ham Fighters to the Yomiuri Giants in 1976, he and Chairman Oh formed the famous “OH Cannon” duo and helped power the team to league championships. The phrase that sparked discussion here — “I hope he can go to heaven with his head held high” — split the thread between users who felt it sounded like it implied Harimoto had something to be ashamed of, and those who read it more charitably as a tribute to his record-breaking career. Harimoto’s post-retirement years were also marked by controversies, including a reported dispute with a taxi driver, and some of that past coverage seems to have colored how people read into Oh’s choice of words this time. Meanwhile, longtime fans also expressed renewed surprise and respect that Chairman Oh remains active as team chairman despite having battled stomach cancer in the past.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “SoftBank Chairman Sadaharu Oh: ‘I Hope He Can Go to Heaven with His Head Held High’ — Mourning Lifelong Friend and Classmate Isao Harimoto.”
