I learned late Friday night that Marty Kuehnert had died at the age of 78.

Robert Whiting, in his obituary, Saturday, wrote, “At the time of his death, the Sendai-based Marty was serving as an adviser to the pro baseball Rakuten Golden Eagles of the NPB’s Pacific League as well as Senior Adviser to General Manager of the pro basketball Sendai 89ers of Japan’s B League. Many people remember him from his days as affable owner/operator of The Attic sports bar and Attic Jr. in Kobe, as well as Legends sports bar in Roppongi in Tokyo.”

Marty, a catcher at Stanford University, came to Japan on an exchange program, and immersed himself in not only the language but the culture of Japanese baseball. He earned laurels as the manager of the independent Lodi Orions in the Single-A California League and went to work for the cash-strapped Lions, then Fukuoka.