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Juan and gone

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It took six years, but Juan Francisco made an impact in Japan on Sunday, when he broke a 1-1 tie against South Korea with a home run off the Yokohama Stadium scoreboard for the Dominican Republic.

Francisco did hit five home runs in Japan — for the Yomiuri Giants’ Eastern League farm club, but he lasted that many games with the big club before heading home.

I don’t want to assume I know why he failed to adjust to Japanese baseball, but he appeared unable to concentrate in games. Three of his five games took place in Hiroshima, where everything that could go wrong did.

Then Giants scout Fernando Seguignol had the unenviable task of spending much of the summer of 2015 trying to help Francisco find his niche in Japan to no avail.

I later heard from a member of the Giants’ organization that when Giants executives dined out with him to celebrate his signing, the Yomiuri guys spent the evening in shock as Francisco spent most of the time looking at his cell phone.

I’m happy that he did get a chance to return to Japan and do some of the damage the Giants envisioned him capable of doing.

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Commentary, News, Paid Content

Life in Vichy Japan

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The doublespeak coming out of the mouths of Japanese government officials, the International Olympic Committee and virtually everyone involved in pushing forward the Tokyo Olympics in the teeth of a coronavirus pandemic is surreal.

Based on the kind of daily messaging we get, it’s almost as if Japan’s government has thrown up its hands, surrendered, and is now collaborating as a puppet state of the IOC.

Bach: Japan embracing occupation

On Friday, when Tokyo reached a record high in coronavirus infections for the third straight day, IOC President Thomas Bach said Japan was “embracing” the Olympics, based on the fact that people are watching virtually the only thing on every terrestrial channel all day long.

Of course, most Japanese wish the Olympics would go away, but it is here, and there is a home team to root for, so it’s no surprise people are watching.

Despite polls showing 60-80 percent of the population didn’t want the Olympics, Bach did what Donald Trump did a year ago, ignore the polls and obsess on the people attending his rallies.

“Almost 90 percent of the Japanese population, in the meantime, has switched on the Olympic Games. These figures and these ratings, I think they speak for themselves on what the Japanese people are really feeling,” Bach said according to Kyodo News.

Muzzles better than masks for some

Proudly unvaccinated American swimmer Michael Andrew refused to wear a mask while speaking to reporters on Friday, according to NPR.

When asked why he didn’t wear a mask, Andrew said he felt secure since everyone else was taking precautions.

“For me it’s pretty hard to breathe in after kind of sacrificing my body in the water, so I feel like my health is a little more tied to being able to breathe than protecting what’s coming out of my mouth,.”

— U.S. swimmer Michael Andrews

In one sense he’s right since if that’s the stuff he’s spewing, no mask could prevent it.

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