The game's the same; little else is familiar

  • Article by: LA VELLE E. NEAL III , Star Tribune
  • Updated: February 21, 2011 - 7:44 AM

The Twins have their first Japanese player, providing their closest brush yet with the vast differences between their approach and ours.

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biekertFeb. 19, 11 9:21 PM

Welcome aboard, Tsuyoshi! Good luck! As an aside, I highly recommend "You Gotta Have Wa", the book mentioned in this article. It gave a lot of insight into the interesting, odd world of Japanese pro baseball.

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whatzitFeb. 19, 1110:03 PM

yes he is more than welcome in this clubhouse where guys have mystery ailments all the time and never seem to want to get on the field and help out their team mates

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mrrobjFeb. 19, 1110:04 PM

Completely agree -- great post. "The Meaning of Ichiro? is another great Whiting baseball book. Start reading. Heck, what else are you going to do under our new blanket of snow?

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862WapoFeb. 19, 1110:18 PM

Hopefully the Twin's players will learn something from this guy. Maybe this is what the team needs, an instigator...someone that does things differently...prepares to play. Too bad the Twin's pitchers don't follow this routine on getting in shape...there would be less injuries and soreness. If I were the Japanese player, I would be frustrated that the Twins don't care or have enough pride to prepare.

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shpadoinkleFeb. 19, 1111:31 PM

Very nice article La Velle.

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avidtwinfanFeb. 19, 1111:39 PM

Nice. Work ethic. Hard work. Due Dilgence. Way to go Nishi. He will fit in well with the Twins.

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kennyrogersFeb. 19, 1111:41 PM

"Every player has a song" in Japan. Good idea, I think Prince has a song named "Nikki". I don't know how it goes, I'll have to look it up.

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kennyrogersFeb. 19, 1111:43 PM

oops. wow. scratch that song,lol!

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PooOnUFeb. 19, 1111:54 PM

Can't wait for Gardy-san to lead the team in exercise drills.

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BallFourFeb. 20, 1112:11 AM

If all that practice is so great, why aren't Japanese players dominating U.S. ball? Heck, the few who make their way here are usually lost in the crowd. Ichiro is a huge exception.

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