FUKUOKA – Chiba Lotte Marines manager Norifumi Nishimura has called a team meeting. “Men, just last weekend we made grown men cry in Saitama. The team had big expectations this year. The fans believed lions – lions! When has anyone ever gotten the truth out of a lion? I digress.” “Men, they will tell us …
Climax Series 1st Stage Game 2 – Indefatigable Spirit
“I feel like everything is shiny. Just… shiny.” -Katsu, about 60 minutes after the end of the game The world is indeed a shinier place this evening as yesterday’s comeback kings found a way to do it again today. Down late – again – needing a spark – again – wanting a hero to step …
Climax Series 1st Stage Game 1 – Never Say Die
‘‘This is what happens when you never give up,’’ said Fukuura, who pumped his right fist as he rounded the bases. – Kyodo News on Saturday’s Climax Series First Stage Game 1 If you were to make a time capsule for sports – a representative collection of the appeal of sport and the significance to …
Climax Series First Stage – Game 1 Preview
It’s here! Today’s the first game of the 2010 Pacific League Climax Series, First Stage. I could not be more stoked for this game. I added some final statistics from this season so you can see how things shook out – check out the 2010 Statistics tab up top. One thing you’ll notice is the …
Climax Series – First Stage Information
The Pacific League Climax Series First Stage games featuring Our Men of Lotte versus the despised Seibu Lions take place this weekend, 9-11 October, at Seibu Dome (or, as Deanna calls it, Seibu Dump). All games are at 13:00 and are hopelessly, impossibly sold out. I think they must have sold out in minutes. I …
Yatta! Look Out Seibu, The Marines are Invading
The wait is over – it’s been a long season, a stress-filled September, and it went right down to the last possible pitch. The three-year wait is over: Tonight, Our Marines clinched the final spot in the climax series by the slimmest of margins, taking a tight 5-4 victory from visiting Orix, and seizing the …
This Is It
In the land of must wins the next one is the must-est, if I may coin a word. Or is essentiallist better? However you wish to say it, the Chiba Lotte Marines 2010 campaign comes down to one game only – the last game, Orix at Lotte, Chiba Marine Stadium, 18:15, Thursday, 30 September, end …
What We Know
We now have all the information we need. There’s nothing anyone else can do; it’s all up to Our Marines to get it done. On Tuesday, Nippon Ham won their season finale, forcing Lotte to win their last three games to get into the postseason. Fortunately, the last game versus Rakuten for 2010 went well, …
Simple Math
The math is very simple; Our Marines really need to win these last three games of the season. I wrote and deleted a few posts in my head as my mood changed this week. First there was the thrilling end to the game three of the Lotte-Rakuten series in Sendai – I thought that might …
Circling
So I haven’t updated in ages. This is never a good thing – it COULD mean that I am just busy, or that I’m having so much fun celebrating Lotte victories – but alas, this is not the case. As I write this I am sitting in the stands at Kleenex Stadium Miyagi before the …