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Lopsided wins and narrow victories produced different types of drama in the Japan Series. From start to finish, the series is discussed in a penetrating way.
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Listen in as Debora Zoli, a FIBA-certified agent since 2007, discusses her career journey in a conversation with sports editor Ed Odeven, including finding opportunities for her clients in the expansive global basketball landscape.
The Italian-born Zoli shares insights about working with numerous teams in Japan's B.League and many other countries, while stressing the importance of maintaining contact with clients throughout the year. She also analyzes how the establishment of the B.League in 2016 solidified the overall structure of the sport in Japan.
Zoli, who is based in Southern California, currently has more than 50 clients. She expresses pride in working with veteran Japan pro basketball star Michael Parker (Gunma Crane Thunders) and coach Don Beck (Kumamoto Volters), who has guided several teams in the Land of the Rising Suns, for many years. And Zoli notes that she's not trying to compete with monolithic sports agencies, but instead reveals that her agency, DG Sport, is focused on carving out its own niche.
RELATED:#11 Sports Talk ― Motofumi Iguchi Delivers Informed Analysis Of B.League[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Chiba Jets Adapting To New Coach John Patrick's Style Of Play[ODDS And EVENS] Kevin Braswell Brings Wealth Of Basketball Experience To Akita Northern HappinetsJoin the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, Twitter ＠ed_odeven, and find him on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated sports website, SportsLook.
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Listen in as French jockey Christophe Lemaire speaks to sports editor Ed Odeven about his thrilling victory in the grade 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) aboard Equinox on October 30 at Tokyo Racecourse.
The Japan Racing Association's winningest jockey for five straight years (2017-21), reveals what was going through his mind as the race unfolded. He shares his thoughts on beating Panthalassa, who had built a 15-length lead in the prestigious event.
Lemaire recalls with vivid details the excitement of competing in the Kentucky Derby for the first time in May, along with the atmosphere at Churchill Downs.
He also talks about getting ready for the Japan Cup, which is set for November 27. And he gives his opinion on who are the top three Japanese jockeys under age 30.
RELATED:Equinox Zooms Past Panthalassa For Thrilling Win In 166th Tenno ShoChristophe Lemaire Fulfills Dream Of Competing At Kentucky DerbyHORSE RACING | Almond Eye Rides Off Into Sunset as Legendary ChampionJoin the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven.
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Listen in as sports editor Ed Odeven and Ice Time columnist Jack Gallagher discuss Japan's top performances in the ongoing figure skating season.
The wide-ranging conversation includes Gallagher's analysis of Japanese figure skating Junior Grand Prix winners, including Shunsuke Nakamura, Nozomu Yoshioka and Takeru Kataise on the men's side and Hana Yoshida, Mao Shimada and Ami Nakai in women's competition. His astute observations include opinions on skaters' development curve after Japan missed the past two JGP seasons during the pandemic.
Skate America medalists Kao Miura (men's silver) and Kaori Sakamoto (women's winner) and Skate Canada winners Shoma Uno and Rinka Watanabe are discussed. Also highlighted: the upcoming NHK Trophy, Rika Kihira's comeback from an ankle injury and Uno's career in the aftermath of Yuzuru Hanyu's retirement.
RELATED:[ICE TIME] Rinka Watanabe And Shoma Uno Lead Banner Showing For Japan At Skate Canada[ICE TIME] World Champion Kaori Sakamoto Cruises To Victory At Skate America[ICE TIME] Yoshida, Nakamura And Kataise Claim Medals In Italy To Earn JGP Final BerthsJoin the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven
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More than a quarter century after the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Hideo Nomo, Fred Claire, the team’s general manager at the time, appreciates the immense importance of that transaction.
Listen in as the former MLB front-office executive discusses his decades in the game in this wide-ranging interview, along with vivid impressions of Nomo as a player and as a person. He also reflects on his friendship with beloved Dodgers play-by-play announcer Vin Scully, who passed away this summer (2022).
Claire shares memories of the late Akihiro (Ike) Ikuhara, a former personal assistant to longtime Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, and weighs in on superstar Shohei Ohtani’s place within MLB’s pecking order.
Nomo Changed the GameIn an August 2020 interview with this reporter, Claire summed up Nomo’s everlasting impact on baseball in his homeland. After Nomo joined the Dodgers in 1995, MLB became the desired destination for top Japanese players.
“He changed the landscape forever,” Claire said. “You could have a player from Japan come over and set the all-time home-run record and he will not change baseball in Japan as much as Hideo. … There’s only going to ever be one player who changed the landscape. It’s Hideo.”
Read the eight-part Nomomania series from 2020.
RELATED:#13 Sports Talk ― Jeff Fletcher Shares Insights About His New Book On Shohei OhtaniNomomania: Iconic Announcer Vin Scully Delivered Vivid Descriptions Of The Tornado’s Historic Season[Odds and Evens] Trailblazer Hideo Nomo 25 Years LaterJoin the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven and find him on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated sports website, SportsLook.
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Jeff Fletcher follows Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels on a daily basis as the MLB team’s beat reporter for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group.
In his lively discussion with this reporter on the Sports Talk podcast, Fletcher’s love of baseball and human drama shines through. The author of the new book, Sho-Time: The Inside Story of Shohei Ohtani and the Greatest Baseball Season Ever Played, dishes out interesting anecdotes about the bidding war for Ohtani in the fall of 2017 and the personable superstar’s light-hearted interactions with teammates.
Armed with facts, figures and an insider’s knowledge of the Angels and Ohtani’s career, and how it compares to that of Babe Ruth, when he was still a two-way player over 100 years ago, Fletcher presents an authoritative summary of the Japanese player’s career to date. He also explains that his ultimate objective in writing Sho-Time was to make people learn something along the way.
RELATED:Shohei Ohtani Matches An Iconic Babe Ruth Record Set In 1918[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Shohei Ohtani Chosen As An MLB All-Star For Second Straight YearShohei Ohtani Appears On The Cover Of MLB The Show 22Shohei Ohtani Named AP Male Athlete Of The YearIt’s Unanimous! Shohei Ohtani Wins 2021 American League MVP AwardJoin the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.
Author: Ed OdevenFollow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven and find him on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated sports website, SportsLook.
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Matt Beyer believes now’s the right time to launch a regional pro basketball league in East Asia. He says it’s an untapped market and the potential for quality competition in the East Asia Super League (EASL) is great.
The EASL, featuring eight teams for the first season in 2022-23, will give fans opportunities to attend games throughout the region. Top teams in Japan’s B.League (Utsunomiya Brex, Ryukyu Golden Kings), Philippines Basketball Association (two TBD teams), Korean Basketball League (Anyang KGC, Seoul SK Knights), Taiwan’s P. League+ (Taipei Fubon Braves) and Hong Kong’s Bay Area Dragons (an expansion team that will be based in Manila due to COVID-19 travel restrictions) will be divided into a pair of four-team groups and play home-and-away series to kick off the inaugural season.
As the EASL’s chief executive, Beyer has cultivated relationships with the NBA and FIBA. He talks about his relationship with Yao Ming’s former agent, Bill Duffy, who has had an influential role in his career.
Beyer, the first foreigner to be certified as a basketball agent in China, enthusiastically describes how the EASL’s plans for an in-depth reality series about its inaugural season is one example of the league’s robust marketing strategy.
The American-born sports executive has a never-wavering commitment for the EASL to become one of the world’s top three basketball leagues, including the involvement of former NBA players as investors in the league. He explains how the upstart league can take concrete steps to make it happen.
RELATED:#11 Sports Talk ― Motofumi Iguchi Delivers Informed Analysis Of B.League#9 Sports Talk ― Luke Evans Finds A Second Home In Japan’s Basketball World#8 Sports Talk ― Shawn Dennis On The Challenge Of Building Winning Culture With Nagoya#6 Sports Talk ― Rich Glesmann Builds Foundation For Ibaraki Robots In The B. LeagueJoin the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven and find him on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated sports website, SportsLook.
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Motofumi Iguchi is an authoritative voice on Japanese basketball, and shared many thoughts about the evolution of the pro game in a wide-ranging conversation on June 22.
A former college basketball player, FIBA agent and front-office staff member for several pro teams, Iguchi brings a well-rounded background to his current work. He’s a busy broadcaster dishing out live commentary during B.League games and providing insights throughout the year on a variety of TV and online programs.
Demonstrating his love for the sport and his deep wealth of insider knowledge, Iguchi highlights the current crop of young Japanese head coaches in the B.League and shares his views on top up-and-coming Japanese players.
Iguchi also offers viewpoints on the Asian Quota system and how it has helped the B.League, the pluses and minuses tied to the start of Toto’s game wagering for basketball in the upcoming B.League season, and the overhaul of the league (with team revenue one of the focal points) before the 2026-27 season, among other topics.
RELATED:#9 Sports Talk ― Luke Evans Finds A Second Home In Japan’s Basketball World#8 Sports Talk ― Shawn Dennis On The Challenge Of Building Winning Culture With Nagoya#6 Sports Talk ― Rich Glesmann Builds Foundation For Ibaraki Robots In The B. League#5 Sports Talk ー Tom Hovasse Raises The Stakes For Japanese BasketballJoin the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.
Author: Ed Odeven
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Listen in as Jim Armstrong rejoins the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion about the NPB season, including perspective on Chiba Lotte Marines hurler Roki Sasaki’s season to date.
Sasaki, whose perfect game on April 10 received global attention, recorded his first loss of 2022 in a rough outing against the Yomiuri Giants on Friday, June 3.
The conversation also highlighted the ongoing interleague portion of the schedule, as well as banner performances so far this season by Giants rookie closer Taisei Ota, Yokohama DeNA BayStars second baseman Shugo Maki and Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters outfielder Go Matsumoto.
The discussion also shifted to talk about Orix Buffaloes reliever Yoshihisa Hirano recently collecting his 200th NPB save, making him only the seventh player to so, and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles hurler Masahiro Tanaka’s solid start to the season.
RELATED ARTICLES:[NPB NOTEBOOK] Giants Rough Up Roki Sasaki In Marquee Interleague ShowdownRoki Sasaki’s Perfect Streak Ends Quickly, But The 20-Year-Old Still Gets The WinAuthor: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven and find him on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated sports website, SportsLook.
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Luke Evans, who has plied his craft in Japan for nearly a decade, recently became a naturalized citizen, and he discusses the thrill of playing for the Japan men’s national basketball team under head coach Tom Hovasse earlier this year.
The veteran forward’s team, the Fighting Eagles Nagoya, had the best overall regular-season record (42-8) in B2 and advanced to the playoff finals, earning promotion to B1 for 2022-23.
The California native shares insights about the Fighting Eagles’ strong lineup, head coach Taizo Kawabe’s capable leadership and playing at California Baptist University before launching his pro career in 2013.
The interview was recorded before Nagoya faced the Sendai 89ers in the best-of-three B2 finals on May 20-22. The Fighting Eagles won the playoff series with a 75-44 rout in Game 3.
RELATED ARTICLES:Kawasaki, Ryukyu, Utsunomiya And Shimane Advance To B.League Playoff Semifinals[ODDS And EVENS] Nagasaki Velca Establish Winning Tradition In Sensational Inaugural SeasonKoshigaya Alphas Set Home Attendance Mark In Loss To Sendai 89ers[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Dai Oketani Displays Coaching Chops In The Midst Of Storybook SeasonJapan Men’s Basketball Coach Tom Hovasse Reflects On Olympic Experience, New GoalsFollow Ed on JAPAN Forward’s [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] during the week, and on Twitter ＠ed_odeven .
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Listen in as veteran basketball coach Shawn Dennis of the B. League’s Nagoya Diamond Dolphins shares stories about his playing days in Australia, love of competition and camaraderie in sports, and trademarks of his approach to coaching.
Dennis weighs in on the growth of the B. League since its launch in 2016. It’s his first year in Nagoya and he shares perceptions about his team as the playoffs approach, while also providing an insider’s look at favorite Yuta Tabuse’s popularity throughout the country.
RELATED ARTICLES:Koshigaya Alphas Set Home Attendance Mark In Loss To Sendai 89ersAlvark Tokyo Hold Off Pesky Gunma Crane Thunders To Complete Series Sweep[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Dai Oketani Displays Coaching Chops In The Midst Of Storybook SeasonKyoto Hannaryz Rally Past SeaHorses Mikawa In Second HalfJoin the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward’s [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven and find him on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated sports website, SportsLook.
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