I find it interesting that he's a Muslim.

I find it interesting that he's a Muslim.

Which explains pretty well why's he's not exactly busting down the door to play in the MLB.

Which explains pretty well why's he's not exactly busting down the door to play in the MLB.

Understandable considering MLB's ongoing wars of genocide against Muslims across the globe.

Which explains pretty well why's he's not exactly busting down the door to play in the MLB.

Valentine's quote above doesn't make Japan sound like the most open-minded place either.

Which explains pretty well why's he's not exactly busting down the door to play in the MLB.

I hope this isn't why he wouldn't come here. There have been plenty of high profile muslim athletes in American sports, some who have become revered.

Only Nagashima’s popularity dwarfed Oh’s, largely because he was pure Japanese and Oh had a Chinese father.

Not true at all. Sure, Nagashima was more popular than Oh, but his popularity didn't "dwarf" Oh's. They were very much a pair, being teammates on the same dynastic team, both corner infielders (Oh played 1B, Nagashima played 3B). There's a saying, "Kiroku wa Oh, kioku wa Nagashima." "For records, Oh; for memories, Nagashima." Nagashima had a very flamboyant way of playing. He would wiggle his fingers after throwing the ball. He hit a game-winning homerun in the only baseball game the Showa Emperor attended (he's considered the clutchest of Japanese baseball players). Once, when being intentionally walked, he dropped his bat and just held his hands up like he was holding one. On top of all this between the lines, he was a good-looking man's man, and a quirky and funny interview. Since his playing days he's been known not just for his play, but for his Yogi-ish turns of phrase and random use of English.

In contrast to all this, Oh was laid-back, rather stoic, and his play was more than anything else supremely consistent. He won the awards, the home run and batting titles, and set the records. But even he has agreed that he didn't have the raw charisma that Nagashima had.

As a matter of fact, a good many of Japan's national heroes have been of mixed or non-Japanese blood. In the 60s it was said that the three things the people loved were "The Giants, Taiho, and fried eggs." Taiho was the extremely dominant sumo grand champion, half-Japanese and half-Russian. During the same period, the most popular pro wrestler was Rikidozan, an ethnic Korean. The man who's considered the father of Japanese Karate, Mas Oyama, was another ethnic Korean. And of course one of the most popular players on the Giants was Oh himself.

There have been plenty of high profile muslim
Ali Reynolds
Sheik and Bake McBride
The Just Pasha Diving Jeter
Paul Mosque-al

Which explains pretty well why's he's not exactly busting down the door to play in the MLB.

No, I think it's more that he won't be able to smoke in pachinko parlors that's a deal-breaker.

(And that's part of what makes him in interesting Muslim, BTW.)

There have been plenty of high profile muslim athletes in American sports, some who have become revered.
Jason Bey
The Sultan of Swat
Caliph Abrams
Steve Murad

There have been plenty of high profile muslim athletes in American sports, some who have become revered.

Del Korandall

Sultan of Swat
Darn, I was right there but gave up on trying to make an Ali Baba Ruth work.

"Kiroku wa Oh, kioku wa Nagashima."

Oh = A-Rod, Nagashima = Jeter?

Nagashima was a true Japanese. Jeter is a true Yankee.

"the most popular pro wrestler was Rikidozan, an ethnic Korean"

Yeah, but Riki didn't exactly shout that fact from the rooftops, did he? When he was an up-and-comer, he used the fake name Mitsuhiro Momota to try and seem more Japanese, for example.

Ottoman Velez

Al-Khan Boyd
Haq Harrelson

When Al Reyes was a teammate of Anthony Reyes's on the Cardinals, his full name would show up in the box scores--"Al Reyes p". I always thought it made it look like he was an Arab.

May I not be struck down:
Downtown Allah Brown

Al Reyes is pronounced the same way as "the President" in some Arab dialects.

I hope Darvish does eventually play baseball in North America because I can't think of any other Muslim baseball players other than Sammy Khalifa and Ahmad Abdul Rahim.

Roc Raines

I hope Darvish does eventually play baseball in North America because I can't think of any other Muslim baseball players other than Sammy Khalifa and Ahmad Abdul Rahim.

Was Bill Nahorodny Muslim? Doubt it, but with that name, maybe.

Jim Qatar (yes, a stretch)

I hope Jack Keffiyeh makes an appearance in this thread.

Joe Lahoud was an Arab baseball player and I am sure there a few others with some Arab blood (isn't Nomar part-Egyptian), but I think Khalifa is the only Muslim baseball player ever to play in the major leagues.

Fun fact:

Al-Qaeda means "The Base" in Arabic. Baseball is Kurat-Al-Qaeda, or Al-Qaeda-ball.

what about Tim Salman?

Since we are stretching, I like the old Pirates pitcher, Joe G'ibn.

Jim Qatar (yes, a stretch)
Is that supposed to be Jim Kaat? Otherwise, I'm blanking.

FWIW, my sister, who teaches English as a second language, is based in Qatar and pronounces it "Cutter".

I always thought Nahorodny was some sort of Slavic (Czech, Slovak, or Polish) surname.

Suleiman the Magnificent Torres

During the same period, the most popular pro wrestler was Rikidozan, an ethnic Korean.

Yeah, but Riki didn't exactly shout that fact from the rooftops, did he? When he was an up-and-comer, he used the fake name Mitsuhiro Momota to try and seem more Japanese, for example.

Reportedly, Rikidozan's ethnicity wasn't common knowledge in Japan until a top-grossing film biography came out in 2004 or 2005, four decades after his death. The revelation was part of the film's "hook."

btw, while it says in the article that his father is a muslim, it says nothing of Yu's religion.

Following a victory last season, Yu Darvish, the winning pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, stood in front of a microphone inside a packed stadium, thanked his teammates and fans for their support, and announced that he had knocked up an actress who he met three months earlier and would marry her to preserve his family’s name.

What is this?

btw, while it says in the article that his father is a muslim, it says nothing of Yu's religion.

Having RTA, it sure doesn't seem that Darvish is observant if he is indeed a Muslim. That's not really surprising. Many Iranians who left Iran after the revolution did so because they weren't religious.

What is this?

Saeko

Joe Lahoud is a Lebanese descent Maronite Christian.

Guy bets Matt Kata came to be very relieved that his dad didn't give him a name that he would have shortened to "Al" in his youth.