BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: Edes: Okajima talks about lack of communication with media, teammates

Baseball Primer Newsblog
— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Edes: Okajima talks about lack of communication with media, teammates

Somebody better locate Rogelio Moret’s slipper, pronto!

He also described an environment in which he admitted to homesickness for his native land, and a language-driven loneliness in which he says he has only two real confidants, his wife and his interpreter.

“Especially in the bullpen,” he said, “I’m kind of alone in there. There’s time to think too much, especially inside the bullpen. It’s hard to maintain a strong mentality, especially when you’ve been hit hard the previous day. There’s too much time to think in the bullpen. It would be easier to maintain if there was someone who spoke the same language and you could talk to, but that’s not the reality right now.”

...“Mentally, it’s been tough for me so far this season,” Okajima said. “Mentally, it’s been hard to maintain day in and day out my strong mentality.”

Part of that, he says, stems from having so few people to talk to when he does struggle.

“I have that feeling, especially in the bullpen,” he said. “I’ve been keeping that to myself the last three years, and that’s what’s making my life tougher this season.”

His world can seem very small, he acknowledged, when he feels that he has only his wife and interpreter to talk to. It also speaks to his lack of anything but a professional relationship with fellow Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

“The stress would be better if there was a Japanese guy in the bullpen,” he said. “There is a team rule that doesn’t allow it. Some teams allow it. The reality is, Boston doesn’t, and I can’t change it.”

Repoz Posted: July 28, 2010 at 10:49 AM | 43 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: international, japan, media, red sox

Reader Comments and Retorts

Go to end of page

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

1. Dale Sams Posted: July 28, 2010 at 12:51 PM (#3601323)

I'm sure John can be persuaded to have a Koi Pond and Serenity Garden built. If it'll help.

2. Greg (U)K Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:02 PM (#3601329)

“The stress would be better if there was a Japanese guy in the bullpen,” he said. “There is a team rule that doesn’t allow it. Some teams allow it. The reality is, Boston doesn’t, and I can’t change it.”

Weird team rule. I know the Jays have a standing rule not to allow Corsicans in the bullpen, but I've never heard of a Japan ban.

3. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:10 PM (#3601337)

Four years in MLB and he's not conversant in English yet?

You gotta say a good part of this is his own fault. Not like he doesn't have the dough, and time in the off-season to take language lessons. Hell, his interpreter can tutor him when they're on the road.

4. bunyon Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:13 PM (#3601341)

I agree with snapper. I can see this for a new guy, but picking up enough slang to get along?

5. McCoy Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:17 PM (#3601345)

Couldn't he just buy a ticket for his interpreter and place him next to the bullpen?

6. Jose Can You Seabiscuit Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:19 PM (#3601348)

I'm sure it's more of an issue when you are going through a bad spell like Okajima has been for four months but this is excuse making. In two of his three seasons the Sox have not had another Japanese pitcher out there and it didn't seem to affect him. The fact is he's a guy who has always had minimal margin of error and it has finally caught up with him.

7. Textbook Editor Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:20 PM (#3601349)

“The stress would be better if there was a Japanese guy in the bullpen,” he said. “There is a team rule that doesn’t allow it. Some teams allow it. The reality is, Boston doesn’t, and I can’t change it.”

So essentially he wants the interpreter in the bullpen to talk to? I don't see a huge problem with this--is the interpreter allowed in the dugout during games? Then you'd think they'd be allowed in the bullpen too.

But this certainly doesn't seem like a situation that's been handled well by either side, and I'm guessing this is basically the beginning of the end. Well, we'll always have 2007.

8. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:23 PM (#3601354)

So essentially he wants the interpreter in the bullpen to talk to? I don't see a huge problem with this--is the interpreter allowed in the dugout during games? Then you'd think they'd be allowed in the bullpen too.

You'd think he'd be sick of talking to that same fricking guy though.

9. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:23 PM (#3601355)

“The stress would be better if there was a Japanese guy in the bullpen,” he said. “There is a team rule that doesn’t allow it. Some teams allow it. The reality is, Boston doesn’t, and I can’t change it.”

Racists! The ghost of Tom Yawkey lives on!

10. bunyon Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:24 PM (#3601356)

I should add, I agree that having another guy out there who he can talk to shouldn't be hard to arrange. But I can imagine it wouldn't lessen his stress:

Okajima day after a bad outing: "What are they laughing about?"
Interpreter: "Uh, nothing."

11. Melo's Love Handles (NJ) Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:33 PM (#3601367)

Does everyone else get that obnoxious "#1 Tip To Get RIPPED Quickly" ad on the right side of their page?

12. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:39 PM (#3601370)

Does everyone else get that obnoxious "#1 Tip To Get RIPPED Quickly" ad on the right side of their page?

Yes, and it's not even about booze. False advertising!

13. Jose Can You Seabiscuit Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:44 PM (#3601378)

Does everyone else get that obnoxious "#1 Tip To Get RIPPED Quickly" ad on the right side of their page?

I get some variant of that one or the one that tells me smoking is healthy.

14. Ivan Grushenko of Hong Kong Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:45 PM (#3601381)

Why does he want more contact with the Boston media?

15. Obi One Kenobi Nil

Posted: July 28, 2010 at 01:54 PM (#3601394)

No, I've got an ad extolling the virtues of original HP toner

16. Juan V Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:03 PM (#3601409)

Weird team rule. I know the Jays have a standing rule not to allow Corsicans in the bullpen, but I've never heard of a Japan ban.

Corsican ban? How would such a rule come to be?

17. Don't want the truth; just wanna see some dingers Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:11 PM (#3601415)

Does everyone else get that obnoxious "#1 Tip To Get RIPPED Quickly" ad on the right side of their page?

it's like looking in a mirror ;)

18. Dale Sams Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:23 PM (#3601436)

Corsican ban? How would such a rule come to be?

You let the Corsicans in, soon ya gotta let the Sicilians in, next thing you know death will be on the line....it just gets messy.

19. Greg (U)K Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:42 PM (#3601464)

Corsican ban? How would such a rule come to be?

I'd be wary of them too. Can you name any Corsicans that HAVEN'T been blood thirsty warmongers?

20. Best Regards, Larry M. Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:46 PM (#3601468)

I think complaining about your team not allowing a Japanese guy in the bullpen with you is a good way to get ripped quickly.

21. Harmon "Thread Killer" Microbrew Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:51 PM (#3601472)

Call your mom from the bullpen phone.

22. McCoy Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:52 PM (#3601475)

I'd be wary of them too. Can you name any Corsicans that HAVEN'T been blood thirsty warmongers?

Yes, Tommy and Cheech.

23. Sonic Youk Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:53 PM (#3601476)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HuNnSGzvpdU/S3mZhEk5dhI/AAAAAAAAC7E/OUwJxLhVSos/s400/if+you+died+today.jpg

^my favorite sidebar ad. This thing is on Slate articles a lot, and never fails to make me laugh.

24. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: July 28, 2010 at 02:57 PM (#3601482)

^my favorite sidebar ad. This thing is on Slate articles a lot, and never fails to make me laugh.

The first couple times that ad appeared, I only really saw it on my peripheral vision, and I thought it was a girl vomiting in a toilet and assumed it was an ad about teen pregnancy or something.

25. The Gurus DO NOT BourbonSamurai Posted: July 28, 2010 at 03:13 PM (#3601503)

I'm in Bangkok, and all the ads have changed into new Thai ones, which kind of surprised me for some reason (it doesn't happen in all countries)

26. base ball chick Posted: July 28, 2010 at 03:18 PM (#3601509)

trust me i MUCH prefer the get ripped quickly ad to the evony ad with the brain dead chica with her boobs popping out of her "dress"

27. Jose Can You Seabiscuit Posted: July 28, 2010 at 03:35 PM (#3601529)

trust me i MUCH prefer the get ripped quickly ad to the evony ad with the brain dead chica with her boobs popping out of her "dress"

On this we shall have to agree to disagree.

28. base ball chick Posted: July 28, 2010 at 03:38 PM (#3601536)

jose

shrug

if you like looking at nearly nekkid women, well, i guess theres other people who agree with you, me not being one of em.

but there are not NEARLY enough ads featuring nearly nekkid hot MALES. ask sam M you disbelieve me

29. TVerik Posted: July 28, 2010 at 03:40 PM (#3601539)

At first, I thought he was complaining that the Red Sox were at their allotment of Japanese players as a whole. I guess some soccer clubs have a "limited otherlanders" rule.

I don't think anyone should have the right to have a nonplayer "buddy" sitting in the dugout or bullpen with them. If you let OK do this, you have to let all of the players do this. "I'm lonely - there's no one else from New Jersey in the bullpen! Only my brother makes me comfortable!"

30. mex4173 Posted: July 28, 2010 at 06:50 PM (#3601762)

I don't think anyone should have the right to have a nonplayer "buddy" sitting in the dugout or bullpen with them. If you let OK do this, you have to let all of the players do this. "I'm lonely - there's no one else from New Jersey in the bullpen! Only my brother makes me comfortable!"

Quickly followed by WAGs perhaps.

31. North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan Posted: July 28, 2010 at 06:57 PM (#3601771)

I don't think anyone should have the right to have a nonplayer "buddy" sitting in the dugout or bullpen with them. If you let OK do this, you have to let all of the players do this. "I'm lonely - there's no one else from New Jersey in the bullpen! Only my brother makes me comfortable!"

One would think the lack of an interpreter would encourage Okajima to learn some English. Guess not.

32. SteveF Posted: July 28, 2010 at 07:02 PM (#3601782)

Perhaps they could get him a Yumel doll.

33. What did Billy Ripken have against Elroy Face? Posted: July 28, 2010 at 07:29 PM (#3601823)

Is it just me, or does the quoted excerpt set some sort of record for amount of consecutive redundancy in 7 paragraphs? It's like a Chris Matthews question on Hardball, in which each point is reiterated thrice.

34. VoodooR Posted: July 28, 2010 at 07:37 PM (#3601834)

This sentence is quite the doozy:

...“Mentally, it’s been tough for me so far this season,” Okajima said. “Mentally, it’s been hard to maintain day in and day out my strong mentality.”

35. Lassus Posted: July 28, 2010 at 07:38 PM (#3601836)

One would think the lack of an interpreter would encourage Okajima to learn some English. Guess not.

"Hey, I'm pitching poorly. I know, why don't I try and learn one of the most frustratingly illogical languages on Earth, I'm sure that will make me feel better!"

Listen, I'm not saying it isn't a good idea, because it is; but seriously, with the same kind of pressure around us, how many of us would think this way? It isn't always THAT easy.

36. bunyon Posted: July 28, 2010 at 07:56 PM (#3601859)

I don't think he should be learning English in the bullpen nor do I think learning English is necessarily easy for an adult Japanese. I would certainly struggle learning Japanese if I up and moved to Japan. But, if I did, I'd either be content with my solitude or I'd try to learn to communicate with my new colleagues. He's spent 4 years working in the US, spending a lot of time around a group of guys that mostly speak English.* I have a hard time believing he hasn't picked up enough to get around and, if he hasn't, that it isn't mostly on him.

That isn't to say I'm totally unsympathetic. I'm sure that is a tough part of him and probably a big part of him yearns to go home. I feel tthat way about many of the foreign students I work with. They've come here not because they really want to be here but because they don't have the same level of opportunity at home as they do here. That's a tough position to be in and I'm glad I'm not in it.

* Learning Spanish instead might also make life easier.

37. Jose Can You Seabiscuit Posted: July 28, 2010 at 08:09 PM (#3601869)

Listen, I'm not saying it isn't a good idea, because it is; but seriously, with the same kind of pressure around us, how many of us would think this way? It isn't always THAT easy.

I'm not suggesting he should learn English now, I'm just surprised that he has not picked up at least enough to be conversational in his first three years here.

Learning Spanish instead might also make life easier.

38. bunyon Posted: July 28, 2010 at 08:31 PM (#3601891)

Last year there were some stories that in the first half of the season Takashi Saito was teaching Ramon Ramirez some Japanese while Ramirez taught Saito some Spanish. Those would have been some interesting conversations to walk in on.

This is what I'm talking about. You have these guys together for hours and hours a day for months on end. It sounds like they just sit there and stare at each other. Weird all 'round.

39. Drew (Primakov, Gungho Iguanas) Posted: July 28, 2010 at 08:59 PM (#3601928)

But this certainly doesn't seem like a situation that's been handled well by either side, and I'm guessing this is basically the beginning of the end.

For Okajima, yeah probably.

but there are not NEARLY enough ads featuring nearly nekkid hot MALES. ask sam M you disbelieve me

You mustn't use facebook much. If you're a single guy, every add is nearly nekkid women. If you're a single gal, every add is...nearly nekkid men.

But I'll agree that men trail well behind women on the nudity scale. I'm going to sound weird for saying this, but I wish the scale was balanced--why not make 'em equal?

40. tfbg9 Posted: July 29, 2010 at 12:01 AM (#3602093)

...“Mentally, it’s been tough for me so far this season,” Okajima said. “Mentally, it’s been hard to maintain day in and day out my strong mentality.”

Oh puh-leeze! Everybody knows that your mindset has nothing to do with your performance.

Here's hoping Hideki "Two-And" Okajima can turn things around.

41. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: July 29, 2010 at 12:46 AM (#3602110)

No, I've got an ad extolling the virtues of original HP toner

I have an ad telling me to sign up for an E-Trade account, despite the fact that I already have one.

42. villageidiom Posted: July 29, 2010 at 11:06 AM (#3602392)

One would think the lack of an interpreter would encourage Okajima to learn some English. Guess not.

Scott Atchison knows some Japanese. But when things are going poorly, who would go to Scott Atchison for advice?

43. Joe Bivens, Idiot Posted: July 29, 2010 at 11:49 AM (#3602400)

But I'll agree that men trail well behind women on the nudity scale. I'm going to sound weird for saying this, but I wish the scale was balanced--why not make 'em equal?

You seriously don't know why not?

BTW, I don't now what any of you are talking about...I get pop up ads for landscaping companies.

You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.

<< Back to main

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Edes: Okajima talks about lack of communication with media, teammates

Reader Comments and Retorts

Support BBTF

Bookmarks

Hot Topics