Hanshin Tigers to save world economy

[Drake Tungsten]

Hopefully MtG and all the other dirty Yomiuri Giants fans will see the light after reading this article...

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Is Japan's economic recovery tied to the fate of a professional baseball squad?

It may sound far-fetched, but it is a theory that has the support of at least one of the nation's top politicians.

Fans of Osaka's Hanshin Tigers based in southwestern Japan are considered unique for their undying loyalty and faith in their team -- faith that does not change whether the Tigers win or lose. You might even call it a religion.

Last time the Hanshin Tigers won the championship was in 1985, when Japan's economic power was on the rise. Now many people believe that the Hanshin Tigers' comeback is an omen for the comeback of Japan.

With Japan's best manager and a former pitcher from the U.S. Major Leagues, the Tigers are poised to win the Central League pennant, one of the two professional baseball league championships in Japan, for the first time in 18 years. And fans are in a nationwide frenzy.

Tokyo bar owner Ryuji Inoue started life as a Yomiuri Giants fan, then saw the light and converted to "Tiger-ism" at age 18.

Business at his Tiger fan bar is booming this year. But what is really priceless, he believes, is the one-word motto of manager Senichi Hoshino: dream.

His patrons agree. "Japan is Hanshin's country," according to one college student. "A strong Japan will return," said another.

As college kids, they are too young to remember the last Tigers' victory. They came of age in the middle of Japan's decade-long recession.

But now they practise "Tiger economics" -- the belief that anything is possible, if you have the right attitude.

Local media has reported even Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka as saying that Japan's ailing economy may see a turnaround this year if the Tigers win the pennant.

The Tigers can win the league championship as early as Saturday night if game results go their way.

Whether Japan's economy can pull off a similar feat remains to be seen.

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/09/11/japan.tigers/index.html

God bless the Hanshin Tigers.

[Q Classic]

the tigers and their fans have their best american analogues in the cubs and their fans.

go tigers.

[Drake Tungsten]

The Tigers are your Central League champs. Only good things can come from this.

[Q Classic]

man, those people jumping into the chicago river...

well, whatever that river is there, filled with sludge...

psychosis is endemic to east asians.

[Drake Tungsten]

The power of the Tigers is already working its magic...

Japan rises to a new 15-month high

[Guynemer]

Meanwhile, in America, the ever-rising unemployment rate and depressed consumer confidence has been linked by the Bush Administration to the trials and tribulations of the Detroit Tigers.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

or the Red Sox and their fans.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Of course, they don't mention the minor detail that the last time the Hanshin Tigers won, their star player was Randy Bass, an over the hill gaijin.

Tigers suck!

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
The power of the Tigers is already working its magic...

Japan rises to a new 15-month high

Yeah, baby. 11 grand. I remember the glory days when the Nikkei was closer to 30 than to 10.

[Drake Tungsten]

Of course, they don't mention the minor detail that the last time the Hanshin Tigers won, their star player was Randy Bass, an over the hill gaijin.

Isn't the star player of every Japanese team an over-the-hill gaijin?

Yeah, baby. 11 grand. I remember the glory days when the Nikkei was closer to 30 than to 10.

Speculative bubbles are fun.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

Of course, they don't mention the minor detail that the last time the Hanshin Tigers won, their star player was Randy Bass, an over the hill gaijin.

Isn't the star player of every Japanese team an over-the-hill gaijin?

I haven't followed Japanese pro ball since moving south of the border because I don't get NHK news on cable, but for a long time, the Carp were "no gaijin" purists.

[Drake Tungsten]

I have yet to see the Carp play, so they could still be anti-foreigner purists. All the teams I've watched, however, make full use of their two gaijin players.

[pchang]

Cubs?

If the Cubs are America's version of the Tigers, our economy will never turn around. Dusty Baker might be good, but he doesn't hit or pitch.

[Drake Tungsten]

Wow, some deity is really pissed at Tokyo and the Yomiuri Giants...

Tokyo hit by earthquake, typhoon

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japan was hit by both a typhoon and an earthquake Saturday, with the quake causing at least seven injuries and minor damage in Tokyo and the typhoon dumping heavy rains and blacking out thousands of homes in the south.

The earthquake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 and was centered just east of Tokyo, was strong enough to sway buildings in the capital.

Damage appeared to be light, but fire department officials said a wall at a Buddhist temple collapsed, slightly injuring seven women who were praying nearby.

According to the Central Meteorological Agency, the epicenter of the quake was in Chiba Prefecture (state), which lies on Tokyo's eastern border, at a depth of about 80 kilometers (50 miles).

The shaking lasted about 30 seconds in Tokyo, but the city's subways and commuter train lines were not affected and there was no sign of other quake-caused disruptions.

Japan, which rests atop several tectonic plates, is among the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

Tokyo is particularly vulnerable. A quake and subsequent fire in 1923 killed more than 140,000 people in the capital area, and experts believe Tokyo is overdue for another major jolt.

Meanwhile, a powerful typhoon buffeted some areas on the country's southern fringe with strong winds and heavy rains. There were no reports of injuries or significant damage, police said.

The typhoon, Choi-wan, was packing winds of up to about 126 kilometers per hour (78 mph) and moving north-northeast toward the southernmost main island of Kyushu, the Meteorological Agency said.

On a side note, isn't it great how CNN doesn't really acknowledge the difference between Tokyo and Japan as a whole in its headlines? Funny how the typhoon could hit Tokyo when it hasn't even reached southern Honshu yet...

[Q Classic]

and in romaji, isn't it also taifun?