A Japanese Baseball Superstar 'Shigeo Nagashima'

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A JAPANESE BASEBALL SUPERSTAR 'SHIGEO NAGASHIMA' Shigeo Nagashima is one of the superstars of Japanese professional baseball. He is 71 years old and undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a stroke in 2004, however, he is still and superstar and everyone in Japan is keeping an eye on him and hoping that he will make a full recovery. Nagashima first grabbed peoples attention when he played for the Tokyo College baseball League and then joined the Yomiuri Giants. From then until his retirement he was a leading player as a batsman and a third baseman not only for his team but also for Japanese baseball as a whole. When I was a child, I began watching baseball on TV with great interest. By then, Nagashima was in the twilight phase of his playing career and everyone around me told how what a great p[layer he was. He captured many records- rookie of the year in 1958, season MVP 5 times, leading hitter 6 times, runs-batted-title 5 times, home run king 3 times. Of course, all these are great records, but many people say it was the way he played on the pitch rather than his records that made him great. Many others thought of him as a memorable and unforgettable man something with which I totally agree with. He was a clutch hitter-he hit when his fans wanted him to hit. One of the legends about him was his game-ending home run in the game watched by the Showa Emperor in his rookie year. His fielding too was splendid and so cool that many boys tried to copy his catching style for ground balls and his throwing style to the first baseman. He was popular due to his character. He was always very optimistic and he played with a player's sense or instinct, a genius who sometimes could just strike the ball without thinking about it too much. However, he thinks this is not true. In his autobiography, he says he is not a genius but attained his fame and skill through hard training and that sometimes he could not sleep from thinking about his failure in his last game or the next game. This comment differed from my perception of him and makes me respect him even more. He finished his playing career in 1974 when the Giants missed out on winning 10 consecutive championships. He was the Giants manager twice and also appointed manager for the Japanese National Baseball Team for the Athens Olympic Games but due to his stroke he was unable to go. Fortunately, he has recovered marvelously and is sometimes seen in public. He gave hope to all Japanese people through his playing and nowadays is still providing energy and a fighting spirit for life to us all. .

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