Toreba no Toraba: So Long, Daily (The 7-Year Itch)

from Daily Sports Online, March 2025

Seven years is a long time. Think back to where you were seven years ago—what stage of life you were in, what job you had, how you spent your free time. Has life gotten better since then? Worse? Has anything stayed the same?

Life rarely remains static for such a long stretch, and my journey has been no exception. It was around this time in 2018 that I received an offer from a prominent Japanese sports paper to start writing a monthly column. The topic: what it is like to be a foreign Hanshin Tigers fan. It was supposed to be a six-month experiment, but here we are, seven years later. I guess I had more to say than I initially thought.

But the real story of this column doesn’t start in 2018. It goes back much further. Back in 2013, I was spinning my wheels at work, unsure if I could continue teaching English in Japan. It felt like coaching a perpetually losing team, knowing deep down that we were never going to win. One day, a friend who was studying to become a career coach asked me what I would do if I could get paid for anything. Without hesitation, I said, “Sports journalist.”

Ever since I realized I wouldn’t be hoisting the Stanley Cup or getting drenched in champagne in a victorious locker room, I had dreamt of standing nearby, microphone in hand, catching the words of the happiest athletes on the planet. My friend’s response was simple: “Then why don’t you start a blog? Maybe about the Tigers?”

At the time, my knowledge of the Hanshin Tigers was fairly limited, and I had never considered Japanese baseball to be on the same level as MLB. But a quick internet search showed that English-language coverage of the team was sparse, and I figured, why not give it a try? That’s how my blog was born in May 2014. It started small but gained traction when the Tigers made it to the Japan Series that fall. Seeing 300 site hits in a single day blew my mind. That excitement fueled a deep dive into all things Tigers: books, magazines, TV shows, podcasts, and games.

Then, in November 2017, I got an email from a PR firm saying that Daily Sports wanted to feature me in their newspaper—on one condition: I had to remove all copyrighted photos from my blog. It was a fair request, so I went through hundreds of posts, scrubbing them clean. Once that was done, I met with a journalist who interviewed me and, unexpectedly, introduced me to the newspaper’s chief editor. A few weeks later, a contract arrived in my mailbox: six months, one column per month, 800 to 1,200 words, about the foreigner’s perspective on the Hanshin Tigers.

The column launched in April 2018, giving readers a glimpse into who I was and how I became a Tigers fan. I covered everything from unexpected friendships with rival team members to the way Tigers fandom felt like a marriage vow. By September, my six columns were complete, and I sent a thank-you email to my editor, assuming my time was up.

“What are you talking about? You can keep writing until we tell you to stop!”

Those words were both exciting and terrifying. Did I have anything else to say? Would I be able to generate enough content without direct access to players or the team? It turns out, I did, and I could. The column continued. Some months, I even wrote two pieces, and for a while, my work appeared in the print edition.

Over the past seven years, I’ve covered a wide range of topics: the uniqueness of NPB compared to MLB, the struggles foreign players face, and the incredible passion of Hanshin Tigers fans. Writing about the team’s highs and lows has spoiled me. Aside from that first season (2018, when the team finished last), the Tigers have made the postseason every year, except in 2020, when there were no playoffs. It’s easier to write about a winning team than a struggling one. I’ve been lucky in that regard.

Beyond the writing itself, this experience has given me incredible opportunities. I’ve worked as Randy Bass’s interpreter, driven media for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and appeared on TV panels. But more importantly, it has helped me forge a unique identity and build a community. SMAP’s name stood for “Sports Music Assemble People,” and while I was never a fan of their music, I fully understand the power of sports to bring people together. I’ve made lifelong friends through my writing, and I can’t imagine what my social life would have looked like over the past seven years without the Tigers.

But now, it’s time to move on. I’ve felt the itch for a while, and this feels like the right moment to shift my focus. I won’t stop writing, but it won’t be about the Tigers anymore. Make no mistake—I’m still a hardcore fan, just like many of you, and that won’t change.

When I think about all the twists of fate that led me here, I can’t help but be amazed. What if I hadn’t been feeling stuck in my job back in 2013? What if my friend hadn’t suggested I start a blog? What if that journalist hadn’t introduced me to Daily Sports? Without this column, my life would have been so much more ordinary. Instead, it has been an incredible journey filled with adventure, encounters, and unforgettable memories.

So, to Daily Sports: thank you for giving me this platform. To my readers: thank you for your support, your comments, and even your criticisms. I don’t know exactly what’s next for me, but I have plenty of ideas, and many of them still involve baseball. Keep an eye out—you’ll find me again.

Until then…

Glossary

static - 静的な

prominent - 著名な / 目立つ

spin one's wheels - 空回りする

perpetually - 絶えず / 常に

hoist - 持ち上げる / 掲げる

drenched - びしょ濡れの

sparse - まばらな / 少ない

gain traction - 勢いを増す / 浸透する

blow one's mind - 衝撃を与える / 驚かせる

fuel - あおる / 助長する

feel the itch - うずうずする / やりたくてたまらない

twist of fate - 運命のいたずら

platform - 発言の場

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「まさかの最下位」７年前は阪神にとって分岐点だった　カナダ出身阪神ファンの筆者が振り返る変化

　皆さんは７年前の自分自身を覚えていますか？人生のどんなステージを歩んでいたか、どんな境遇だったのか。多かれ少なかれ、現在との違いはあったはず。カナダ出身の阪神ファンである筆者は、ちょうど７年前にこのコラム連載をスタート。振り返ると阪神タイガースにも自分自身にも様々な変化がありました。

　阪神はある意味、７年前が分岐点でした。１７年ぶりの最下位となり、以降はＢクラスすら皆無。とはいえ順風満帆でもない。優勝は１度きり、監督の交代は３度。それでもドラフト重視のチーム構成によって、常勝軍団になりつつある。これからも当分は優勝争いに食い込むでしょう。

　筆者は７年前ではなく１１年前に阪神ファンとなり、英語のブログを立ち上げた。するとファン歴４年目に日本の新聞に取り上げられて、それから半年後に当コラムをスタート。最初は６カ月の予定だったけど、運よく今日まで続けられた。「外国人から見た阪神タイガース」というテーマだけに話題は無限にありそう。だけど正直なところ、回数を重ねるにつれてトピックを見つけるのが困難になってきた。

　実をいうと当コラムの最後にある『英語サイト「Hanshin Tigers English News」で阪神情報を配信中』はここ９カ月間、嘘になっている。ウェブサイトもＳＮＳも昨年６月から活動休止中。世界に向けてインターネット上で「阪神愛」を配信してきたことは誇りに思っているけど、もっと直接的な人とのつながりに力を入れたくなった。

　最近は「亀山努の虎小屋」というトークショーでＭＣを務めさせてもらったり、ランディ・バースさんの来日時に通訳を務めたりした。ウェブサイト、ＳＮＳ以外の方法で楽しく阪神ファンと交流することができています。

　ＳＮＳを辞めての変化と言えば、受け取る情報量が激減したこと。「阪神の全てを知り尽くしたい人」から「ほどほどにフォローしてる人」になった。以前は必ず片手にスマホで試合観戦、一球ごとに呟いたり一喜一憂するスタイルだった。昨年途中にこのスタイルを捨てて、じっくり一球一球を見て、野球の「間」を楽しむようになった。とても新鮮だ。

　これもＳＮＳ休止の影響かもしれないけど、自分のネットワークは広がっていない。そのせいか最近のコラムのトピックは阪神タイガースから離れ、より一般的なことになりつつある。具体的には「外国人から見た日本プロ野球」や「外国語教育者から見た日本プロ野球」など。筆者の興味は、阪神の試合結果、順位、優勝争いから「プロ野球の通訳者」の活動に移ってきた。

　筆者の本職は大学の英語講師。関連して「スポーツ通訳」を研究分野にできるので、今後は趣味と専門を融合していこうと考えている。７年前は阪神一色だったけど、今はもっと比較的幅広い分野に進みたい。

　そこで、当コラムの更新頻度を低くして、違う形での社会への貢献方法を探すことにしました。この７年間、たくさんの楽しい取材ができたこと、読者の方に声をかけてもらったこと、すべての出会いに感謝しています。いつになるか分かりませんが、またお目にかかれる日を楽しみにしています。