“Blue blood.” The word symbolizes Dodger blue. It came from a wonderful metaphor for the late Tommy Lasorda (1927-2021). “Blue blood flows through my body,” said the veteran coach for 20 years.
However, there are cases where he tries hard to deny the situation. “Blue blood has disappeared from my body. Now it has turned into black blood,” Tsutomu Ito (61) said 10 years ago. As a senior coach at Doosan Bears in 2012, he is also familiar with the situation. 메이저놀이터
The place where he played was the Saitama Seibu Lions. It is a team that admires the Dodgers. I desperately want to look like him. Of course, the color of the uniform. There are many similar places including design and font.
Tsutomu Ito had a big bone there. He joined the draft as No. 1 and played for 22 years. He was the main catcher and led the Seibu golden age in the 1980s and 1990s. He also spent four years as a leader. He devoted his entire career and is truly a one-club man.
He is drawing attention again these days. He is considered to be the right reliever to take the mound in times of crisis.
The Seibu Lions are in the midst of their worst season. They are not just at the bottom. They are on the verge of humiliating 100 losses that will remain in history. Kazuo Matsui already applied for a leave of absence two months ago. It is his de facto resignation.
As a desperate measure, the incumbent head coach took over as acting coach. Hisanobu Watanabe. However, it is useless. Team performance is still plummeting. Then, there are talks about his replacement. Even if this is the case this year, he should prepare for next year starting from fall.
Some names are being floated. They include Fumiya Nishiguchi, the coach of the second division, and other OBs. Leading players of the Seibu Golden Age, such as Kochi Akiyama and Kimiyatsu Kudo, will be summoned. They served as coaches at Softbank. They also garnered a win.
There is a person who cannot be left out of the list of candidates. Ito Tsutomu. As I said, he is one of the main players of the golden age. At that time, there were many stars like Kirasung in the team. Akihara, Kudo, Kiyohara, Guotaiyuan, and Ishii Take were holding out.
Many of them left their teams as free agents. However, Seibu kept one person to the end. Ito was Ito. There is one reason. Ito is because he believes he is a leader who will leave his future to him.
The “Ito Coach” project went smoothly. When he retired, he signed a two-year contract as a player and general coach. He invested his time while respecting his will to extend his active career.
Eventually, he became a coach upon retirement. He was 42 years old in 2003. For now, he wrote a three-year contract. However, the then owner (Yoshiaki Tsumi) made an unexpected promise. “I will leave the team to you for the next 10 years. Please make a prestigious club with a long-term perspective.”
She was brilliant from the first year after taking office. She advanced to the postseason by ranking second in the league. She beat No. 1 Daiei (currently Softbank) to become the Pacific League champion. She then acquired Junichi in the Japan Series. She regained the top position in Japan for the first time in 12 years.
However, the glitz is fleeting. Ito received a phone call. The caller was the owner of the team. “The situation has become like that. Please take care of the players and the team without being swayed.” This was the moment when rumors were confirmed that the team was at a crossroads for survival.
At that time, it was time for the Japanese economy to falter due to the collapse of the bubble. Seibu Group was directly hit. The shock was delivered to the baseball team. Rumors of a sale were prevalent. Or there were rumors of a merger with other teams. It was during this period that the two clubs, Kintetsu and Orix, merged.
It is spring the following year. Tsutsumi, the owner of the team, stood in court. He was suspected of violating the Securities Exchange Act. All titles, including the group chairman, had to be laid down. His influence on the baseball team has also disappeared. In other words, Ito’s strong supporter has disappeared.
The immediate crisis was overcome somehow. The sell-off and merger eventually sank below the surface. However, the situation is a series of confusion and conflict. The scene wants to beef up power. On the other hand, teams have to tighten their belts. Naturally, clashes between the manager and the front desk became more frequent.
In the midst of this incident, an incident happened. In 2007, it was revealed that a Seibu scout and an amateur player received money from each other. Coach Ito openly criticized the club. The front desk was furious at the incident. In the end, it became impossible to renew the contract.
He seemed to resign. However, he has been dismissed. It is the day before the last game. His ears are upsetting as he was preparing for the breakup. The fact is that the club does not even prepare such a bouquet of flowers.
His anger explodes. He holds onto the opposing coach and explodes into anger. He was a senior player named Osadaharu (Wang Jeong-gi). “Director, how can you do this? I’ve been in this team for 26 years….” Then, he offered a bouquet of flowers. “I bought it with my own money. Please pass it on to him later. Please let him see the fans.”
It’s an unforgettable bouquet of flowers.
He was a wildcat for several years afterwards. He served as a commentator for NHK and commentator and chief coach for the Japanese national team (WBC) in 2009. He joined the Doosan Bears in 2012. He served as the head coach for one year under the coach Kim Jin-wook.
His training in the KBO marked a turning point. He took the helm of the Chiba Lotte Marines in the winter of that year. Then, he advanced to the fall baseball league in his first season (2013). The opponent team of the Climax Series Stage 1 (our semi-playoff) is doomed. He used to be the Seibu Lions, his former team.
What he said ahead of the game was a comment quoted in front of the article. “Blue blood has disappeared from my body.” The series ended with a 2-1 victory. Ito’s revenge play was successful. And he declared, “Now my blood has turned black (from Chiba Lotte).”
It was a day of mixed emotions. A fan I met in the parking lot begs me. “Please come back to Seibu one day.” But the audible reply was adamant: “No. I’m afraid that will never happen.”
Eleven years have passed since then. Things have changed. Speculations arise that expect a return.
Of course, it’s still just one of many rumors. However, there are some possibilities. “Excellent in organizing a stagnant team” and “He’s a famous catcher, so he has a different eye for reading games
