<figure id="attachment_212634" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1024px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-212634"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3b3a51ca"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/11/2021021603425.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-212634" class="wp-caption-text">Head coach Kokubo enthusiastically coaches Richard Sunagawa, a promising young player (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
 &#8220;I wonder if I can do it.
I don&#8217;t know if I can do it,&#8221; Hiroshi Fujimoto, 57, the new manager of SoftBank, is said to have told those around him.
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Fujimoto, 57, who will become SoftBank&#8217;s new manager next season, told those around him, &#8220;With all due respect, I am not very well known. He was expected to be a long-range gunner, but his career high was a 20-homer game in 1992. The only thing that makes him stand out is his mustache, which he has been growing since his playing days so that even his grandfather, who has poor eyesight, can recognize him at a glance.
 &#8220;He has been SoftBank&#8217;s hitting coach, third-team manager, and second-team manager since 2011, and is known for his training abilities. He has been a hitting coach, third-team manager, and second-team manager for SoftBank since 2011, and is known for his ability to train players. Yuki Yanagida, who achieved the &#8220;Triple 3&#8221; (batting average of 30%, 30 home runs, and 30 stolen bases), is grateful to Mr. Fujimoto, saying, &#8220;I am where I am today because of him.
 He never raises his voice at the players. He understands baseball theory, explains it carefully, and is always calm. Perhaps it is because he worked as a proprietor of an izakaya (Japanese style pub) in Fukuoka Prefecture for a while after his retirement, but his lip service is lively and he is well received by the press. He is a good-natured Kansai man. I think he is a good person who can lead the team steadily.
<h2>Why did the appointment go astray?</h2>
SoftBank had initially asked manager Kimiyasu Kudo to continue his tenure.
 &#8220;He has led the team for seven years since 2003, and has won the Japan championship five times. I think it&#8217;s natural to ask him to continue. This year, however, the team finished in fourth place, and for the first time in eight years, they were in the B class. It seems that Mr. Kudo felt he had a responsibility as a manager. He stubbornly refused to accept the request to continue as manager.
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With Kudo&#8217;s adamant refusal, Softbank&#8217;s search for the next manager was in a quandary. The most likely candidate was head coach Hiroki Kokubo (50).
 &#8220;He was the first manager of the Samurai Japan team in 2001 and is well known. He became the first manager of Samurai Japan in 2001 and is well known. It was a given that he would be the next manager after Kudo.
However, the results of this season have raised questions about his ability as a leader.
 &#8220;In a word, his way of coaching is very Showa era. He was very picky about the attitude of the players, often shouting at them, &#8216;You should at least greet people properly! He often shouted at the players, &#8216;At least greet them properly! The benches were atrophied. The atmosphere was dark. The Hawks were in a transitional period of generational change, but they insisted on using veterans such as Nobuhiro Matsuda, and the reason for the &#8220;omission&#8221; was that the young players were struggling to develop.
 In the beginning, Kudo left it up to Kokubo, the head of the team, to appoint the fielders. However, for the first time since he became manager, the team finished the first half of the season in the B class. Sensing a sense of crisis, Kudo began to think about the composition of the offense in the second half of the season.
Next season, Mr. Kokubo is scheduled to be transferred to the second team manager.
 &#8220;I think the team wants him to learn how to treat players and coach them in the second team. The team wants him to learn how to treat players and coach them. Chairman Sadaharu Oh is particularly fond of him, and there is no doubt that he is a future leader. Expectations are high. As the next manager after Mr. Fujimoto, he will be in a study period for a while.
Rather than being a household name, SoftBank has chosen a proven track record, even if it is modest. In order to regain the top spot in Japan, Mr. Kokubo will spend his time in hiding.

 Kyodo News

 Hiroshi Fujimoto, the second-string manager, will lead SoftBank next season. He has a good reputation for his leadership skills, but he's a bit plain. The most promising candidate was thought to be head coach Hiroki Kokubo, but ....... We interviewed Mr. Kokubo to find out the surprising reason why he was not selected.

Why Kokubo was not chosen as the new Hawks manager, despite his “outstanding name recognition

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