Playback ’14] “Swing and Boom, Hit and Shoo! Shigeo Nagashima gives “hot-blooded guidance” to boys.
What did “FRIDAY” report 10, 20, or 30 years ago? In “Playback Friday,” we take a look back at the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we introduce “Mr. Shigeo Nagashima’s Hot-Blooded Classroom” from the November 28, 2002 issue, which was published 10 years ago. A Hot-blooded Classroom of “ Mr.” Shigeo Nagashima” in the November 28, ’14 issue.
In March 2004, Mr. Shigeo Nagashima suffered a stroke and spent more than a year fighting the disease, but his public activities gradually increased, beginning in July 2005 when he attended a Tokyo Dome game between the Giants and Hiroshima. In November of the same year, he was named a 2005 Person of Cultural Merit (for sports promotion), and in April 2001 he received the National Medal of Honor at the same time as Hideki Matsui (50). On occasion, he also taught baseball to children. This article is a clip from one of those baseball lessons (descriptions in parentheses are taken from past articles).
After watching the boys play, he couldn’t resist…
“Fold your right elbow, bam, bam, shh! That’s right. Okey-dokey! G~d!”
The boys, who were not accustomed to Mr. Kikuchi’s onomatopoeia-filled hitting instruction, opened their mouths in shock. But they were not bothered by this, as one would expect from Shigeo Nagashima, then 78, honorary manager for life of the Giants.
On November 9, 2002, about 240 fifth- and sixth-graders gathered at the Shigeo Nagashima Memorial Iwana Baseball Stadium (Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture) in a light rain. Initially, the boys were to be instructed by Kazunori Shinozuka, Tadafumi Matsumoto, and other Giants alumni. ……
“Seeing the boys play, I guess Mr. Shinozuka got excited,” said Matsumoto. At first he was quietly observing behind the net, but gradually he leaned forward and finally went to the ground. He grabbed a boy who was playing catch and said, ‘Hold the ball softly, shoo, shoo! Goo, goo, goo,” he began to teach him. For the next two hours, he was the sole provider of instruction. Mr. Shinozuka laughed and said, “He is too energetic, isn’t he?
At that time, Mr. Shinozuka was often dining out with acquaintances and seemed to be in pretty good physical condition. I want to teach children the joy of baseball. I will go anywhere,” he said with great enthusiasm.
Baseball School held again this year
Initially, it was reported at the time that the baseball school was to take Shinozuka, Matsumoto, and other disciples of the legendary “Hell’s Ito Camp” held in 1979, when Mr. Ito was manager, on a nationwide tour, but this did not happen. However, it seems that this did not happen.
However, the baseball school at the Shigeo Nagashima Memorial Iwana Stadium in Sakura City, Mr. Nagashima’s hometown, was held every year after that. However, he has been absent since 2006, when he was hospitalized for gallstones, until this year.
The prolonged hospitalization at that time caused Mr. Mister to lose muscle strength, which he had regained for a time through rehabilitation.” Even when he was named as a candidate for the torch runner for the ’20 Tokyo Olympics, it was impossible for him to participate. However, while the event was postponed to ’21, he resumed rehabilitation and recovered his strength. During the Olympic torch relay, he was supported by Sadaharu Oh (84), Hideki Matsui, and others, and his slow walk across the National Stadium was broadcast nationwide.
Mr. Oh was not present at the baseball school held on November 2 this year. However, in his message to the children, Mr. Matsui called out to them as follows: “My baseball has always been about baseball.
My baseball is ‘Train your best,’ which I always repeat in the baseball class. It is. Challenge yourself in the events you are best at: pitching, hitting, defending, and running.”
I am sure that the baseball boys who have been trained by Mister will be a part of the future of the baseball world.
PHOTO: Shinji Hamasaki