About one month ago while watching CNN International, which is often our only source of English TV in Japan when we are on the road, we saw a segment on a small restaurant in Japan that has monkeys serving the customers.Very intriguing for someone who has years of restaurant experience.
At Bobby V’s, good service and training our staff properly is always the #1 priority.At times it is more difficult than others but I think we have done pretty well since we have been in business for 29 years.Now training monkeys on the other hand seems like a monumental task so we had to see this place.
Benny Agbayani and his wife Neila did some research and found out where this place was so on our last off day of the all star break the Agbayani’s (Benny, his wife Neila, Aleia (8), Ailana (4) and Bruin (2)) and the Ramppens journeyed off to this monkey restaurant.
Interesting journey:
We left Baytown on the 4:54 bus.We caught the 5:07 express train from Kaihinmakuhari to Tokyo.We took the 6:08 bullet train (Shinkansen) from Tokyo to Utsunomiya and then a 10 minute taxi ride to the restaurant arriving at 7:10.
So after over a 2 hour journey, we arrive at the monkey restaurant and I’m thinking, this place better be good.
It turned out to be a lot of fun. The monkeys actually did not serve any drinks or food and did not appear until we were finished eating.After dinner out came a monkey delivering warm, pre wrapped towels which is a tradition in Japan.The kids were all very excited but the Ramppen boys were a little nervous.He was very friendly and dressed as a waiter.He immediately jumped up on Benny’s shoulder and was just hanging out.He may have thought Benny was his father (just kidding Benny).
He mingled with all of us and then was accompanied by a bigger older monkey and they performed a 20 minute show with their trainer.They played baseball, basketball and did some pretty amusing tricks.
After the show, they brought out 3 very cute baby monkeys for a photo session.
Overall, the night was a lot of fun but a long journey and pretty expensive just to see a few monkeys serve napkins and do some tricks.The kids had fun so I guess as parents that’s all that matters.
We are in the middle of the All-Star break and have five days off. We will practice on two of those days and have the rest off so we have a lot of free time. Bobby, as always, has a full schedule of commitments, speaking engagements and so on, and will be entertaining Jenks, Moose, Jonah and Jonah’s brother Ian, (the guys who made the Zen of Bobby V). I will be spending time with Michelle and the boys playing baseball, bowling, water park, the movies and as much as we can fit into a few days.
Last night was one of Bobby’s engagements. It is Notre Dame week here in Tokyo and the Legends Football team is here to play the Japanese All-Star team in a game at the Tokyo Dome. Last night was the reception/pregame dinner attended by many alumni and ex-players along with legendary coach Lou Holtz at the Sanno Hotel in Tokyo. This was a can’t-miss event for me because one of the ex-players in attendance was Tim Brown. For those of who may not know — if that’s possible — I am a die hard Oakland Raiders fan and Tim Brown in my favorite all-time player.
Our good friend Larry Rocca, who is friends with Bill Moran and Jim Moynihan who are Notre Dame alums and ran the event, pulled some strings and arranged so that I would be sitting next to Tim Brown and his beautiful wife.
What a night. Bobby was asked to say a few words at the opening of the evening and was great as always. As he ended his speech he said some heart warming things about your truly and that I was sitting next to my favorite Raider, Tim Brown, which was pretty cool.
I was not disappointed. Tim Brown is an awesome guy and we talked like we were old buddies. I had a lot of questions about the past and present Raiders and the reasons why we have stunk for so long. Many Al Davis questions obviously. He spoke candidly about everything. After all those years of wearing his jersey and screaming like a mad man at the television, I got to meet #81. Great night. Sorry you couldn’t be there, Keith.
Sitting next to my man Tim Brown
The legendary Lou Holtz, who is a great speaker and pulled off a pretty impressive magic trick
FR & TB
Me, Lou, Bobby, Jenks, Ian and Moose (partially blocked)
Here’s one for the fans that you don’t often hear about.
In the third game of our recent series against the Fighters we were up against the mighty Yu Darvish, Japans’ top pitcher.He was up to form again and had a no-hitter through six innings.As our team was coming off the field to hit in the 7th, our hitting coach, Takahashi-san, called the team together in front of the dugout for a little motivational speech.
Dugout meetings are very popular in Japan.In High School there is usually a gathering in front of the dugout between every inning.At the major league level it happens more like once or twice a game.
So after Takahashi-san finished his brief inspirational talk, Bobby jumped into the center of the group and with his usual high energy and powerful voice he offered $500 to the guy who gets the first hit, $1,000 to the guy who scores the first run and $5,000 to the guy who knocks in the game winning run.
THE PLAYERS COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!!!!!Talk about immediate energy.Everybody loosened up and started to have some fun –which is the way the game should be played.We broke up the no hitter that inning and threatened to score but came up short.In the 9th our all-star center fielder, Saburo hit a solo home run but we ended up losing 2-1.So the loss cost Bobby and extra $1,500 but as always he added a different dimension to the game that most people never hear about.
We are currently in Hokkaido, the northern most region of the country that is very close to Russia, for a 3 game series against the now first place Fighters.
Hokkaido is absolutely beautiful. The weather is similar to northern New England so right now there is no humidity and it is very comfortable compared to the high humidity of the Tokyo area. Hokkaido has beautiful mountain ranges and is surrounded by 3 bodies of water, the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Sea of Japan to the west and the Sea of Okhotsk to the north.In the winter the skiing is world class and Bobby and I have had the good fortune to hit the slopes twice in the last few years. We were lucky enough to have preseason games (called open season games in Japan) in Hokkaido followed by an off day which worked out perfectly for us.
The first trip went something like this:
Since we were here for baseball games (in a dome of course), we only had our baseball gear and no ski wear, but we were told that ski resorts in Japan rent clothes along with equipment, which we had never heard of. So we head out early in the morning for one of the local mountains about an hour and a half away and walk into the rental shop and of course everyone freaks out when they see Bobby. Once they get their emotions under control and Bobby signs a bunch of autographs, as usual, we tell them we need skis, boots and poles but also need clothes. Within about 1 minute (no measuring, no questions) 6 people come out from the back room with head to toe ski wear for both of us and amazingly, everything fit perfectly. How they figured out our sizes so quickly was incredible. The equipment was also great so off we went.
We had a great day!We were accompanied by Andrew Jenks, Andrew Muscato and Jonah Quickmire Pettigrew, who were here filming the award winning documentary “The Zen of Bobby V.”If you haven’t seen it, you must. If you want to know what Bobby’s life has been like here for the past 6 years and see what Japanese baseball is all about, check it out. You can also watch footage of our day on the slopes.
Bobby and I have been skiing together for close to 30 years. Back in the restaurant days Bobby took several of the restaurant employees on an annual ski trip to the best mountains all over the world. I think we were on our 23rd or 24th annual trip before things got sidetracked with our journey to Japan. Pretty nice perk for his employees huh?Bobby and Mike Allegra actually started the tradition before I was even around. Mike was one of Bobby’s original key players in the restaurants and is one of our dearest and best friends, who we have shared so many wonderful times with, including our great ski trips. If you ’re reading Mikey, we miss ya and love ya.
Our second trip was the next year to a more famous mountain called Niseko. Same routine with the clothes and skis but this time we had an added bonus. A few off duty ski instructors recognized Bobby (shocker) while we were skiing and offered to be our personal guides for the day, which was awesome. They found fresh snow for us all over the mountain and we had a blast!
Check out the photos and please, check out “The Zen of Bobby V” if you haven’t seen it yet, it really is awesome!
Ferris Wheels are everywhere in Japan including on the ski slopes
Bobby in the Gondola on the way to the top
One of many Bobby/Frank ski photo's we have taken from all over the world
After losing 7 games in a row, we finally won tonight 7-4 over the first place Hawks and Ct’s own, Gary Burnham was the hero.
After a 12 day, 9 game road trip to Sendai, Hokkaido and Osaka, we returned home to Marines Stadium for a 3 game series against the Hawks. Unlike the US, all series in Japan are 3 games except for Inter league play when the series are only 2 games.
We got off to a rocky start giving up 1 in the first inning and 2 in the third to fall behind 3-0 but in the bottom of the third we rallied for 3 to tie it up.
In the bottom of the 6th with a runner on 2B, Ct’s own, Gary Burnham, delivered a 2 run Home Run to right that turned out to be the winning runs as we went on to win 7-3.
In Japan, every game awards a hero of the game. After the game, the hero is interviewed on the field in front of all the fans, who always stick around to celebrate. After the interview, the hero heads out to the right field cheering section, where our most loyal fans sit, where he does a little ritual with the team mascots and basks in the glory as the fans sing the hero’s fight song. He then heads back to the dugout shaking hands and giving high fives to all the adoring fans waiting along the rail. Then it is on to interviews with the press followed by another celebration with the fans in front of the stadium on a small stage where the fans wait for the day’s hero to make and appearance and say a few words.
It really is incredible and a wonderful experience for those fortunate enough to have the opportunity. Gary had a blast as did his lovely fiancé , Rachel, also from the great state of Connecticut.
Besides being a heck of a player, great guy and ultimate competitor, Gary is a guy who truly loves baseball and is proud to put on a uniform each and every day. Among his many accomplishments, Gary holds the all time home run record for the Redding Phillies. Check out the link below which pays tribute to the Redding Home Run Champ.
Bobby Valentine and Richard Gere chat before the game.
Yesterday we had a game in Sendai. Sendai is a lot 150 miles north of Tokyo and really reminds me of New England. There are many trees and rolling hills. We had a very special guest before the game.
Richard Gere his wife Carey and son Homer took the 1 hour and 40 minute Shinkasn (Bullet Train) from Tokyo and met with my team before the game. Homer, his 9-year-old son, threw out the first pitch of the game and showed a very strong arm. Most kids his age bounce the ball before the plate but Homer, who takes lessons at the Bobby Valentine Sports Academy in Stamford, had plenty of distance on his throw.
Homer and Richard on the mound just before Homer threw the first pitch.
Richard is in Japan to release his new movie Hachi. Many of the players had the opportunity to meet him and Carey and were all very happy and grateful. I am sure the movie promotion company had many other plans for Richard but he was kind enough to take the time and make the trip out to see our game and I cannot thank him enough.
The beautiful Carey Lowell before the game.
I guess I will try to repay the favor by having many dinners at his wonderful restaurant in Bedford, The Post Inn, during the offseason.
Today is Thursday, July 2, 2009, and we are in Tachikawa, the city we got lost trying to drive to as mentioned in a previous entry, to play the Lions. Since our last entry we have played four games, winning two and losing two. We split the last two games of the series against the Fighters; losing 5-4 then winning 3-2. The 3-2 victory was a rain-shortened game that Bobby anticipated by calling for a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the 6th that turned out to be the winning run. With the game tied at 2 and the rain getting steadier, Benny Agbyani led off with a double that he really had to dig for to make. His headfirst slide into second, which we will laugh about for years to come, was a sight to be seen.
A far cry from what Ricky Henderson used to do so beautifully. Tough to describe but just imagine big Benny (all muscle for those of you who don’t know him well) in a full sprint, nearing second and just kind of flopping face first into the mud of second base. Pretty funny, but, more importantly, safe. Gary Burnham, CT’s own, followed Benny and did a nice job of moving him over with a ground out to second base. With one out and one strike on the next hitter, Imae, Bobby called for the squeeze which Imae, affectionately nicknamed “Gori” since he looks like a Gorilla (so they say – I don’t’ really think so. He also has one of the most infectious smiles I have ever seen) executed the bunt perfectly and Benny slid through the mud with what turned out to be the winning run since the game was called after the top of the 7.
The first game against the Lions was as wild as they get. Back and forth and into extra innings that we finally won on a 3 run HR in the 11 inning by our All Star CF, Saburo. Bobby pulled out all the stops in this one to rally the troops and Saburo came through big time.
Last night was another crazy one. Down 5-1 going into the 5, we scored 1 in the 5 (solo HR by “Gori”) and 4 in the 6 highlighted by “Gori’s” 3 run HR to take a 6-5 lead. What a night for him! Unfortunately it didn’t hold up as the Lions scored 2 in the 6, 7 and 8 to take it away from us 11-6
Well, I thought the first 2 games of this series were wild ones, tonight was even crazier. What a game! First of all the game broke an all time Pacific League (equivalent of the American League back home) record for time. 12 innings that took 5 hours and 42 minutes. Fortunately the good guys won!
The games in Japan begin at 6:00 p.m. Most fans use public transportation to and from games. A majority of the fans like to stay until the end of the game. Most of the major cities have train stations that connect the fans to their homes and the trains from the major hubs stop running at 12 p.m. So, we start the games early and play a maximum of 12 innings. If the game is not decided after 12 innings it is a tie.
Many fans left this game early to catch the last train out but to my amazement their were more Lotte fans in the stadium at the end of the game than Lions fans. Once again my hat is off to the players who gave a great fight, winning the series, and the our wonderful fans who are always with us to the end.
27 hits, 5 home runs, 5 lead changes, 13 pitchers used and with the bases loaded, 2 outs, their best hitter up (Nakajima) and our young, just-called-up-from-the-minors pitcher on the mound, Uchi, the Marines pulled out the victory 9-8.
After the game we travelled back to Chiba and didn’t arrive until 2 a.m.
During a difficult year full of distractions surrounding Bobby’s final season, this series could only pull us closer as a team. The series was a true battle and our guys fought tooth and nail, never gave up and took 2 of 3. Could be the beginning of some good things. Let’s hope so!
Below are some photos of the Seibu Dome, Bobby, Paul and Iguchi before the second game of the series. Iguchi is having a good year hitting .320 with 11 homers and 40 RBI’s while playing a solid 2B and providing valuable leadership.
The Seibu dome is very unique. Originally an outdoor stadium that after many years they added a roof but left the sides open so it’s kind of strange. When it’s hot and humid the heat and humidity gets trapped inside making it very hot and often difficult to see.
