On the Road with Bobby V. and Frank Ramppen

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.

– Bobby V.

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.

Enjoy!

Well, as mentioned in the previous entry, we faced Yu Darvish tonight, the top pitcher in the country and he was true to form. He had a no hitter through 7. He gave up 2 hits in the 8 and was relieved in the 9 and we lost 5-0. That was no fun!!!!!

During our pregame workout today, the death of Michael Jackson was the hot topic of conversation. Bobby, Paul and I reminisced about the good ole days when Michael Jackson released his record breaking Thriller album and all the excitement and energy it created at Bobby’s restaurant. The song was hot but the video was hotter! At the time, Bobby’s cousin, Mike Valentine, was managing the restaurant and he was a great promoter. Mike made a copy of the Thriller video and we scheduled showings throughout the evenings and posted the times on a small chalk board we had hanging below the 1 TV at the bar. (there are now over 50 TV’s in the restaurant). The response was absolutely amazing. We had lines out the door every night with people just waiting to get in to see the Thriller video. Is that nuts or what? Everyone loved that video and we had a great time……………Thanks to Mike V and Michael Jackson.

Mike Valentine has since passed but will always be remembered by so many of us who had the good fortune to share life with him. Mike, like Bobby, was always full of energy and enthusiasm and ALWAYS wore a smile. He played a huge role in making Bobby V’s the hot spot in Stamford for so many years. It was always a pleasure to be in Mike’s company.

Today (June 25) was our last off day before resuming our regular schedule. Tomorrow we face the Nippon Ham Fighters and Yu Darvish, the top pitcher in the league.

We had a full practice at Marines Stadium, which started with a great motivational speech to the team from Bobby, who talked about how he thinks despite all the distractions this year, this team is coming together and our best baseball in ahead of us.

The players then stretched for 45 minutes led by our great conditioning coach, Tachibana-san, who Bobby had with him back in New York.

Following the stretch the players change into full uniforms, play catch (which they call “catch ball”) and prepare for a full infield/outfield (called “shitto knocku” ), which I hit. After “shitto knocku” the players practice all the skills of the game at different stations.

We use 2 batting cages at once for BP, which is one station, there is a bunting station, a soft toss station, a base running station and then the players take fungo’s and live balls off the bat during BP for defensive work.

In Japan, every team has a full staff of batting practice pitchers who are very talented and throw great BP. The speed of the pitches are much faster and more game-like than in the states.  Foreigners take some time to adjust to the speed of BP

Below is a picture of 2 future baseball stars,  Zack (5) and Frankie (7)

Click here: Great Buddha – Kamakura, Japan

Mary and I enjoyed the off day today together. We went to the largest Chinatown in Asia outside of China in Yokohama. We had a great lunch and then went on to Kamakura.

There we saw the Great Buddha and enjoyed the surrounding area. It is a small coastal surfing town where my interpreter Shun Nakasone was born. We had a great Italian dinner and stayed the night at the Prince hotel. The hotel has a beautiful view of the bay and the great Mt. Fuji.

Mike Hobart, Adolfo Acosta, Emilio Castillo, Tom Purlitzer, Steve “Doc” Kupka, Larry Braggs, Roger Smith, David Garibaldi, Francis Rocco Prestia, Mark Harper, Jake Loveridge. Kneeling in front is Anthony Roberts.

After seeing and meeting the members of Tower of Power here in Tokyo, Frank Abbott went to see the boys at Foxwoods and got them to autograph the photo. Missing from the picture is the photographer Frank Abbott and included is a friend of Stamford…Paul Upo.

We finished interleague play on an upbeat by beating the Central League leader Tokyo Giants. We finally got one of our best players, Nishioka, back in the lineup and he had a good day. We now have four days without a game and will practice 2 of the days.

The team in second place in the Central League is the Yakult Swallows. They are having a really fine season and one of the reasons is because of the play of Connecticut’s own Jamie D’Antona. Jamie is playing first base and providing the right-handed power his team needs. He looks like a fine hitter who can really help a team win. We played 4 times and I had a chance to watch Jamie in practice and in the games and he seems to be adjusting very well to his new surroundings. His manager does not like his players visiting with the opposition so we had only short talks before 2 of the games. I was impressed with his attitude and his play. As a young man in a foreign country his world seems to still be spinning a bit fast but he is working hard and could have one of the greatest experiences of his life if he stays healthy and continues to improve. Jamie plays in one of the oldest stadiums in Japan and it is located in Tokyo. Babe Ruth played in Jingu Stadium back in 1934 the year before professional baseball began in Japan. We will not play the Swallows again this year, unless we meet in the Japan Series, but you can rest assured that I will be pulling for them and Jamie to get there. Jamie’s family and all of Connecticut should be very proud of what Jamie is doing.

Nothing too exciting to write about over the last few days, and that includes events on the field. After winning 3 in a row, we have now lost 3 in a row, including last night’s loss to the Giants in the Tokyo Dome in front of a capacity crowd. Our submarine pitcher, Shunsuke Watanabe, who you may have seen pitching in the WBC, had a rough first inning, gave up 4 runs and we never caught up.

I did get to see Mary V. after the game, whom I haven’t seen since January. Great to see her and as always Mary looks great.

Today is a 2:00 game at the Tokyo Dome again so it’s right back to the train station for an hour commute. To get to the Tokyo Dome from our apartments it’s a

Five minute bus ride to our train station, a 35-45 minute train ride to the Tokyo station, depending on whether or not we catch the rapid, a 5-7 minute walk from one end of the Tokyo station to the other, get on another train, the Chuo line, for 2 stops where we change lines to the Sobu line for 1 stop. Final stop, Suidobashi and the Tokyo Dome. Piece of cake these days but a bit confusing 6 years ago.

Tokyo train station is enormous. The Line we most frequently ride, the Keiyo line, is located approximately 10 stories underground and if you’re into people watching, this is the place to be. Just last night, I said to Paul and his wife Donna, we probably see more people walking from one end of the Tokyo station to the other than we would see in an entire month wandering around Stamford.

Paul’s wife Donna is visiting from Las Vegas for one week. Paul and Donna have been married for 28 years and Donna is ½ Japanese. Kind of crazy that Paul married a beautiful Japanese women 28 years ago and now finds himself living and working ½ way around the world just 40 minutes away from where she lived as a child. You never know what’s around each corner do you? I would give you more information about the lovely Donna Pupo but if you have ever met Paul, you know the scoop, lol.

Today is the last game before the interleague break. We have the next 4 days off so let’s hope for a win. Hate to have to sit on a loss for 4 days.

By the way, Happy Father’s Day to my father (Vince and Mike too) and to all my friends who are fathers out there. Have a good one!

Father’s day is a great day for me because there’s nothing better in my life than being the father of my two boys Frankie and Zack. Love you guys!

Two year ago while filming the Zen of Bobby V I had the Honor to visit the men and women aboard the USS John McCain.  This is a mail from one of the Producers of the film Andrew Muscato.  Thanks to Andrew for the heads up.

And my prayers and wishes are for all of our men and women in uniform get home safely and again a sincere thank you for protecting our freedom.

– BV

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Sent: 6/19/2009 7:14:10 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: uss john mccain

The guys we visited on the USS John McCain, about two years ago exactly, are now defending us from North Korea!

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/19/military-set-intercept-north-korean-ship-suspected-proliferatin-missiles-nukes/