Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Tsuyoshi Shinjo sighting.
The former Mets outfielder and longtime Nippon Ham Fighters star threw out the first pitch at Game 2 of the Japan Series yesterday. From the Japan Times:
The roar only got louder when former Nippon Ham star Shinjo made his appearance.
With his unnaturally white teeth gleaming, hair teased and dark sunglasses perched on his face, the heavily tanned former outfield maestro looked more like a movie star than a baseball player.
Yes!
Say what you will about Shinjo’s lifetime .668 Major League OPS, the dude did it with flair. That, and huge orange wristbands.
There are far more meaningful aspects to the story linked above, most notably the return of uber-phenom Yu Darvish from shoulder fatigue. After a 42-day layoff, Darvish threw 87 pitches over six innings, allowing two runs while striking out seven and walking none.
Despite never having seen them play, I’ve long been a fan of the Nippon Ham Fighters. Until recently, I thought “Nippon” meant the place they were from (which was itself perplexing, since Nippon is Japanese name for Japan) and “Ham Fighters” was their nickname, as though they were either fighters made of ham or fighters who battled ham.
Obviously that was a bit conflicting, as I wanted to root for a group of pork-based fighters but couldn’t even consider supporting any team that was waging war on ham. But it turns out they are the Fighters that are sponsored by Nippon Ham, a Japanese company that predictably sells ham.
So I guess they are fighting on behalf of ham, and so I’m cool with that. Plus they have Darvish, who appears to be incredibly good at pitching.
I know this much: The best decision I’ve made today was searching YouTube for Tsuyoshi Shinjo. It’s a veritable goldmine of awesomeness.
Tedquarters 
I, too, was disappointed when I first learned that it was “Nippon Ham” Fighters and not Nippon “Ham Fighters.” It is likely that I cried myself to sleep the night that I learned this.*
*I am pretty sure that I did not cry myself to sleep that night.
I miss Shinjo’s crow hop while making the catch.
I know there is much debate of Piazza and his number…but the real important question here is…when will the Mets honor Mr. Shinjo and retire his number? Obviously its not a question of if..but of when. I worry that the lack of orange at Citi Field may not bring true justice in honoring Shinjo’s legacy.
So, Shinjo doesn’t play any more? I do miss the true orange wrist bands.
Yeah, I believe he has retired to focus on being a total rock star.
Shinjo will always hold a place in my heart for one game–it was a Yankee/Mets subway series game at Shea in I think either either 99 or 2000. The Mets were down by a lot in the 8th inning. But they scored a few runs and suddenly, miraculously, they only needed a run to tie and two runs to win. Shinjo was at bat with Piazza behind him. Shinjo hit a slow grounder and ran so to beat the throw (he did), he sprained his ankle and was taken out for a pinch runner. Piazza came up and promptly socked one over the wall. Mets win!
After the game, Shinjo said (through his interpreter), “Mike was up behind me. We had a chance. I COULD NOT BE OUT.” He paused for a moment and repeated, “It was our chance. I-COULD-NOT-BE-OUT.” Thank you for that game, Tsuyoshi. Best of luck to you.
I remember a Mets-Braves game where Shinjo threw out Chipper Jones at home after a potential game-tying single to end the game and saved Armando Benitez’s face. That one goes into my personal greatest Mets moments.
I remember that game so vividly. I think it was a day game and I had taped it (before DVR existed). Came home from school and was jumping all over the basement. My mom ran down, she thought i had lit the place on fire or something. What an awesome ending to a Mets-Braves game.
That made my day.
I remember when I met him in the hotel in Baltimore, it was fun, and then at the game he gave the ball to my friends girlfriend, like we asked him at the hotel, I have a picture ofhim, and my friend across from the elevator where we met him, in that Marriot Hotel in Baltimore.
Ah…I remember Shinjo. Very orange. I remember that. So very, very orange.
As a Yankee fan, I remember the game to which lisametsfan alluded. I remember wanting the Yanks to win…but also, oddly, wanting Shinjo to do good. I actually liked the guy. I remember muttering under my breath “get on base, Shinjo, and then Piazza can strike out”. Yes, I, a Yankee fan, was actually rooting for a Met in a subway series game (which I would do only one other time, when I wished Piazza would beat the crap outta Clemens when the bat tossing incident happened).
I just…I dunno…I liked Shinjo’s unabashed rock star persona. Wasn’t a great player, no…but what a personality on that guy. It was difficult NOT to like him.
That video = Pure, unadulterated awesomeness.
i designed a porky pig ham fighters logo, ted, email me and ill send it
mm999 – I remember that game so vividly. I think it was a day game and I had taped it (before DVR existed). Came home from school and was jumping all over the basement. My mom ran down, she thought i had lit the place on fire or something. What an awesome ending to a Mets-Braves game.