Robert Whiting

Readers can now find Robert Whiting's regular commentary on Japanese sports, politics and business on Substack. robertwhiting.substack.com

with Machiko and the great Rionne MacAvoy

@yakyucosmo Ohtani should have pitched

🇯🇵⚾️ A couple of things Japanese baseball should reflect on in general following the loss to Venezuela to be eliminated from the #WorldBaseballClassic. There were many questionable decisions throughout the tournament and a 1 game sample doesn't reflect talent level. But they looked shaky at times in the pool stage and simply weren't good enough today. - The dead ball era isn't breeding a competitive environment for anybody. Pitchers like Tatsuya Imai are going to MLB, saying NPB is essentially "too easy" because no one can hit a home run off him. Pitchers can scrape by without maximizing their stuff. The majority of hitters are struggling to hit for any power and aren't adjusting well (Pull Air, non-optimal launch angles, etc). - Compared to other countries, including Korea, Japan has struggled to produce dynamic, multi-tooled players. Beyond Ohtani, the lineup had very little in the way of combining power and speed. The fact that they have to choose between pure offense vs. pure defense at multiple spots on the diamond is a problem. - NPB has been late to adopt or even consider changes from MLB/KBO (universal DH, pitch clock, pickoff limits, etc). It isn't necessary to simply copy what other leagues are doing. But going into a tournament with different rules makes it inherently harder. - Hiring managers and coaches (both NPB and national team) based on who was a legendary player does not breed innovation or new ideas. - NPB has not only shown zero willingness to do international outreach but has also actively made it harder for domestic fans to post about their favorite teams and players through archaic social media restrictions. - The posting system obviously needs reform, but in its current state, more and more players will skip NPB to start their careers stateside at the collegiate or minor league level. Even with the eligibility changes to the NPB Draft, more amateurs will be developed outside of NPB. It remains to be seen what comes of players like Rintaro Sasaki, Shotaro Morii, Genei Sato, etc, but, just as in soccer, there will come a time when the "domestic" and "foreign" cores are more isolated than ever. Long-term, we need to better understand the development upsides of each path, whether players can get the best of both worlds, and how Samurai Japan can best integrate both.

@ronsterd89 1968

“What year do you think this photo was taken?”

@oshiimid The best.

@robertwhiting_ Good kitty

Eva, my favorite cat.

Resting place of Sheldon George Robert Whiting US NAVY 1941-1945. Machine Gunners Mate. Served in South Pacific at Guadalcanal and other sites. Interred with his wife Josephine California Central Coast Veterans Cemetary, Monterey.

@oshiimid you sound like an actress or a screenwriter, or both

@oshiimid haha

The miracle of AI

@oshiimid wow good for you

@robertwhiting_ PhD engineering student UTokyo

@oshiimid You're a grad student?

@robertwhiting_ I know I know! I was having fun with you! Btw, I've got "Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies: The Outsiders Who Shaped Modern Japan," and will start as soon as my dissertation committee gets off of my back for a few days. Cry.

@oshiimid thank you

@oshiimid it is AI

@robertwhiting_ 彼は日本に来たの？全て消毒しないといけないの？ 😂

With Michael Palmer and hsi wife Dana in Salinas this a.m. Machiko riding shotgun.

Prize winnign highs school art from yours truly. Discovered while cleaning out my house in Salians California. Hard to believe I know.

Sunset In Salinasm jabuary 28, 2026

Me, Jesse and Chad

Nihon Keizai Shimbun article nikkei.com/article/DGXZQO…

@langanpete Big dent

@robertwhiting_ I’d hate to see the sidewalk, Bob. Battered and bleeding, I bet.