Fukufuji next season

First ever Japanese NHL player and ECHL Bakersfield Condors goalie Yutaka Fukufuji has hinted on his blog that he’s looking outside America for a team to play next season. With his former Asia League team Kokudo/Seibu team folded, I’m not sure whether he means a return to Japan (the newly formed Tohoku Free Blades? Very unlikely), move to Europe (ECHL goalie would translate to second division in an elite nation?), or maybe he’s just yanking our chain and is looking into Canada 😛

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WBC attendance analysis

An interesting analysis of WBC attendance on Baseball Analyst. Pretty much predictable, but demographic split in bracketing still seems necessary to avoid mostly empty seat stadiums, so a soccer World Cup style one country hosting all games is probably still too early for the WBC. Good to see healthy crowds at Dodger Stadium for the semis and finals (probably) though.

福藤選手のPV サンプル

SHOKO さんが作成したベーカーズフィールド・コンドルズの正ゴーリーであり日本人初のNHL 選手である福藤豊選手のPV のサンプルです：

グレツキー：世紀の大トレード20周年

２００８年８月８日は北京五輪開幕と共に、カナダ（とアメリカの一部）では世界最高のアイスホッケー選手、”The Great One” ウェイン・グレツキーがスタンレーカップ覇者のエドモントン・オイラーズから、ホッケー未開拓の地のロサンゼルス・キングス（後に福藤選手も少しプレーしたチーム）への電撃トレードの記念日として知られています（当時のNHL はプロ野球みたいで、大物選手のトレードはほぼ皆無でした）。これに従い、NHL.com でもこの電撃トレード特集を組みました。

グレツキーがLA に行かなければ、アメリカ南部の各地で起こっているホッケー革命（アナハイム、サンノゼ、ダラス等ではホッケーの裾野がゼロから広がり、近年ではNHL にもドラフト指名される選手が、この様な地域からも出てくるようになった）は起こらなかったでしょう。しかし、もしグレツキーがロスにトレードされずにエドモントンに残っていたら、あのメンバー（メシエ、コフィー、アンダーソン等）でなら、実際に勝ち取った５つ以上のスタンレーカップを手にしていた可能性もかなりありますので、考えさせられますね。

グレツキーのNHL キャリアを追ったスライドショー。

福藤選手、08-09シーズンもECHLで

福藤豊選手が08-09 シーズンもECHL ベーカーズフィールド・コンドルズ（Bakersfield Condors）に戻る事が確定になったという記事がチームの公式サイトに掲載されました。

借金１３のチームで勝率5割の18勝18敗1分、チームNo.1のGAA 3.39 とセーブ率.899、そしてプレーオフ直前の9試合が7-2-0でGAA 2.38 とセーブ率.930 と、プレーオフでの強豪ビクトリア相手に脅威の39セーブの延長勝ちと55セーブの延長負けが特に高く評価されたらしいです。そして福藤選手がこの若いチームでいくつもの通算記録保持者だという事も称えられています。

チームも独立チームからNHL アナハイム・ダックスの傘下に入り、NHLからは2段下で野球で言うとAA 的存在なチームなので、今年もチームの成績以上の活躍が出来れば、AHL に上がれるかな。今シーズンはディフェンスがザルでなければ、より目立ちやすいのだが…頑張れFuji!!

The Bakersfield Condors, official ECHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, announced today they have agreed to terms with goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji. The announcement was made by Condors Head Coach Marty Raymond.

Fukufuji’s name is highlighted throughout the Condors record book, having climbed the ranks in almost every career category as the 2007-08 season progressed. He stands as the club’s all-time leader in wins (45), saves (2,401), minutes (4,944), appearances (90), and is tied for the club record with four shutouts. He ranks fourth in career save percentage (.910) and seventh with a 2.72 goals against average (GAA).

Fukufuji, 25, has played more minutes between the pipes for Bakersfield than any goaltender in the history of the team. The 2008-09 campaign will be his third in Bakersfield. Last season he overcame a shaky start to carry the team into the post season, finishing with a record of 18-18-1, a .500 win percentage on a team that finished 13 games below .500 on the season. His 3.39 goals against average and .899 save percentage both led the team.

It was at the end of the season that Fukufuji shined for the Condors. His 7-2-0 record down the stretch was accompanied by a 2.38 GAA and a .930 save percentage, and helped guide the team to a playoff spot. Fukufuji was a workhorse after returning from Injured Reserve in mid-February, appearing in 22 of the team’s last 23 games of the regular season, making 19 starts. In the playoffs, he went 2-4 while starting every game, and made 31 or more saves in each outing, highlighted by a 39-save overtime victory in Game 1 and a 55-save overtime loss in Game 6, both on the road in Victoria.

そして昨シーズン終了後に日本製紙クレインズを退団になった36歳の元日本代表の桑原ライアン春男選手は、韓国のHigh1 と契約するという噂も流れています…昨シーズンは8G+6A=14P とイマイチパッとしない成績でしたが、若くて勢いのあるHigh1 でもう一花咲かす事が出来るんじゃないでしょうか？日本国籍所有者だから、外国籍選手にも数えられないので、両者にとって利益のある契約になると思います…もし実現されればですが（＾＾

Sumo in LA

Ozumo (the professional sumo circuit) is making an appearance in LA this June after putting on a performance in Hawaii last year, which was the first time in 14 years for the former sumo wrestler producing island.

Pretty slick site considering how analogue the sumo world is (many sumo-beya training stables now have their own sites and top ranked sekitori wrestlers have their own blogs, so the ancient world is slowly becoming digitized). Introductory video is nicely produced and contains lots of great scenes often not seen by the public, like all the training sessions. But it seems to overuse the Japanese sumo words so people need some prior knowledge of the sport, otherwise they’ll get lost quickly in all the lingo. Then again judo pretty much exclusively uses Japanese terms and it’s an Olympic sport, so that seems to be what sumo’s aiming at.

One FYI: about 40 wrestlers in the upper ranks of makuuchi make it to these overseas 2-day tournaments, but they always fly in two separate planes. This is to avert a situation where the world’s top sumo wrestlers are all lost in one plane crash.

PS: There should be a Mongolian tournament in the works as well, as Mongolians currently dominate the sumo world and Ozumo is watched regularly by Mongolians on TV. Sort of like how Japanese watch their major leaguers on TV broadcasts.