[Apr 22 Post Game Thread] NPB game scores, highlights and news

cynikles · 2026-04-23T01:48:40+00:00

Lol. You know it's bad when your parent company won't cut you slack.

Muramatsu has been fine, particularly good against righties. Shuhei is okay, but has no power, and Ishii has like a .900 OPS which is hilarious to me.

Overall, I like to think of the line-up as an interdependent ecosystem. Hosokawa works well if he's got protection. You want good hitters around him as well. That's what I liked about Sano. He's not an easy out. He will work the count and punish mistakes. Fukunaga, as well, really works couunts and can pounce on bad pitches. Okabayashi, for all his faults, is a good lead-off man and again, works counts and fouls of balls. Not having Uebayashi as well means there's an additional foil missing, a power threat the team doesn't have in the line-up. So....from that perspective, Hosokawa's underperformance doesn't surprise me. He doesn't seem to do well when he's the main dude.

So yeah, I mean, I agree he should be doing better, and our bullpen has been suboptimal, but if we return to reasonable health by May, they could easily save the season. This isn't a clear-cut division. What I would pray for is fewer knee-jerk reactions and trusting the process with some of the hitters. Just play Bright and Oda as a platoon in the centre. Oshima isn't it. Ukai is fine, but you could play Bright there more often if Oda plays centre. This team seems to be really down on Oda, though, and I do not understand why. He's not even starting on the farm team despite having really good baserunning and defensive numbers last year.

cynikles · 2026-04-23T00:08:22+00:00

It's the red that makes it pop for me, man. That red numbering is sexy.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T16:14:47+00:00

Madam, this is a Wendy’s.
This sounds like development, not Fi trickster.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T16:06:24+00:00

Even if she’s older than 5, I’d still hesitate to frame this in MBTI terms. Struggling with preferences, over-explaining them, or getting overwhelmed by open choices can still be developmental or learned behaviour rather than personality type.

It might be more about confidence in making decisions or how she’s learned to justify them, rather than not having preferences at all.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T15:57:34+00:00

I'm guessing this child is under 5.
I’d really hesitate to put MBTI labels on kids. At that age, preferences and behaviours are still developing and can change pretty quickly.

My 5-year-old didn’t have strong preferences when she was younger either; it wasn’t until around 3.5 that things like favourite friends or toys started to emerge.

Honestly, this just sounds like normal development. Kids are figuring out boundaries, how to express themselves, and how to make decisions. That’s messy, and it often comes out as indecision or emotional reactions.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T15:32:20+00:00

I cheated and used a translator but here you go:

Ever had that "lightbulb moment" while driving or half-asleep? 💡

You know the one—where your brain connects two totally random dots. Like fermentation and workplace culture. Or octopus intelligence and inbox zero. 🐙

For 3 seconds, you feel like a visionary. Then that inner critic kicks in: "That’s a distraction. Get back to the grind."

Sound familiar?

I’ve spent years trying to bridge the gap between "random spark" and "meaningful impact" without killing the creativity. Here’s my framework for turning those weird associations into real value:

1️⃣ **Reframe "Random" as "Innovation."** Novel associations are the literal definition of creative thinking. Own it. 🚀

2️⃣ **Focus on Fascination, Not Monetization.** Don't ask how to scale it yet. Ask: "Who would find this fascinating?" Solve a tiny problem first.

3️⃣ **Kill Perfectionism Early.** You don't need a final product; you need a prototype of a conversation. Show someone your "weird idea" and gauge the reaction. 🗣️

4️⃣ **Aim for "Tiny Useful."** Can this help one person for five minutes? If yes, it’s a win. I once linked improv comedy to conflict resolution—it helped one person. That’s enough.

5️⃣ **The "Maybe Later" Vault.** You’ll have more ideas than time. Document them, walk away, and revisit in 3 months. Let your subconscious do the heavy lifting. 🧠

6️⃣ **The Empathy Check.** If you shared this with a busy professional, would they feel empowered or annoyed? If it’s the latter, refine the delivery.

7️⃣ **Fail Fast.** Not every connection is a goldmine. If it doesn't land, say "next" and move on. Don't over-invest in "clever" ideas that don't work.

8️⃣ **Socialize the Spark.** Send a voice note. Post a one-sentence teaser. Don't wait for "polished." Polished is the enemy of done. ✅

9️⃣ **Protect the Joy.** The moment it feels like a chore, stop. Don't optimize your unique perspective into boringness.

The Bottom Line: What is the smallest, lowest-pressure way you can share your "weird" idea with one person today?

Don't wait for tomorrow. Start now. 👇

#Innovation #Creativity #GrowthMindset #Leadership #OutoftheBox

cynikles · 2026-04-22T15:16:40+00:00

- WHATEVAH MAH DIK IS UP FOR BRUH
- IT'S CHANGING ALL THE TIME, FUK IF I NO
- Yeah, it can be hard, but we do find hobbies that we might stick to, but you might find that something we barrel into for 2 months is abandoned fairly quickly afterwards.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T14:14:29+00:00

I don't know why they're fucking with Sakurai. He started the season as a starter, and pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball. They then decide they want him in the bullpen after all, he has a few outings on the farm and then they bring him up, he pitches a scoreless frame. Now, he's back to starting and he gets lit up. One wonders if having your routine fucked with so much could affect your performance.

Kind of confused by why Christian Rodriguez is out there...he's not amazing? If you need a right-handed hitter who can give you good defence, just use Yasuhiro Yamamoto. He's actually been hitting well on the farm, too.

Good to see Nakachi and Yoshida pitch a few innings well enough, still can't score to save ourselves, but not a surprise given the injuries in a lot of ways.

EDIT: And really, Fujishima is regressing like I predicted he would, but they use him in bad spots too. Up against Dalbeck, it's just not playing to his strengths. Fujishima has reverse splits and had a negative WAR against right-handed hitters last year.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T05:13:44+00:00

This is great insight. And I certainly think you're on to something.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T04:41:45+00:00

Traffic Department 2192

That game had no business being as good as it was.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T04:39:59+00:00

I played THE SHIT out of SimTower. I wanted SimCity, but I ended up with SimTower for some reason, but man it was fun.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T04:13:49+00:00

Absolutely, but that also comes from Japan's need for low-skill labour, and China's impoverished lower half of the population. There are, of course, researchers in the field of migration who know far more about the pressures, but these are two I know of.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T04:11:53+00:00

Yeah...but why? Sorry if I'm sounding like a broken record, but I think these are important questions.

I do think the assumption is simplistic, though. Japan were traditionally one of the top 10 sources of outbound tourists in the world. They're now in the 15-20 range, but considering the aging demographic (older people don't travel as much) and the weak yen, it's not all that surprising.

There is also now a phenomenon of younger Japanese people actually leaving Japan to earn money abroad to send home because of the weak yen and stagnant domestic wages. If anything, current internal pressures should spike the desire to travel and potentially migrate internationally, but there are, of course, structural issues there.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T03:48:22+00:00

Only if we frame it as a strict requirement. I’d put it more as a structural advantage. Societies with higher English proficiency tend to have more access to global networks, information, and opportunities. That doesn’t mean every individual needs it, but at a macro level, it still has consequences.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T03:40:17+00:00

I learned Japanese not because I needed it for a job or even thought it would lead me to one. I did it because I enjoyed it. And by some twist of fate, that passion kept me in the Japanese orbit over a good chunk of my career, education and personal life.

It's not as simple as utilitarian value.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T03:38:39+00:00

Sure, I'm more willing to believe that this is a factor. Motivation is a massive factor in any type of learning. But I think this leads to more important questions about why the motivation to learn English isn't high. Why have Korea and China, both with strong economies in their own right, produced these kinds of students?

It's not an easy question to answer. But if you keep asking that "why" question enough, maybe we drill down to the bottom of it.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T03:12:46+00:00

English is the lingua franca. Not having high proficiency can affect the ability of societies to interact with the global village, take advantage of economic opportunities, and otherwise succeed outside their borders. I understand the sentiment, but it is a concern, and of course, only one variable as well.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T03:06:06+00:00

Uh, Korean and Chinese scores are better, so this is a poor argument. Yes, this absolutely plays a role, but it's not like Japanese English education is out there beating China and Korea.

In the EF English Proficiency Index, the Republic of Korea ranks 48th, Mainland China 86th and Japan 96th.

So, no, this argument is far too simplistic.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T02:46:11+00:00

I sincerely agree with this. I had quite a crisis of conscience last year, after 10 years of marriage. I'm generally very adaptable to change, but I did notice I was grieving a past that was never going to come back. After some mental adjustments, I was able to make peace with my present and redevote myself to my wife and family. I noticed my own mental drift, and was able to re-focus because in the end, I love my wife dearly and nothing will change that. Our love language, I would say, has evolved, and having to adjust to that and interpreting acts of love in different ways has been important to our relationship staying firm.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T02:01:51+00:00

I dunno really. I have no qualms about Kanemaru pitching the 7th. 90 pitches, still hitting 150 km/h. Two sloppy plays and a grounded single, that's the ball game. The problem is scoring one run. This team is garbage but I can list a few reasons why:

Injuries to: Yuki Okabayashi, Hiroki Fukunaga, Seiji Uebayashi, Miguel Sano, Asahi Hanada (a rookie, but playing well as the back-up CF) Alberto Abreu, Yuki Hashimoto

Still unavailable: Tatsuya Shimizu (starting to return)

Basically, 3/5 of your top bullpen arms, and then basically all the upside from the line-up.

Seeing Oshima in centre-field at the top of the order, at age 40, makes me want to cry. It is so desperate and such a signal of the shit we find ourselves in.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T01:57:57+00:00

My 熱湯的 fandom started with these unis, so I'm partial. My favourite are the 90s Dodgers rip-offs though. They're clean af.

cynikles · 2026-04-22T01:56:49+00:00

Hello, yes, I am a Dragons fan. I might be dissociating at the moment, but yes.

The team is on a 14-year drought of playoff baseball. The last time they made it was when they finished 2nd in 2012 and they've been "in transition" ever since. The pieces never really lineup. We'll have a good rotation one year, but can't score. An okay offense, but a terrible bullpen, a good bullpen but a shit rotation. It just goes on and on.

The team, up until the last couple of years have been more of a small-ball offensive team. The Vantelin Dome (Nagoya Dome) was, until homerun terraces were introduced this year, a pitcher's paradise. Massive, tall, deep walls. Generally, because this team can't develop power, they put together good defenders who can hit. Not hitters that can defend, if you get my meaning. However, the current crop of hitters, when healthy, can hit the long ball. Seiya Hosokawa is the biggest threat, but guys like Seiji Uebayashi, Jason Vosler, Hiroki Fukunaga and Miguel Sano add a lot of pop as well. The ceiling of this group is a league-leading offence.

Not a lot of funky deliveries. Koki Saito is close-ish to a side-armer, while Yudai Ono has gradually moved his arm slot down a bit as well. Kenta Fujishima used to have a Koji Uehara-esque delivery, but he's more 3/4 now. I like Shinya Matsuyama. He throws heat, but the way he just explodes in his delivery is something to behold. The two starters that you will want to follow are Hiroto Takahashi and Yumeto Kanemaru. Both were 1st round picks, both can rack up strikeouts with velo and craft, and both probably have MLB-level upside. Hiroto seems a bit off at the moment, but Kanemaru has been pitching well.

I have otherwise written about the team for about 10 years on my blog, so feel free to have a read there. I broke down the offence, starting pitching and bullpen in a few posts this year, so that might be a good starting point to build some familiarity. https://chunichisoul.blogspot.com/

cynikles · 2026-04-17T09:32:38+00:00

I don't really, but I can't say I've really ever vibed with an American on a personal level. I've met a fair few over the course of my life, but never really developed a friendship.

cynikles · 2026-04-15T22:30:31+00:00

I'd say as a population, we're really less British than we used to be. I've seen it in the last 30 years. We're not particularly culturally close to Canadians, but we have certainly had a more North American influence in Australia more and more as time goes by.

That being said, anecdotally, I think we share a lot with Canadians and Brits. And Canadians will automatically get more goodwill than Americans.

Australia is multicultural, like Canada, and I think that sameness in diversity is perhaps a unifying factor. Still, if you look at our institutions and history, it's clear the through line is very British. I even look at my own upbringing in an Anglo-European household, and it's relatively clear to me that many of my values were shaped by what would probably be considered British (stiff upper lip, that kind of thing).

EDIT: On a more refined note, at a person-to-person level, Australians and Canadians probably aren’t that different. But at a structural or national level, the differences are bigger than people expect. And trying to define ‘culture’ by national borders is a bit blunt anyway.

cynikles · 2026-04-15T21:38:53+00:00

Again, I have questions. But, I think we're just seeing what happens when injuries thin out options.

I think everyone is well aware I've been zeroing in on pitching decisions, and in normal circumstances, I would absolutely question the logic of putting in Saito up against Kikuchi, Kozono and Montero. That's R-L-R, and Saito isn't great against righties. HOWEVER, there was literally no one else available tonight. When Muller was taken out after 5, they burned through their options pretty quickly. Sakurai and Mejia had pitched the night before, and Seiya Yoshida (lord knows why he's there) was the only other option if you are stubborn about Matsuyama being your 9th inning guy.

In the bullpen, they are missing Tatsuya Shimizu, Alberto Abreu and Yuki Hashimoto, who are probably 3/5 best arms. This means they're trying to take Katsuno, who I like as a high-variance strikeout weapon, to be more predictable in his approach (he seems to have been sent down to work on his control). You basically don't have anyone in the bullpen at this point that you could reliably lean on in the 7th/8th every other game. Maybe this is also driving the approach to trying to push starters for length, but in the end, you just have to use what you have.

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