Orix Buffaloes 3 at Nippon Ham Fighters 2 - March 31, 2010

The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters play most of their home games in Sapporo now, but they have three series in Tokyo this season. I'm not sure why this is, but it is a bit strange that their first home game is not even in their regular home ballpark. But I'm not complaining, it gives me a chance to get to the Tokyo Dome without having to watch a Giants game. Today was the second in a two-game set against the Orix Buffaloes. The defending Pacific League...

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Nippon Ham Fighters 0 at Yomiuri Giants 4 - March 30 - Eastern League

One of the best things about Japanese baseball is the early season start. The Pacific League got underway on March 20th while the Central League began on the 26th. The Western League began even earlier with a couple of games on Friday the 19th. As for the Eastern League, which has 6 teams in the greater Tokyo area, it also began on the 20th but poor weather has kept me at home for the first week. But today was a relatively balmy 10 degrees so I decided...

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Sendai 89ers 89 at Tokyo Apache 85 - March 25, 2010

OK, I'm going to try to see more games in Japan when I'm here. To that end, I went back to the Yoyogi #2 gym last night to see the Sendai 89ers take on the Tokyo Apache in bj League action. When I saw them in December, the Apache were in last place, but they have improved slightly, winning 4 in a row to move into a tie for 4th in the East with a 14-24 record. Nothing to write home about, but it is a playoff spot. Sendai is the second best team in...

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Formula 1, AFC Champions League and other updates

Schedule ChangesOK, so the tentative Sports Road Trip schedule has seen some changes over the past couple of weeks. My week-long trip to Western Japan has been postponed, and I've had to cut back on my baseball extravaganza to California and Arizona (more on that in a later post). There are a couple of reasons for these changes.First, the trip to Florida, the surprise trip to Canada and then the jaunt in Thailand and Manila meant that I was out of the country for 41 out of the first 80 days this year, which has not put me in good stead with my...

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Philippine Basketball League - March 18, 2010

I was in Manila last week and was fortunate to discover that the Philippine Basketball League was holding its season-opening tournament. Known as the PG Flex/Erase Placenta Cup (after two sponsors), the 8 teams in the league play each other once over a month, with the top 4 teams facing off in the playoffs.Yesterday was the final round robin games held at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City (shown above). My hotel was close enough to walk there,...

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Hartford Wolf Pack 2 at Toronto Marlies 3 (OT) - March 7, 2010

After watching the Leafs in Ottawa the night before, I grabbed a Porter flight to Toronto on Sunday morning and made my way back to Ricoh Coliseum to watch their affiliate take on the Rangers' AHL team, the Hartford Wolf Pack. In a neat coincidence, the Rangers were the other team I had seen in Ottawa.Ricoh Coliseum with the CN Tower in the backgroundWhen I saw the Marlies play last week, Joey MacDonald was the star in shutting down the league-leading...

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Toronto Maple Leafs 2 at Ottawa Senators 1 (SO) - March 6, 2010

Despite being born in Ottawa, I'm a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and have developed a healthy hatred for my hometown Senators. So when Toronto visits Scotiabank Place and I am in town too, I have to go. It was Hockey Night in Canada too, so the place would be hopping.Salute to CanadaThe ceremonial faceoff was handled by three Olympic gold medalists: women's hockey player Jennifer Botterill (on the left below) and ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and...

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Barrie Colts 3 at Ottawa 67s 6 (OHL) - March 5, 2010

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is one of three junior circuits that provide opportunities for young players to hone their skills as they prepare for the NHL. The other two leagues are based in Quebec (QMJHL) and Western Canada and the Northwest US (WHL). The three leagues hold an annual championship known as the Memorial Cup, which is a great chance to see top prospects before they hit the big time. But we're still a couple of months away from that...

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New York Rangers 4 at Ottawa Senators 1 - March 2, 2010

I'm from Ottawa, which I often refer to as the worst sports city in North America. This is because a AAA baseball team, Can-Am League team, and CFL team (twice!) have all departed the nation's capital due to a distinct lack of interest of local sports fans. Thankfully, the Senators are still around to give me something to do, and they were at home tonight to start the post-Olympic stretch run, hosting the New York Rangers.The ArenaScotiabank Place...

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