Tsuyoshi Shinjo already memorable as Nippon Ham Fighters manager

There is a certain image with baseball managers these days. They are quiet, studious beings, keeping their composure at all times. Gone are the likes of Billy Martin and Earl Weaver, managers whose personalities drew the attention from the players on the diamond. And then there is Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Shinjo did not take long to make an impression. With his array of outfits, he possessed a flamboyance and flair that would be more at home on the catwalk than in a clubhouse. He changed his name in the Nippon Professional Baseball registry to “Big Boss” after the league realized that there was no rule against it.

Tsuyoshi Shinjo drawing plenty of attention to Nippon Ham Fighters

Naturally, Shinjo had to begin his time as the Fighters’ manager in style. He marked his first regular season appearance by coming out of box while wearing a light-up ‘Big Boss’ jersey. The smoke show and sparklers would have been fitting at a concert, let alone a ball game.

As impressive as that debut was, it also meant that Shinjo needed to somehow top that when he made his home debut as the Fighter’s manager. Well, he managed to do just that as he entered the home opener on a hovercraft. Seriously.

As entertaining as these antics may be, the Fighters are going to have to start winning games in order for this to work. They lost all three games in their first series, being outscored 16 to 8 in that time. There is a lot of work to do as the Fighters were 55-68 last season, but Shinjo needs to show that there is substance to the flash and style.

Tsuyoshi Shinjo has become a phenomenon unto himself as the Nippon Ham Fighters manager. Now he needs to prove to be successful on the bench.