NYT article on Japanese baseball teams moving away from the use of U.S. managers, including some colorful commentary on leading figures.  “Nomura, who is 75 years old and has managed for 24 years, is known as an astute baseball mind but is also associated with outdated ideas such as distracting opposing players by yelling through a megaphone …” (8/24/10)

For more interesting background on Japanese baseball, check out these books: