• April 1, 2008 UP!

001 Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS's home playing field Yahoo! Dome. (Sadaharu Oh)

Enlarge Image

When asked where his favorite place in Fukuoka was, Oh replied without hesitation, "the HAWKS's home playing field of Yahoo! Dome, of course." Whether on the field or not, the manager's life seems to revolve around baseball. "It's the place I like the best, the place where I can get the most absorbed in what I'm doing." Approaching it's sixteenth anniversary this year, Yahoo! Dome has become an indispensable sightseeing spot. The backstage tour is also popular, giving people a chance to get a behind the scene's look that normally only the players and related personnel have.
"The HAWKS are Kyushu's only professional baseball team," Oh explains. "All over Kyushu, the enthusiasm for baseball runs high, and its fans are known for being passionate. The enthusiasm of the fans who come to the Dome, be they young or old, male or female, are our driving force. I think, more than anything, this is why we are based in Fukuoka. We ourselves have a strong sense that we're Kyushu's team and that, I believe, is reflected in the enthusiastic support of the local fans."

• To top
• Next>>