By Glenn Carter, KureArsenal.com
Friday, January 23, 2015

If the right field corner of Nisshin Steel Dome at Kure looks a little different to you at the start of the 2015 season, you probably won’t be the only one staring. No, I’m not talking about Tomiji’s BBQ Pit, although that’s certainly the epicenter of what might turn into a full-blown controversy.

In what appears to be new Arsenal owner Pyeong-chu Chon‘s first move, he has found a sponsor for Tomiji’s BBQ Pit – the venerable Tonton Hibachi Steak Sauce. As part of the sponsorship deal, the restaurant, which will be found in the bleachers and can seat 160 fans at 40 tables, will now be known as Tomiji’s Tonton Hibachi BBQ Pit. Nothing wrong with making money, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Also part of the deal, a red-colored pathway six feet in width will lead from the middle of the restaurant over to a widened aisle that runs down the stairs to the first deck, down the wall in right field, and then – you guessed it – into the outfield. The wall has been shortened from 10’ to 6’, presumably to make it easier for Mr. Watanabe to enter the restaurant named for him and climb down the wall right onto the field of play itself. Yes, a six-foot strip of red made to look like red carpet will run onto the field directly from right field, where Mr. Watanabe typically sits.

In addition to the large strip of red and the shortened fence, the right field foul line has been brought in from 333’ to 328’. The right field fence has also been brought in from 366’ to 355’. That fence remains 10’ high.

“We wanted something that would create excitement in that entire area,” said Arsenal marketing director Shusui Ueda, who hosted a conference call with media outlets from the restaurant. “We were brainstorming with Mr. Chon, and he was like, `Why stop at a restaurant? Let’s make the entire corner of the field a kind of fun zone.’ We were like, `Hey, he might be on to something here.’ It just all flowed from there. First, we thought about what we could do to make sure the place was packed every night. Well, people like home runs… so let’s shorten the fences. We’ll have home runs coming right into the restaurant.”

Inside Tomiji’s BBQ Pit will be a specially made counter called Tonton’s Dinger Zone. Every Arsenal home run ball that lands in the restaurant will be individually recorded. A loop-to-loop highlight reel of Arsenal homer balls that land in the Dinger Zone will play on a screen behind the bar.

“Once we get 10-20 highlights of balls going in there, it’s going to become a fun thing to watch,” said Ueda. “It’s going to be wild. Just wait until we have 50-60. It’s going to be an attraction with a historical edge.”

The red carpet aspect of the endeavor was the brainchild of Mr. Chon himself. “He did come up with that,” said Ueda, “Again, at first we were like, ‘Man, that’s crazy.’ But after we thought about it for a few minutes, it was like, `Hey, Mr. Chon is onto something here.’ Why the heck not?

Watanabe was vacationing in Malaysia with his family and not available for comment. His agent, Jack Spear of Spear Corp., said, “Tomiji is a fun guy. He was fully on board with the BBQ Pit idea. Part of that stems from his own personal love for eating and making BBQ. He thinks it’s hilarious and that it’s going to be a lot of fun. He told me by phone he was looking forward actually finishing batting practice, following the red carpet to the fence, climbing over it and walking up to the BBQ Pit for a Tonton Hibachi Pulled Pork Sandwich.”

The restaurant will open during the team’s first home spring training game in April. Ueda said spring training home runs will indeed count at the Tonton Dinger Zone and be featured on the all-time highlight reel.

…The team announced several coaching contract moves last month, including new three-year extensions for longtime scouting director Nobukazu Ito and Makurosu hitting coach Izumo Kawakami, plus the signing of beloved former Arsenal star-turned-Makurosu pitching coach Michinaga Honda. “I was touched by the offer,” said Honda via phone from his apartment in Hiroshima. “I can’t imagine working for another team.”

…Sources close to the Arsenal front office say Tetsuo Okazaki, who on January 2 signed a monster three-year/$51 million dollar deal with up-the-road rival Hyakujuu, was indeed coveted by the team. “The Arsenal made what they thought was a very formidable offer,” said the source. “However, they were shocked at the eventual price tag.” It is believed the Arsenal offered an additional fourth year as a player option, but even the final year of the proposed deal was several million short of the $16.6 million Okazaki will receive from Hyakujuu in the first year of his contract. If Okazaki pitches 150 innings, he will trigger a $1.2 million incentive. He’ll net another $1.9 million from the deal if he wins the Sawamura Award. The contract also includes a no-trade clause.

…As is always the case this time of year, LRS fans must bid farewell to a number of players that have decided to retire from the league. Keiji Hagi, who had a brief 3-inning stint with the Arsenal in 2013 that also included a 5.1-inning cameo with AAA Ikari, has finally hung up his spikes at age 39. More notable is the retirement of Seiichi Sakuma, who signed a one-year/$360,400 pillow contract with the Arsenal in 2010. He was dealt to the Niihama-shi Ghosts for Tsugumichi Gato, who made his debut last season and will compete for the #5 starter’s job this spring. Sakuma went on to ink a lucrative two-year contract extension with the Ghosts for $6,008,000 and was later dealt as part of the package that sent Nobuhito Hasegawa to the Neo-Tokyo Akira.