ABP Insider – Sunday, July 19, 2009

The rumors were running rampant that American businessman Bobby Fuhrman is making a strong push to acquire a League of the Rising Sun team and move them to historic Kyoto.  Fuhrman owns the American computer software company Initech, but has been working in the Asian Headquarters located in Kyoto in recent years.

When asked if the rumors were true, Fuhrman responded, “I’m not going to beat around the bush here or play any games.  Yes, I’m very interested in purchasing a team in the Japanese league and, yes, I will be moving the team to Kyoto if the League Board of Directors approves the move.  And, with the sponsorship of Initech – we plan to build a state of the art ballpark that will rival those of the PEBA.  No longer will the League of the Rising Sun lag behind the PEBA and lose talent to the American based league.  Kyoto will be considered a destination, not just a stop along the way to the PEBA.”

Fuhrman remained confident throughout the interview until he was asked about why he wanted a team and what his intentions were.  Fuhrman replied, “I think the intentions are clear.  I want to give this city a world class ballpark and a world class baseball team.  In a few years, Japanese teams will fear having to come into Kyoto to play our ballclub.  A few years after that, our market share will have grown so much that we will have the means to compete with the PEBA for talent – those clubs in America will fear their players coming to Kyoto to play baseball, not the other way around.  And in the end, coming to Kyoto to see a baseball game will become a must for any baseball fan, just like fans used to come from miles around to see ballgames at Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park.  I will bring a team here and we will compete at a very high level for a very long time.”

It is yet to be seen if Fuhrman can deliver on his many promises to Kyoto and the League of the Rising Sun – but one thing is certain: he is determined to make sure he becomes a household name in the game of baseball.

Fuhrman also unveiled a preliminary logo for his Kyoto ballclub that he has submitted to the Board of Directors of the League of the Rising Sun.  It is unknown if the logo and team name will be accepted, as it may be deemed “too violent” because of the recent trend of political correctness.