Naha, Okinawa>

Breaking news out of Okinawa that Satoru Mata owner of PEBA’s Shisa who had been hospitalized last week after being gored while visiting his General Manager’s wild boar enclosure, has succumbed to his injuries and passed away.  While mortally wounded, Satoru’s representatives worked quickly over the past week to have the Okinawa Shisa put up for sale and the transaction officially was agreed to in principle today with the team being sold to 38 year old Nishiyama Naomi, the daughter of Nishiyama Oyabun.  Officially well known for their rice wine empire and as local Okinawa royalty, they declined to say any words out of respect, but those with ties to the team commented off the record that it’s great to have local ownership who grew up in the community and understand the region but also the Shisa.

“The words ‘passion’ and ‘commitment’ define the man,” the PEBA commissioner’s office said in a statement, adding: “Satoru was often outspoken but he maintained an unwavering commitment to the game.”

Several persons of interest were brought in and questioned, most notably current Shisa GM Matthew Reid.  As the accident occurred on Reid’s property and with his animals, this is not a surprising revelation at first pass, however since the incident there have been different sources painting a picture of a fractured working relationship, animosity and with the police at this stage not ruling the death accidental this is fueling the conspiracy theories.

Burying the lead somewhat with the background above is also the fact that an official police investigation had been opened into original incident with authorities unwilling to initially rule the incident as accidental. Not to speak ill of the dead, but recently Satoru was more interested in profit, food and the ladies than he was in winning and had run the Shisa financial operation into the ground with his governance squandering the gains the team had made with the public and not enabling the team to leverage their operational efficiency into a position of strength.

A few stories which have come to light include that Satoru and Reid had been involved in several heated exchanges in the office with the GM clearly being angered with Satoru using the team as his personal ATM to continually bankroll an unsustainable lavish lifestyle after betting big and losing as one of Japan’s most well known CryptoBros.  With the team having had more consistency on the field in recent years along with increasing per game revenues from 400K to 1.1M just this past season, top executives including GM Reid were irate when Satoru announced he was removing 20M in cash reserves and slashing the budget by $12M.  According to sources, in a yelling match staffers allegedly overheard Reid proclaim “You keep tanking us and I swear you wont live to see 53!”.  While it’s definitely a stretch to assume anything here, you can definitely excuse the authorities for doing their due diligence on this one.  However this was a man who burned bridges and poisoned relationships as he went about his business, so people will say nice words in the immediate time after his death, but his true legacy will be much more controversial.

During his tenure with the Shisa, Satoru was never shy about getting in front of a microphone and speaking his mind.  His animated outbursts with the media are an integral part of Shisa lore.  While alienating the fans and media, Satoru was embroiled in several disputes with local businesses and politicians.  This reached a peak when a downtown arena project crumbled and Satoru involved in a lawsuit with his partners.  It felt like his brash assertive yet hands off style was not a good fit for the button-down, conservative and chill scene in Okinawa.

His relationship with many members of the local media deteriorated. He often chose to conduct interviews with Toyko Sports 590 in Tokyo rather than engage locally despite being born and raised here, a perpetual habit that felt like a slap in the face to fans in Okinawa. If the media challenged him or his organization’s strategy, he simply cut off their access to the club and their officials.

In one this reporters last face-to-face meetings, prior to the 2037-8 season, Satoru asked me “to go easy on his team” because he felt I was putting a negative slant on stories. But he did it in a very charming, joking manner. He told me that if I continued my coverage along these lines, he was going to move the media parking lot so far down Shisa Stadium Drive that we wouldn’t be able to walk to the stadium. He was kidding — I think.

As we reflect upon his life, Satoru was a paradox in every sense of the word.  He was the hero who saved this franchise from bankruptcy — and possible relocation — just a few seasons ago. For fans too young to remember, there was a time when this organization missed a paycheque for its players and its future was very much in peril. Satoru swooped in and saved the franchise for Okinawa, a fact that is convenient to forget if recency bias plays a role in your thinking.  Fan interest was improving, revenue was up considerably during his tenure but he squandered all that good will and then some with his demeanor and attitude.  Many would rather view him through the prism of being the owner who alienated a fan base and franchise icons but we need to remember he was the owner who returned Okinawa to the PEBA playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.

He is a reminder that human beings are complex creatures who often don’t fit in one category. The world is not black and white. It’s filled with many shades of grey. Sometimes good people do bad things. Bad people do good things, and, truth be told, I was never quite sure which of those sentences best described the Okinawa owner.

Said GM Reid “This is a tragic occurrence and the entire PEBA community is in morning.  When Satoru would respond to emails, his standard signature at the bottom would read, “Carpe Diem.”  The Latin phrase translates to “seize the day.”  After several years of owning this team in a colourful and generally bombastic manner, nobody can ever accuse Melnyk of not seizing his time in Okinawa.”

When pressed on details about the accident itself or on the police investigation, “No comment” was the only thing we could get out of the GM.