Sunday, November 11, 2012

6-year-old Hideki Matsubara is a very gifted child.  He gets straight A’s in school, loves to do video editing and, you guessed it, is an avid Kuwana Steel Dragons baseball fan.  Hideki doesn’t remember the lean years in franchise history.  All he knows is the last two seasons, the Steel Dragons have been one of the LRS‘s best teams, although they have yet to win a playoff game.

Hideki is the poster boy for young Kuwana fans.  They are obsessed with getting over the hump and beating the Battousai.  Recently, Hideki made a 30-second video entitled “Bring Kirby to Kuwana” and posted it on YouTube.  The clip has since gone viral.

Judging by the positive messages in the comments section, other fans agree with the idea…

I<3jPOP: wow, he won 19 games on a sub .500 PEBA once

Kudo4primeminister: With a first name like Kirby and a last name like Gibson, you know he is clutch in the fall classic.

It’s safe to say that Gibson’s best years are behind him.  He’ll be 40 years old next spring.  He is coming off a season in which he had a 5.26 ERA and was relegated to bullpen duties by year’s end.  This is sure to scare many PEBA teams away, but what about the LRS?  Is it possible that Kirby has one or two more summers left in him?

When asked about the video, team officials said they had not seen it and gave a generic response about exploring all options, and since Kirby Gibson is a free agent, he would be one of those options explored.  Kuwana first baseman Carlos Aquino on the other hand, has admitted to having conversations with Gibson about playing in Japan.

“I told him that it has helped my career out.  In the PEBA, I was considered nothing more than a 4-A player.  Here in Japan I can play in front of big crowds every day.  If Kirby is anything like he was when we were teammates in 2008, he’d be a shoe-in for Sawamura.”

So will Kuwana listen to the plea and sign Kirby Gibson?  Only time will tell.  If they do, expect to see a lot more videos popping up from wannabe GMs.