There is a path behind where people go, and a mountain of flowers
As I wrote on the Tokai Radio blog, I went to Nagoya Stadium today.
I've gathered some material. But I'm not writing about that on Note today. With the Dragons' first team playing an exhibition game in Komaki and the second team playing their season opener at Tama-Sta Chikugo, why would I go to Nagoya Stadium, where only a few players remain?
There is a path behind where people go, and a mountain of flowers
This is a stock market proverb (I have nothing to do with investing). It is a lesson that says, "You can gain profit by taking actions opposite to others or by paying attention to things that are not attracting attention." I was the only reporter at Nagoya Stadium today. I believe that it is in this situation that true "reporting" can be done.
I have been coming to Nagoya Stadium for 27 years now (laughs), so just by standing there, many people involved will speak to me. Kota Ishibashi was surprised and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in Komaki!?", coach Hiroyuki Watanabe asked, "Why are you wearing a suit?" (I decided that a serious answer like "I'm also working in sales" was unnecessary, so I proudly answered, "Because I look cooler in a suit," which got a laugh), and Sadaharu Hiranuma, the director of Shoryukan, told me a story only a director would know: "The washing machine on the fourth floor broke.". Once they start talking to me, all I have to do is ask the questions I prepared in advance.
The other day, a young announcer from another station praised me, saying, "Osawa-san, you're amazing. To have them talk to you and be able to interview them like that." But this is because I've been doing it for a long time, and because "I am alone." The newspaper reporters I respect all try to get one-on-one. That was the case when Takahiro Nagao, president of NGO Co., Ltd., was a reporter, and it's the same for CBC TV announcer Keiichi Wakasa. Reporters who aim for one-on-one opportunities and make the most of them are the ones who captivate people's hearts in their broadcasts and articles. I've gone to the stadium thinking, "There won't be anyone there today," only to find announcer Wakasa there. That has happened many times. Because neither announcer Wakasa nor I are in positions where we can focus solely on baseball anymore, we have come to value that time even more. It's like a person-to-person battle that AI cannot do.
Yuta Matsukidaira. Even when he's injured, he always greets me with a smile. He let me talk to him slowly today as well.
Shunta (Shunta Goto) player.
The letters "SHUNTA" look cool. It really suits him.
From the perspective of the young players, I'm just some old guy they don't know. If I'm not careful, I'm older than their fathers (come to think of it, Yuki Okabayashi's father should be the same age as me. Okabayashi is 23, my child is 8). That's why I get incredibly nervous when I talk to them for the first time. First, I introduce myself, and then I ask questions using polite language. This is the first step. There is nothing but that accumulation (in the first place, I am not the kind of person who can talk to just anyone). Truth be told, I wish I could talk to everyone, but there is a part of me that gives in to the devil's whisper of "Oh well" (in that respect, President Nagao of NGO was great).
The second team has started their season. "SHO-TIME" will begin soon. And the professional baseball season begins. Any story is fine. I want to build a relationship with the players and staff where they say, "I'm telling you this because it's you, Osawa-san," and create an image of an announcer that only I can be.