It’s been a long planning/execution process up to this game and here we are, 2 more weeks for the final push. Every one of our coordinators have been hard at work trying to make this event exactly what it is, the biggest American Football event to ever happen on Japanese soil. For an in-depth and personal look into the thoughts of the players involved in the game, check out http://www.onemoregame.blogspot.com/.
The Boss – Shinzo Yamada is a former All-Japan Linebacker as well as one of the first ever Japanese players to play in NFL Europe. He also played for one year in the XFL (In it’s only year of existence). It’s not exactly easy for a Japanese guy to come to America and start playing ball at that level. There is the long process to gaining respect, to tearing down language/cultural barriers and, this is a big deal for Japanese people abroad, having to get used to eating american style food…
The respect he earned came at the expense of a formal NFL player. The reason it hit home for me was because the player in question played on my Bears for a few years. Rashaan Salaam won the Heisman Trophy at Colorado and was a number 1 draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 1995. He rushed for a 1,000 yards as a rookie but eventually was out of the league with continuing drug problems. When the XFL was formed in 2000, Shinzo and Salaam both joined the Memphis Maniax.
One day during a blitz pick-up drill in practice, Shinzo(blitzer) lined up opposite Rashaan Salaam (Blocker). Salaam immediately started talking trash and was pretty much laughing at Shinzo’s existence, “Are you serious? A guy from Japan is gonna come try and hit me?”
The ball snapped, and BOOM. Rashaan Salaam was sprawled out on his back, destroyed by the smaller, Japanese Shinzo Yamada. Respect earned.
Shinzo is the guy running the operation here in Japan and it’s hard to describe how busy he really is. The man is ALWAYS on his iphone. Whether it’s responding to emails with obvious and stupid questions from me, or conversing with an Army General, he’s always calling and writing people back. But the most amazing thing is, he is always positive and upbeat. Never letting the overflowing emails and phone calls stress him out. Everytime I talk to him, he has an oyaji gag or two for me to lighten the mood with a laugh. I couldn’t ask for a better boss.
Next NDJB Staff Spotlight: Japan Ticket Sales representative Shun Fujishima
