Former Yankee's pitcher commits seppuku here in LA... http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/52283293-77/irabu-yankees-pitcher-angeles.html.csp Somewhere inside of me... a little reminder is going off. It's something my dad told me a long time ago, "It's only a game; you're supposed to have fun or we're going home..." http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/6813233/former-new-york-yankees-pitcher-hideki-irabu-found-dead-california http://www.tmz.com/2011/07/28/former-yankee-pitcher-hideki-irabu-found-dead-possible-suicide-investigation-hanged-himself-hanging/
Very sad. I also saw where a kid who won an Olympic medal as a freestyle skier committed suicide. He had a history of alcohol abuse and depression and had talked of suicide. I don't know what pushed Irabu over the edge. Maybe it will come out in the near future. I'm sure all or most of us know someone who has experienced the suicide of a loved one. So often there is no outward sign up to the point when it happens. It's so sad and tragic.
I remember when the Yankees signed him. He was hyped to be the best ever out of Japan and a sure thing to dominate in the big leagues. Of course, that never happened and the NY press quickly re-named him Hideki a Boo-Boo. He had two pitches, a 95mph straight fastball that he like to throw belt high down the middle and a hanging curve. With the notable exceptions of Ichiro, Nomo and Matsui, the Japanese superstars generally leave their game behind when they come to America. The cultural differences are tremendous and the language barrier is a big impediment. Matsui played here for years and couldn't speak more than a handful of words in English when he left. But the NY fans loved him and still give him a standing O whenever he returns to the Bronx.
Or maybe the level of competition here is much higher. What works in Japan just doesn't work against the athletes here. :?