After watching Tsuji play against the Swallows in two Japan Series, Yakult manager Katsuya Nomura reportedly told his players to model themselves after him. It was little surprise that the Swallows took a chance on such an old-timer.

Though not much of a power hitter (53 career home runs), the 39-year-old infielder knows how to get on base. A lifetime .276 hitter who draws a diminishing share of walks, Tsuji earned the 1993 Pacific League batting crown with a .310 average.

Despite his age, Tsuji remains a solid defensive second baseman. Flipping the ball directly from his glove to the shortstop has become Tsuji's trademark play, something that has become more popular in Japan recently.

Injuries have take their toll on his career. Reportedly, Tsuji's absences led the Lions to release him. Since 1993, he's missed an average of twenty to thirty games a season, and in 1997 he sat out fifty games.

Batting .262 with a relatively low .315 on base percentage last year, the prognosis the Lions delivered two years ago may be catching up to their departed second baseman. For most of the season, Tsuji shared second base with Katsuyuki Dobashi and Toshifumi Baba.

But Tsuji apparently isn't worrying too much. Though he's played the last two seasons on borrowed time, that's more of an opportunity than he would have had with the Lions.

In most of the blooper programs that were shown in Japanese television in 1997, Tsuji was often seen practicing and goofing around with outfielder Dwayne Hosey. Maybe he's decided that he's going to have some fun in his last few years.