Managers on Japanese TV sports programs are about as prevalent as mold in the rainy season. Everywhere the camera turns, another kantoku (manager) is looking pensive, smiling, gesturing and yelling to players on the field, or smacking those in the dugout. It all depends on the situation.

In a 1997 Japan Times column, Get that Boob off the Tube, Jason Bennett complains of television sports programs' obsession with Giants Manager Shigeo Nagashima (the title boob). Switch on a televised game, and you'll see what he means. But it's not just Nagashima. Every manager is his team's visual focal point.

Is all this attention justified? Do managers make that much difference in how teams play? That's quite debatable. Some, like Bennett believe managers may only make a difference of winning or losing about five games per season.

But what about Bobby Valentine? Before he took over, the Chiba Lotte Marines finished the 1994 season in fifth place with 55 wins and 74 losses. A year later with Valentine at the helm, the Marines won 69 games and lost 58 (and after Valentine left, the Lotte posted a 60-67 record). His presence apparently enabled the team to win between nine and fourteen games more than they would otherwise, the difference between a second-place contender (under Valentine) or a fifth-place shipwreck (before and after the American manager).

More likely, the media obsession with managers has something to do with the reverence of the sensei (teacher) or the belief that what the manager says or does in the dugout is more important that what the players do on the field. Whatever the reason, if you plan on watching Japanese baseball games on TV, it might help to know who these people are.

Central League managers:

Swallows: Katsuya Nomura: Japan's top manager has won four pennants in six years.
BayStars: Hiroshi Gondo: First time manager replaces successful skipper Akihito Oya.
Carp: Toshiyuki Mimura: He talks softly while Carp carry a big stick.
Giants: Shigeo Nagashima: By keeping Mr. Has-Been around, Giants choke on past.
Tigers: Yoshio Yoshida: Golden oldies manager tries CPR on a brain-dead franchise.
Dragons: Senichi Hoshino: Japan's Billy Martin, he's to umpires what Mike Tyson is to ears.

Pacific League Managers:

Lions: Osamu Higashio: Good at developing players, but not sure how to use them.
BlueWave: Akira Ogi: Orix magician has given BlueWave two flags in three years.
Buffaloes: Kyosuke Sasaki: Low-profile skipper leads Buffaloes back to contention.
Hawks: Sadaharu Oh: Brings name recognition and prestige to Hawks but little else.
Fighters: Toshiharu Ueda: Mellowing with years, a kinder, gentler and less successful manager.
Marines: Akihito Kondo: Facing an impossible job, will likely fulfill low expectations.