Though they've had their share of stars--from Hiromitsu Ochiai to Hideki Irabu--the Marines (known as the Orions until 1992) haven't won a pennant since 1974. Perhaps the teams lacked depth or maybe they've had a slew of inept managers.

This is the team, however, that hired Bobby Valentine in 1995. After leading the Marines to their best record in eleven seasons (and most wins since their 1974 pennant), Valentine was fired and blamed for the team not doing well enough. Now comes former Yokohama Whales manager Akihito Kondo, the next poor slob to take an impossible job.

Kondo doesn't bring the best credentials with him. In his three years managing the BayStars, he compiled a 184-206 win-loss record. Of course, he should at least get credit for leading Yokohama to its first winning season (1995) in over fifteen years. Kondo is capable, but capable doesn't win pennants or build contenders.

In 1997, the Marines finished the season with a sixth place 57-78 record, due largely to the team's lack of offense. Maybe Kondo deserves credit, however, for at least patching together a pitching staff that performed well after both fireballer Hideki Irabu and ace Eric Hillman defected after the 1996 season.

Bobby Valentine, who was last seen leading the Mets to a very good season, remarked sadly about the state of the Marines, that they (him and the American coaches he brought with him to Japan) had at least been moving the Marines in the right direction for a year.

As a second baseman, Kondo played fourteen seasons (1960-73) for the Taiyo Whales. A fairly unimpressive hitter, he compiled a .243 career average with 65 home runs and 148 stolen bases. As Taiyo's lead-off hitter, he earned the 1960 Japan Series MVP by clubbing a ninth-inning solo home run that helped the Whales win game three by a score of 6-5, and by batting in the only run in game four. Partly because of his clutch-hitting, Taiyo swept that series in four games.