A look back at 1997: It took only a few weeks into the 1997 season for the Japanese media to start obsessing why the Giants were losing and what could be done about it.

Third baseman Luis De Los Santos became the team's first whipping boy, followed by pitcher David Pavlas and replacement third sacker Pedro Castellano. Eric Hillman, out almost the entire season with a bum shoulder, also caught flack from Japanese hack journalists for not playing. They concluded early on, despite Hillman's protests, that the American hurler was merely faking the ailment because he was in the first year of a guaranteed two-season contract.

The conventional wisdom on foreign players states that gaijin take the heat when the team performs poorly. No one really cares about the imported players reputation or feelings, and since they rarely speak the native language, they have little opportunity to present their side of argument. Some critics have even claimed that the foreigners are necessary to serve as a lightning rod for blame. That couldn't have been more true with the Giants. No one wanted to lay the blame where it really belonged.

Shigeo Nagashima remains the most popular sports figure in Japan, despite the fact that he retired as a player over two decades ago. Some competing newspapers have claimed Yomiuri rehired Nagashima as Giants manager because of his public relations appeal. The Asahi Shimbun reported in September that the last time Nagashima resigned (under pressure after the 1980 season), Yomiuri Shimbun subscriptions fell off. The fumbling skipper, the article continued, will probably remain with the Giants for quite a while, regardless of the team's performance, because firing him would only hurt the company's sales.

Apologists state that Nagashima can't control everything that happens. It's the coaches fault, it's the team owner's fault, it's the gaijins' fault. If that were true, the Giants skipper ought to be grilled for his lack of leadership. However, it is Nagashima that administers the coaches, oversees player development, picks line-ups, decides pitching changes and puts in pinch-hitters. He more than anyone else is responsible for the team's timing.

And timing is where the Giants failed. By the 1997 all-star break, Yomiuri had compiled a last place 35-46 record. Considering their runs scored (319) and runs allowed (321), the team should have been playing around .500. In fact, their two run deficit should have been good enough to land them in third place. Yomiuri's pitchers were doing reasonably well, and hitters were doing an adequate job. The real problem for the Giants was that they had lost so many come-from-ahead games. Their bullpen really failed the team, and it's Nagashima's job to know those pitchers, develop them and put them in the game at the right time.

By the end of the season, the Giants had climbed to fourth place (63-73). But with a fourteen run surplus, Yomiuri should have been in third place. Bad timing, inept management and poor relief pitching left the team looking worse than they should have. Had this manager another name, particularly a foreign name, he would be out job-hunting.

Pitching: Three-time Sawamura Award winner Masaki Saito and former Lotte ace Eric Hillman may have been injured and absent most of the season, but the remaining Giants starters did a solid job. Masumi Kuwata came back from elbow surgery and posted a 10-7 record with a 3.77. Balvino Galvez (12-12, 3.32) and Hiromi Makihara (12-9, 3.46) gave even better performances. Supposing either Saito or Hillman returns to form in 1998 and the other three starters remain consistent, the Giants will have an overpowering rotation.

With a 3.69 team ERA, Yomiuri's pitching ranked second in the Central League. Currently, the biggest problem the Giants face lie with their bullpen. Only the Carp earned fewer CL team saves. Masao Kida, in particular, made a habit of giving up Yomiuri leads to opposing clutch hitters. No one else seemed to have much more success.

Despite scoring fourteen more runs than they allowed opponents over the course of the 1997 season, the Giants compiled a losing (62-73) record. There may have been a few different reasons, but most likely Yomiuri scored several lopsided wins while losing an even higher number of close games. And those close games in which the Giants had initially led are the responsibility of Yomiuri's bullpen.

Offense: Since the "make drama" Giants regularly pack their line-up with power hitters gleaned from other teams (Katsumi Hirosawa, Hiroo Ishii, Kazuhiro Kiyohara), the team relies heavily on the long ball, compiling the second highest team home run total (150). Typical of a team with several slow-moving power-hitters, the Giants hit fewer doubles (181) and triples (10) than any other Central League team and stole the lowest number of bases (37). Of the twelve pro teams only the Tigers struck out more often than the Giants (927).

There's a consistency to the Giants. Off the field, they procure dramatic big-name stars that will draw fans and create a winning aura while ignoring younger or less-developed players who might have more of a future. On the field, the team goes for the knock-out punch while squandering less-dramatic scoring opportunities. While big players with big hits may win some games, the Giants would have a more reliable offense if they concentrated more on getting hits and less on making drama.

Top Player: Hideki Matsui. Though clubbing 128 home runs in his five-season career, Matsui has still failed to earn a home run title, though he fell short by one long ball in both 1995 and '96. One of the Giants' most consistent hitters, Matsui has compiled a .291 career average with 375 RBIs. In 1997, the pock-marked outfielder (nicknamed Godzilla) batted .298 with 37 homers and 103 RBIs. Leading both leagues with 100 walks, Matsui compiled a .419 on base percentage while slugging .564. It's rumored that the clumsy center fielder will move to third base in 1998.

Surprise Player: Katsumi Hirosawa. Despite reports that Giants owner Tsuneo Watanabe wanted Hirosawa released (George Steinbrenner's Japanese counterpart tried pinning the blame for Yomiuri's poor performance on virtually everyone except manager Nagashima), the aging slugger batted .280 with 22 homers and 67 RBIs. A first baseman with the Swallows during the early part of his career, thirty-six year old Hirosawa will likely remain the Yomiuri right-fielder in 1998. If the Giants were smart, they'd trade Hirosawa while he still has some value in exchange for a good reliever or two. The Giants have enough slow power hitters.

Biggest Disappointment: Masaki Saito. A winner of three Sawamura Awards, most recently in 1996, Saito looked like hell in 1997. Injured and struggling, the formerly dominant hurler posted a 6-8 record with a 4.11 ERA while only earning 61 strikeouts in 118 1/3 innings.

Most over-rated: Kazuhiro Kiyohara: Joining the Giants in 1997, Kazuhiro Kiyohara aroused high expectations among Giants fans and the Japanese media. A highly popular player despite his arrogance and incivility toward fans, Kiyohara has a reputation for clutch hitting, particularly in big games.

But in 1997, the slugger compiled a mid-season .209 average which prompted even the Daily Yomiuri to start blaming Kiyohara for the team's miserable record. Though he recovered to finish with a .249 average, 32 home runs and 95 RBIs, there probably aren't many folks who think Kiyohara lived up to his advance billing.

New Faces: Highly coveted rookie Yoshinobu Takahashi joins the Giants, reportedly offering a strong home run bat, good speed and a rifle arm. Mariano Duncan, a 34-year old who hit .236 for the Yankees and Blue Jays last season, will likely cover third base for Yomiuri in 1998. In a trade that sent Masao Kida to Orix, the Giants acquired BlueWave Takahito Nomura, a reliable reliever who will add depth to the Yomiuri bullpen.

Strongest area: Power-hitting and starting pitching. The Giants belted 150 team home runs, second only to the Carp among all twelve Japanese ball clubs. Not all of the Giants power numbers were that impressive, however, as the team produced the lowest number of triples and doubles in the Central League.

Though the crew is aging, Yomiuri's starting pitching staff remains one of the best in the nation. While ace starters Masaki Saito and Eric Hillman didn't contribute much in 1997, Masumi Kuwata, Balvino Galvez and Hiromi Makihara picked up the slack. Assuming either Hillman or Saito return to form in 1998, and the other three remain consistent, the Giants will be in position to make a run for the pennant.

Weakest area: 1) Speed: in 1997 Yomiuri hit the lowest number of triples and stole the fewest bases in either league.

2) Defense: loading the line-up with has-been all-stars and un-tested foreign players helped opposing batters make the most of every situation. Also shifting players around (Nishii to second and left field), further weakened an already shaky defense.

3) Bullpen: Masao Kida became opposing clutch hitters' best friend. Far too often, when he came in for relief, he got nervous and surrendered the go-ahead runs. Despite only surrendering two more points than they had scored by the all-star break, Yomiuri sat in the CL cellar. The Giants were scoring a lot of runs but they couldn't hold their leads. A stronger bullpen might have helped.

4) No reliable catcher who can both direct the pitchers and contribute with a bat.

Biggest question mark: Masaki Saito and Eric Hillman. If the two pitchers can recover and post good numbers (both are capable of overpowering opponents), the Giants may be able to grab a pennant even if Yomiuri's team batting average remains relatively low.

Secret weapon: The Yomiuri kiddie corps: Takayuki Shimizu, Toshihisa Nishi and Koji Goto. The Giants don't appear to have much respect for their younger players, jerking them in and out of the line-up and shoving them around the playing field. Yet second base man Nishi earned the 1996 Rookie of the Year award and left fielder Shimizu batted .304 in 1997 while Goto played well at third and right field before an injury sidelined him.

Fading star: Hiroo Ishii. In an attempt to fit Ishii's 55 horsepower bat into the Yomiuri line-up, manager Nagashima played the lumbering slugger at third, where he proved that his defense was good enough to earn the designated hitter spot (if there was one in the CL). Ishii missed the first two months of the season, played for a few weeks, and after another injury missed the remainder of the season. For the last time, the Giants don't need any more power hitters--they need good defense and speedy base running, something that Ishii is unqualified to provide.