A reasonably good team until the early 1980s, the Chiba Lotte Marines have recently floundered in the bottom half of the standings. Although Lotte has a lot of young and exciting players, in 1997 the team finished in the Pacific League's bottom drawer. There's little indication that 1998 will be any different.

One of the few things Lotte fans had to cheer about in 1997 was shortstop Makoto Kosaka, who won the Rookie of the Year Award after stealing 56 bases, a record for a first-year player. Satoru Komiyama and Tomohiro Kuroki are both fine starters, and Lotte features one of the best relief combinations in Japan, set-up man Yasuyuki Kawamoto and closer Toshihide Narimoto.

Unfortunately, none of these hurlers get very much run support. The Marines' offense has been steadily declining since Lotte fired successful manager Bobby Valentine in 1995. The newest patsy to come along, skipper Akihito Kondo hasn't yet figured out how to turn the Marines into a winner.

Founded in 1950 by the Mainichi newspaper company and known as the Orions for four decades, the team was purchased by Lotte, a Korean confectionery company, in 1969.

Through the years, the Orions and Marines have featured several all-time greats, including three-time triple crown winner Hiromitsu Ochiai (who played for Lotte from 1979-86), 215 game-winner Choji Murata (1968-90), career .320 hitter Leron Lee (1977-87) and current New York Yankees flame thrower Hideki "Jellyfish" Irabu (1988-96).

Playing in Chiba Marine Stadium, thirty minutes south-east of Tokyo along the waterfront, Lotte games seldom draw a crowd. Because of the cold wind blowing in from the bay, it can be an uncomfortable place in April and May. The strong gusts also cut down on the number of home runs, and the immense foul territory makes sight-lines pretty bad. But the stadium attendants are the most accommodating in Japan, and if you hate crowds, the place is heaven.

Along with the new ballpark in 1992, the team got a new name. "Marines" refer to the team's new seaside home, not jarheads storming the shores of Tripoli.

Their initial black, white and neon lavender uniforms were mercifully retired after the 1994 season. Since 1995, the team has worn black pinstripes at home while donning black on gray road uniforms. The team employs a six-foot seagull mascot.