Virginian Pilot: Japanese umpire proving to be major hit in minor leagues
Takeshi Hirabayashi has been to towns you've never heard of in a country he doesn't call home. He's spent months away from his wife and children, racking up long-distance phone bills that have dented his already-thin wallet. The money he earns is barely enough to survive, and the bureaucratic process he must go through to come here is maddening. Then there's the language barrier - the one it took years for him to clear. And the uncertainties of a line of work that offers no guarantees but plenty of room for error. So why does Hirabayashi do it? "Japanese people think the American big leagues are the best in the world," Hirabayashi said. "Me, too. It's much better here"...He can't move to the U.S. because of stringent immigration laws, the same ones that require him to return to Japan right after the baseball season...Hirabayashi grew increasingly disillusioned with the diminished clout umpires wielded in the JPL..."Japanese umpires not have authority," Hirabayashi, 43, said. "Team has power. That's not very good system. Japanese manager - no respect for umpire"...more...
