Daisuke Motoki, 53, who has served as head coach of the Giants, appeared live as a guest on Fuji Television’s “Poka Poka” (Monday-Friday, 11:50). He revealed his impression of Sho Nakata, 36, formerly of the Chunichi, Giants, and Nippon-Ham teams, who retired at the end of this season. The “reunion” offsite posted by Daisuke Motoki was a big hit with fans. When asked how he treated Sho Nakata, Motoki replied, “When he came to Japan, his image was already associated with Nippon-Ham, so he was nicknamed ‘Sho the General. He was nicknamed “Osho” (the general). I was the boss of the mountain when I was with Nippon Ham, but with the Giants I had an absolute senior, Hayato Sakamoto, so I was a little quiet. That’s why he was a little quiet. Once I started communicating with him, he immediately got used to me. The younger members were not like the image I had of them, and the younger members started to talk to me, too. When MC Aika Kanda asked Motoki, “Did you ever give technical training to such a veteran as a coach? I wish I didn’t ask him, but he would say things like, “Mr. Motoki, how many home runs did you hit? Tasuku Sawabe of “Haraichi” followed up by saying, “Nakata-san is hitting, so I can’t say anything.” Nakata himself stated, “Technically, I didn’t learn anything from him. Mr. Motoki denied it in a panic, saying, “You’re not getting any more offers! Mr. Motoki denied it in a panic. Still, Nakata thanked Motoki, saying, “As you said, he always stood in between me and the players to bring them closer, which was very helpful for me.
