"Have you heard? SoftBank suddenly wants to hold a press conference, as if they're going to announce something important..." In the editorial office of the Western Japan Newspaper sports section, a senior editor who's been covering Nippon Professional Baseball for many years spoke to his colleagues.
As the largest newspaper in terms of circulation in Kyushu, Western Japan Newspaper naturally received an invitation from SoftBank; besides them, large media outlets and newspapers like Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, Daily News, and Daily Sports also received this invitation.
The last time they saw such a grand setup was for Matsuzaka Daisuke last year: at that time, to show their respect for this "Dice-K," SoftBank invited all major media to a grand press conference, during which President Wang Zhenzhi personally handed him the No. 18 jersey.
