Shigeo Nagashima, one of the great Japanese baseball players.
Along with his teammate Sadaharu Oh, Japan’s home run king, Nagashima was the centerpiece of the country’s most enduring sports dynasty. He hit 444 home runs, had a lifetime batting average of .305, won six batting titles and five times led the league in runs batted in. He was a five-time most valuable player and was chosen as the league’s top third baseman in each of his 17 seasons. He was inducted into Japan’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
In his first season, 1958, he led the league in home runs and was second in stolen bases and batting average, earning him rookie of the year honors. And then, early in his second season, he made history in the first game attended by a Japanese emperor, Hirohito, and an empress, Nagako. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Nagashima hit a 2-2 pitch into the left field stands for a game-winning home run, considered one of the most dramatic sports events in Japanese history.
One of Nagashima’s trademarks was his work ethic, a character trait that was particularly celebrated during Japan’s postwar rise. Under the guidance of manager Tetsuharu Kawakami, Nagashima practiced from dawn to dusk, enduring an infamous 1,000-fungo drill that required him to field ground ball after ground ball. In the off-season, he trained in the mountains, running and swinging the bat to the point of exhaustion. He bought a house by the Tama River in Tokyo so he could run there, and he added a room to his home where he could practice swinging.
Jim Marshall, defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings.
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Marshall gained a permanent place in NFL Films lore in 1964 when he returned a fumble the wrong way in a game against the San Francisco 49ers, celebrating what he thought was a touchdown but instead was scored a safety. But his career accomplishments far outweighed that gaffe.
He was a Vikings captain for 14 seasons and appeared in four Super Bowls as part of the franchise’s famed Purple People Eaters defense. Although sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982, a research project coordinated by Pro Football Reference credited him with 130.5, which would tie him for No. 22 in NFL history.
Two great athletes who one more time passed on close together. It seems to be a bit unfair.
I especially like the part that spoke of the work ethic shown by Mr. Nagashima. Too often we’re just how talented a professional athlete is and we just assume that they are such great players that they need not practice or even work to continue honing their craft.
Of course we know that they have to work their backsides off in order to stay at the elite level that they perform. Naturally they are gifted to begin with, but the difference between a great player and one who is that little step above is the work ethic that truly elite players possess in abundance.