"HEROs AWARD 2018 Infiltration Coverage!" Vol.2 Interview with Norihiro Akahoshi-What is the baseball gear that the stealing king was particular about?
Norihiro Akahoshi was awarded the HEROs AWARD for the activities of "Ring of Red-Fund for expanding the circle of Norihiro Akahoshi". We talked about this activity and about the gear that was particular about the active days.
Koike Kikuchi
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2019/01/27
Vol.1Click here for the report of HEROs AWARD 2018
In 2001, I met a female fan who supported me and made a wheelchair for that person.In the wake of this, he started donating wheelchairs to various people, thinking "Give back other than playing".
From 2003 to 2009, when he retired from active duty, he continued to donate the number of stolen base wheelchairs for one year every year, and donated a total of 301 wheelchairs.
And I wanted to continue this activity even after I retired from active duty in 2009, so I established a fund. The number of wheelchairs donated after retirement has been up to nowIt has reached 347 units.
（HEROs AWARDFrom the homepage）
--Congratulations on your award today! Mr. Akahoshi may have used a wheelchair when he was injured and temporarily unable to walk. How did you feel when you actually used it?
Red starAfter all, I felt that I was in a position to use it because there were many inconvenient places. Also, there weren't many wheelchairs in the hospital itself.
I thought there would still be people in wheelchairs, so I said, "I don't use it," but at that time my hands didn't move and my legs didn't move much, so I had to ride.
I intended to deliver a lot of wheelchairs during my nine years of active service, but I felt that it wasn't enough, so I thought I should send more wheelchairs even after I retired.
Also, when I was in a position to ride, I realized that I had to make a wheelchair with a little more ingenuity, and if I did not just send it but also promote barrier-free, it would be meaningless to deliver it, after I retired. it was done.
――Do you feel that the barrier-free environment is not yet in place?
Red starThere are many places in Kansai that are unexpectedly unprepared. The Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Tokyo in 2020, so many foreigners will come.
When it comes to how much maintenance can be done by 2020, I think it's almost impossible to make it perfect. I don't think Japan can afford to spend money on it.
Of course, I think there is an important 2020, but as a position that has donated wheelchairs, thinking in a long-term span rather than a short-term one, "Can we help?" I think it's something I have to think about, so I want to do something.
――Next, let's talk about gear. What was the most particular baseball gear?
Red starIt's a spike in Dantotsu!
――What did you stick to in spikes? Is it weight?
Red starThe spikes changed depending on the stadium. At that time, there was still the Hiroshima Municipal Stadium. It's the same soil ground, but the hardness of the soil is completely different between Koshien and Hiroshima Municipal Stadium.
Koshien is the softest, and I can't start unless I get caught on the ground, so I used spikes with the longest teeth (studs).
In Hiroshima, the ground was rather hard, so if you get caught too much, it will put a strain on your legs, so on the contrary, I made the teeth about half the length.
When it rains, the ground condition changes, so the choice of spikes also changes. At that time, the artificial turf at Tokyo Dome and Yokohama Stadium had turf hair, but Nagoya Dome and Jingu were still hard artificial turf. If you run with long spikes on your teeth, you'll slip on it.
Only the stadium was devised in various ways, such as making the teeth about one-third the length of usual, or making them like fixed spikes with points that are not metal teeth like soccer spikes.
In the end, even with artificial turf, the soil is where you first step in, and it doesn't make sense if you don't kick the ground firmly, so I made it a little short.
Therefore, I had at least 6 kinds of spikes. Since the start of the interleague game, I have more things to do at the Pacific League stadium, so I have more spikes to match the stadium. It's a pain to choose every time, so I wanted to reduce the number (laughs).
――You have used spikes properly for each match and each stadium.
Red starGloves and bats are important, but I'm definitely wearing spikes all the time. Even if you keep it, when you hit it and when you run. I thought that was the part that I absolutely had to be particular about as a baseball player, and above all, I was a person who steals baseball, so I think I was more particular about it than people.
The hard part was ZETT, the spike maker I was using. I was just saying unreasonable orders.
I asked them to scrape more, or they made it lighter, so it's quick to get damaged, but I asked them not to damage it. Although I was really sorry, I wanted to stick to spikes only, so I asked for various things.
ZETT also had a desire to make very good spikes. At that time, ZETT's spikes had a lot of room for improvement (laughs). I told ZETT directly about this.
After all it was good that the makers of land shoes such as Mizuno and ASICS were by far the best.
In the first year, I took the stealing king and the rookie king, and during the second season, various manufacturers asked me if I would like to sign only spikes, but I declined all of them and continued to sign with ZETT.
--Why?
Red starI had a desire to get rid of ZETT's spikes (laughs), and even after I retired, I wanted to create a situation where everyone would use ZETT's spikes.
――It's a great pleasure for ZETT, isn't it?
Red starI'm still an advisor to ZETT. It may not be as good as Mizuno-san and ASICS-san, but I feel that they are gradually improving and approaching. I think it was fruitful in a sense that I was particular about it.
I stole 381 bases in a total of 9 years, but honestly, if I wore Mizuno and ASICS spikes, I could have stolen a few more bases (laughs).
At that time, these two shoes had evolved that much, and ZETT also acknowledged that, so I think we were able to do it together. ZETT had a passion for making good spikes, and I wanted to work with them.
I was dazzled by the goodness of things, but I can say it because it's a joke. If you really think about it, you can't put it into words.
It's been nine years since I retired, but keep an eye out for the evolution of ZETT's spikes.
())
In 2001, I met a female fan who supported me and made a wheelchair for that person.In the wake of this, he started donating wheelchairs to various people, thinking "Give back other than playing".
From 2003 to 2009, when he retired from active duty, he continued to donate the number of stolen base wheelchairs for one year every year, and donated a total of 301 wheelchairs.
And I wanted to continue this activity even after I retired from active duty in 2009, so I established a fund. The number of wheelchairs donated after retirement has been up to nowIt has reached 347 units.
（HEROs AWARDFrom the homepage）
--Congratulations on your award today! Mr. Akahoshi may have used a wheelchair when he was injured and temporarily unable to walk. How did you feel when you actually used it?
Red starAfter all, I felt that I was in a position to use it because there were many inconvenient places. Also, there weren't many wheelchairs in the hospital itself.
I thought there would still be people in wheelchairs, so I said, "I don't use it," but at that time my hands didn't move and my legs didn't move much, so I had to ride.
I intended to deliver a lot of wheelchairs during my nine years of active service, but I felt that it wasn't enough, so I thought I should send more wheelchairs even after I retired.
Also, when I was in a position to ride, I realized that I had to make a wheelchair with a little more ingenuity, and if I did not just send it but also promote barrier-free, it would be meaningless to deliver it, after I retired. it was done.
――Do you feel that the barrier-free environment is not yet in place?
Red starThere are many places in Kansai that are unexpectedly unprepared. The Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Tokyo in 2020, so many foreigners will come.
When it comes to how much maintenance can be done by 2020, I think it's almost impossible to make it perfect. I don't think Japan can afford to spend money on it.
Of course, I think there is an important 2020, but as a position that has donated wheelchairs, thinking in a long-term span rather than a short-term one, "Can we help?" I think it's something I have to think about, so I want to do something.
――Next, let's talk about gear. What was the most particular baseball gear?
Red starIt's a spike in Dantotsu!
――What did you stick to in spikes? Is it weight?
Red starThe spikes changed depending on the stadium. At that time, there was still the Hiroshima Municipal Stadium. It's the same soil ground, but the hardness of the soil is completely different between Koshien and Hiroshima Municipal Stadium.
Koshien is the softest, and I can't start unless I get caught on the ground, so I used spikes with the longest teeth (studs).
In Hiroshima, the ground was rather hard, so if you get caught too much, it will put a strain on your legs, so on the contrary, I made the teeth about half the length.
When it rains, the ground condition changes, so the choice of spikes also changes. At that time, the artificial turf at Tokyo Dome and Yokohama Stadium had turf hair, but Nagoya Dome and Jingu were still hard artificial turf. If you run with long spikes on your teeth, you'll slip on it.
Only the stadium was devised in various ways, such as making the teeth about one-third the length of usual, or making them like fixed spikes with points that are not metal teeth like soccer spikes.
In the end, even with artificial turf, the soil is where you first step in, and it doesn't make sense if you don't kick the ground firmly, so I made it a little short.
Therefore, I had at least 6 kinds of spikes. Since the start of the interleague game, I have more things to do at the Pacific League stadium, so I have more spikes to match the stadium. It's a pain to choose every time, so I wanted to reduce the number (laughs).
――You have used spikes properly for each match and each stadium.
Red starGloves and bats are important, but I'm definitely wearing spikes all the time. Even if you keep it, when you hit it and when you run. I thought that was the part that I absolutely had to be particular about as a baseball player, and above all, I was a person who steals baseball, so I think I was more particular about it than people.
The hard part was ZETT, the spike maker I was using. I was just saying unreasonable orders.
I asked them to scrape more, or they made it lighter, so it's quick to get damaged, but I asked them not to damage it. Although I was really sorry, I wanted to stick to spikes only, so I asked for various things.
ZETT also had a desire to make very good spikes. At that time, ZETT's spikes had a lot of room for improvement (laughs). I told ZETT directly about this.
After all it was good that the makers of land shoes such as Mizuno and ASICS were by far the best.
In the first year, I took the stealing king and the rookie king, and during the second season, various manufacturers asked me if I would like to sign only spikes, but I declined all of them and continued to sign with ZETT.
--Why?
Red starI had a desire to get rid of ZETT's spikes (laughs), and even after I retired, I wanted to create a situation where everyone would use ZETT's spikes.
――It's a great pleasure for ZETT, isn't it?
Red starI'm still an advisor to ZETT. It may not be as good as Mizuno-san and ASICS-san, but I feel that they are gradually improving and approaching. I think it was fruitful in a sense that I was particular about it.
I stole 381 bases in a total of 9 years, but honestly, if I wore Mizuno and ASICS spikes, I could have stolen a few more bases (laughs).
At that time, these two shoes had evolved that much, and ZETT also acknowledged that, so I think we were able to do it together. ZETT had a passion for making good spikes, and I wanted to work with them.
I was dazzled by the goodness of things, but I can say it because it's a joke. If you really think about it, you can't put it into words.
It's been nine years since I retired, but keep an eye out for the evolution of ZETT's spikes.
())
