Cellar Dweller
エアコンの故障でまいっています。昨日は2度も業者に来てもらいましたが、修復ならず。大変な暑さで半熱中症状態に陥り、論文も未完です。
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20120831/1346387491
踏んだり蹴ったりであります。そんなこんなで昨日もほとんどアップできなかったので、Asahi Weekly用にセーブしていた記事をひとつ。
日本のプロ野球DeNA独特の観客増員手法に関して、NYTに面白い記事がありました。見出しからしてeye-catchingです。
cellar dwellerはまんま「地下室の住人」ですが、つまり「最下位のチーム」「最下位が定位置のチーム」という意味です（そういえば宮崎作品にそんなのがあったような...）。以前、doormatとout of cellarという表現を扱いましたが、あれと同じです。
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20100902/1283412139
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20100902/1283382605
ちなみにpizzazzは「活力」「エネルギー」などを表す口語で、当然、pizzaをもじったものです。have all the pizzazz of cold pizza 「冷めたピザのようで活力に欠ける」は以前、日本の首相を揶揄したときにも使われました。 ともあれ本文へGo!（UG）
Cellar Dweller in Japan Adds Pizzazz, Not Victories
YOKOHAMA, Japan — It is fair to say that offering discounted tickets to men who come to the ballpark dressed in drag is an unconventional approach to filling seats. The same can be said of teams that offer fans a refund if they are unhappy with the game, even when the home team wins.
The promotions, though, are two of the many ways the hometown BayStars have tried to revive one of Japanese baseball’s perennial cellar dwellers. The ideas were the brainchild of the new team executives installed by DeNA, the mobile phone game company that bought a majority stake in the club last winter for 9.5 billion yen, or about $120 million.
The purchase raised eyebrows not only because of its low price, which was a third of what the least expensive major league team in the United States is worth. DeNA is also a young, high-tech company breaking into the conservative Central League, which is dominated by the Yomiuri Giants, Hanshin Tigers and Chunichi Dragons, teams with deep pockets, grand traditions and a history of beating the BayStars.
DeNA hopes to shake up the old guard by injecting ideas and money into the BayStars, who have finished in last place in the six-team league in 8 of the past 10 seasons. The team has hired an upbeat manager and an innovative general manager, and promoted baseball’s rich tradition in and around Yokohama. It also wants to do something that is unique in Japan, where owners treat their teams as promotional vehicles, not moneymakers. DeNA wants to turn a profit within three years.
“I don’t know if our changes are drastic or not, but DeNA is a new company that appeals to young people,” said Jun Ikeda, the team’s 36-year-old president, who wore chinos and sneakers and carried a backpack with a laptop inside during an interview. “We thought we could do something in the baseball world. It could improve our brand.”
DeNA is also using baseball as a way to reach new customers for its mobile games. Its founder was educated at Harvard, and the company is far more international than many owners of other baseball teams. Ikeda said he would travel to the United States to meet with several major league clubs to learn more about how they ran their teams.
The BayStars are not the only Japanese team to seek inspiration overseas to jump-start their clubs. Bobby Valentine helped transform the Chiba Lotte Marines by importing
American practices, like renovating the stadium and having the players interact more with the fans. The Nippon Ham Fighters hired American designers to redo their uniforms, and the Softbank Hawks and other teams stream their games on the Internet.
