He may not have managed to take the Hanshin Tigers all the way to the Japan Series title, but manager Hoshino Senichi (56) is still in big demand. He formally announced today that he is stepping down as manager due to health reasons, though he helped the Tigers achieve their greatest glory in 18 years in only two seasons at the helm. He expressed his thanks to his players and the fanatical Hanshin fans, to whom he will always be a hero dispite falling short at the final hurdle. It is widely believed that he will return to being an announcer for NHK, where he has spent two 4-year stints in the past. Another strong possibility is for him to make a lot of money from TV commercials.