Congratulations to the Hanshin Tigers! Yesterday Japan’s most fanatical and loyal baseball fans got their fifth Central League pennant, and second in three years, when the Tigers clinched their place in the Japan Series. Thousands gathered in central Osaka to celebrate and some 60 fans waited till after midnight, when police had mostly dispersed, before jumping into the stinking Dotombori River. A dozen or so regretted it afterwards, not because the jump is dangerous but because the river is so heavily polluted. The team used up 5,000 bottles of beer in the traditional celebration style, pouring it over teammates and rookie team manager Okada Akinobu (47) (photo).
• Celebrities lined up to grab some of the Tigers’ limelight, passing on their congratulations. Among the many showbiz fans are actor Watanabe Ken (45), who was sad to be in the US promoting “Last Samurai” when the Tigers won in 2003; enka singer Shimakura Chiyoko (67), something of a mother figure for manager Okada; Talented flyweight boxer Kameda Koki (18), the eldest of three highly touted boxing brothers; and of course the hordes of comedy stars from the Osaka-based Yoshimoto Kogyo.