Fake degree scandals are a dime a dozen in South Korea (click here, here or here for recent examples) . The testing/credential-obsessed nation has been forced to do some soul-searching as it turned out that non-Korean English teachers (mostly teaching kids at private language schools) weren't the only ones being dishonest.
Now it appears that the same thing is going on in Japan. Personally, I'm not surprised because like South Korea, Japan is also crazy about testing kids into oblivion in order to earn four-year holidays at name-brand schools so that they can then cop desk jobs at name-brand companies.
The story in the Yomiuri was quiet enough. Japan has suffered through its own share of corruption scandals this year. Dishonesty has been rife enough in business and politics that people are a little corruption-weary at this point, so there's no telling if the masses are willing to tolerate another eduction-related scandal at this point. Many will recall the string of bullying-related suicidesbullying-related suicides that broke in junior and senior high schools at the end of 2006. Perhaps this next scandal will have to wait until 2008.
In case you didn't read it, here's a quote from the Yomiuri article:
Forty-eight academics at 43 universities possess bogus diplomas they were
awarded by overseas organizations claiming to be universities, an Education,
Science and Technology Ministry investigation has revealed.
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Alex Ramirez (formerly of the Tokyo Swallows) is slated to earn 1 billion yen from his two-year deal with the Yomiuri Giants. It was not mentioned whether or not that figure includes incentives.
A few of us were half-wondering why he wasn't (openly) contemplating a move to the majors, but the answer may now be clear.
Yomiuri was hoping to add some right-handed power-hitting to its lefty-dominated lineup, and Ramirez would fill that void nicely on most any team either side of the Pacific (judging by how he played this past season).
It was reported that the Swallows refused to offer Ramirez more than a one-year deal. If that's the case, then shame on them! I know that it's common for a lot of players to be let go when a new manager comes in, but Ramirez now ranks very favorably among the elite hitters in Japanese baseball history. I think most will agree that he's got several good years ahead of him.
Tokyo deserved to lose him.
I just wish it wasn't to Yomiuri.
Brian Sikorski, a guy I grew to love this past season, has been allowed to leave the team as well. Sikorski was easily the Swallows best option in middle/late relief this season. A right-hander with an odd hitch in his pitching motion, he was happy to throw on consecutive nights, and he always seemed to want the ball (no matter how many guys were already on base). The same could not be said for most of the other pitchers on the roster.
It was announced that Sikorski will pitch for the Chiba Lotte Marines under manager Bobby Valentine in 2008. The 33-year-old will make roughly 70 million yen (no word on incentives). He had previously played for Lotte for three seasons (2001-2004). He signed a one-year deal with Chiba.
Sikorski joins left-fielder Alex Ramirez, and pitchers Seth Greisinger and Kazuhisa Ishii in the bewildering parade of talent that has exited Jingu stadium during the off-season this year.
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