Sakamoto in need of focus

[der meister 2,937]

Ryuji Sakamoto's offseason began a little bit earlier than he had hoped when the Mexico City Kings lost in the VHLM Semi-finals against the Houston Bulls in game 7 - a Houston team, incidentally, that went on to lose game 7 of the Founder's Cup finals to the Saskatoon Wild. Last week, he displayed some of his old habits - off-ice laziness, a desire to ignore all responsibilities and live in the moment. While I wish I could report that his malaise has fully passed and he has returned to his hyperactive, dedicated self, the fact is, aside from some small moments of focus, Sakamoto has been little more than a teenager on a holiday break. He sleeps late, sometimes not rising until midday, and stays up much later than I do. His diet seems to consist of instant noodle cups and overly-caffeinated sugar drinks. His main activities appear to be reading manga, playing video games, grumping about the weather - regardless of what the weather actually is - and reminiscing about friends back home in Japan. 

 

Now, as an observant reader, I'm sure you noticed that I said "aside from some small moments of focus" in the paragraph above. You may ask yourself, "What moments are those? This whole piece as been ragging on Sakamoto for being a lazy teenager. What's the point?" I applaud your reading comprehension. 

 

Those rare moments of focus I alluded to are specifically a number of interviews with representatives of VHLE franchises. While I'm not at liberty to say how many teams have reached out to Sakamoto, or which teams they are, I will say that it is more than one team, and fewer than five. There haven't been any days with more than one interview, which frankly is probably for the best for the young defenseman, as he needs to keep some sense of mental sharpness about him on a more consistent basis. I haven't learned as much Japanese as I had hoped when I received this assignment, but I have learned one particular word from Sakamoto, a word he tends to utter frequently, whether reading manga, exercising at the gym, or sitting in the passenger seat of my car as we head out for groceries. That word? Oppai, which translates as breasts. When Sakamoto says it, I can almost hear the saliva in his mouth as he practically drools. So when I talk about wanting Sakamoto to exhibit at least a little mental sharpness every day, that's because I've seen the alternative, and it's not pretty. 

 

 With the VHL organization as a whole making some major offseason adjustments, the VHLE Entry Draft date is not yet set, but it seems like it's at least two weeks away. In the meantime, my sincere hope is that more teams reach out to interview the lanky, blond-haired speedster. In my opinion, having done these embedded reports for many years now, Sakamoto's skillset would have seen him on the verge of a VHL roster spot in the days before the VHLE expansion. His development has been among the best in his age group. A rebuilding VHL team might find it prudent to interview the players at the top of this draft class in advance, with the idea of acquiring multiple early picks to shore up their team as quickly as possible. For now, though, I'm just trying to keep Sakamoto from letting his libido get the best of him. 

 

 

 

Sakamoto's View of the World

 

For the week starting 3/28