Tunnel Vision

[der meister 2,952]

               D.C. Dragons’ defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto doesn’t look any older than when I first met him all those years ago. Save for a brief, ill-fated attempt at growing a moustache, Sakamoto’s face and appearance are still boyish, with his peroxide blond hair spiking toward the sky with all the urgency of Icarus. And yet, the youthful twinkle in his eye has faded, his boyish grin seems just a hair forced, his youthful, exuberant, obscenity-laced language a little less energetic. Ryuji Sakamoto, I dare say, is getting a little too old for this game.

 

               Now don’t get me wrong – Sakamoto should have a long and prosperous post-hockey future; that is, should he stay away from The Jump House in the Redmond Barrens outside of Seattle, Washington. He’s made enough money that he could comfortably retire and never work another day in his life. As a world traveler, I wonder if Sakamoto has found a true home. His career has been riddled with transactions, arrivals and departures, a certain level of upheaving chaos that few professional athletes experience during their careers. From Mexico City to Istanbul, Turkey, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Seattle, Washington. Vancouver. Helsinki, Finland. New York City. Warsaw, Poland. While the constant upheaval was undoubtedly a major stressor for the lanky youth, it also provided him an experience that most would only dream of. Paid to play a game. Paid to travel the world.

              

               I wonder how much of the boy who grew up poor in Tokyo there is left inside Sakamoto. I haven’t seen his high school friends, Ann and Ren, in several years. I am afraid to ask, but I hope they all still keep in touch. With time, and distance, it’s easy for relationships to fall by the wayside. Secretly, I hope Sakamoto reveals some personal piece of information about them, but he hasn’t mentioned them in some time.

              

               Instead, his focus has been on being the best player he can be as he wraps up his professional hockey career. With 93 points last season on the Dragons, Sakamoto shattered his previous career high of 58. He was the top scoring defenseman from the start of the season all the way until game 72, when he was passed by the high-flying Skor McFleury of HC Davos. The next closest defenseman was 7 points behind; McFleury and Sakamoto were the only two blueliners to eclipse the 90 point mark. All this while finishing fourth in blocked shots with 196, also a career high. It was nothing short of a remarkable, all-star season, a career-defining year for the Black Sheep of the VHL.

              

               My embedded agreement with Sakamoto expires at the end of this season. As is in my contract, in exchange for my near-constant work, my own life upheaval, I get a paid year off, all reasonable expenses covered. Then it’s on to the next one, until I finally call it for my own career. A part of me knows that when I leave Sakamoto behind, whether he settles in Tokyo or Toronto or Timbuktu, I’ll always be carrying a piece of him with me. For now, though, it’s once more unto the breach.

 

What does the future hold for me, and for Ryuji Sakamoto?