Japan to be known as 'Samurai Japan' at WBC

Daft.

Oh brother. How about Nippon Ninja?

Will we also be getting Cowboy America, Digger Australia, Charro Mexico, etc?

It's not that bad, but doesn't have the catchy goodness of "Samurai Blue"

Ninjapan would be better.

Along with Convict Australia and The Venezuela Socialist Club.

Yeah, Cowboy America and Convict Australia might be good, too. Great stuff, Japan.

Are the women's national teams going to call themselves Chattel of the Male Head of Household Japan to draw on their own contemporary status with the Samurai? As long as we are going with tradition.

How predictable. Doesn't Japan ever get tired of falling back on a "spirit" that died generations ago? Except of TV and in the movies, of course.

Does this mean that when Japan chokes (like the Olympics) all of the players (and coaching staff) will be invited to fall on their swords?

Copy Cats.

“Samurai Japan”, named after the country’s former warrior nobility.

does this mean when they lose the will do the much regarded Samurai way of atonement?

THEY....sigh

The American team will easily be beaten. I noticed our team does not care to play hard on the international level. They make no money out of it. If its not MLB they are just gonna send out the bench warmers. Sad, I would love to see them play hard against international teams. :(

And everyone will be pronouncing it "Sam-your-eye". Jeez, gimme a break...

If I was a MLB player I would only come here for the groupies.

Someone forgot about the national (racial?) love affair with bunting.

Japanese people really don't seem to mind being beta

I would have preferred unleash the Samurai

but anyway Korea is going to whip them again

powderfinger-constant bunting is a selfless act where one gives himself up for the betterment of the group and as such it's the perfect example of Japanese spirit in a microcosym(sp?).....either that or it's a dull, predictable tactic used by uninspired Japanese　managers afraid of what the TV pundits may say.　Ｍｙ　ｇｕｅｓｓ　ｉｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｌａｔｔｅｒ

Wince. Cringe.

How about Hello Kitty Japan? Or SMAP Japan? That way they could have got a bunch of sponsorship and better reflected the realities of modern Japan.....

Androgynous Japan would certainly be more fitting.

... or perhaps 'Inferiority Complex Japan'?

Guys, this is just a predessor to the unveiling of some idiotic mascot. You watch some big-wig's wife will come up with a cutesy samurai character and the team will have to suffer all the jeering.

I don't see the problem with this name. Its better than the embarrassing names some other country's teams give themselves such as the "jillaroos" (ugh) and/or the "tall blacks".

Japan will flop as badly in the 2009 WBC as they did in the 2008 Olympics.

Ah, I think someone is really reaching with this name, not to mention unoriginal - the "Samurai Blue" from the 2006 Football World Cup. I guess they ran out of ideas after the first round of drinks in the bar where they held the meeting to find a nick-name.

I guess they ran out of ideas after the first round of drinks in the bar where they held the meeting to find a nick-name.

hahaha. Funny. I guess after someone said "victory salarybots" or "destroyer sakuras" or "win win shinkansens" or "dynamic semiconductors" they ran out of ideas.

Haras idea would have been "the Japan Giants".

the use of the word "samurai" in the nicknames is getting really old. odango japan!!! now i would like that!!!

This is what groupthink produces.