Part of him remains the Cooperstown tinkerer who took apart baseball gloves to see how they were made.

WSJ: Jason Gay: Is This the Perfect Football?

Young kids are constantly seen playing pickup games and carrying their baseball gloves around, pastimes that have mostly gone the way of the10-cent bubble gum card in the U.S. In short, Japanese pro baseball is a gem that's lost some luster in recent years, due to bad positioning in the global marketplace.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Mesa, a cross between Ozzie Guillen and Dusty Baker, always entertained with his antics and consistent illegal rubbing of the baseball with his winter gloves during pitching changes.

FORBES: Nationalism Overshadows Apathy at the Conclusion of the World Baseball Classic

Nike (NYSE: NKE) supplies cleats, gloves, batting gloves, uniforms and other team apparel for every Major League Baseball club.

FORBES: 3 Stocks For Baseball Season

In fact, a year ago, the team had only one softball bat, one baseball cap, three balls, no official rulebook, and nine used gloves.

FORBES: Baseball: Wartime Tool Then and Now