81.   Meanwhile, the New York Mets have approached Japanese baseball authorities about acquiring a star high school pitcher, a news report said.

82.   Neither Irabu, Nomura nor any Japanese baseball officials attended the meeting.

83.   No Japanese professional baseball games were scheduled on Thursday.

84.   One American baseball expert who has written books about the sport here says that Japanese professional baseball may one day be swallowed up by the North American Major Leagues.

85.   Okoshi said it was unusual for an umpire in Japanese baseball to ask for time off for missing a call.

86.   Sign-stealing is as common as it is frowned upon in Japanese baseball, much as in American baseball.

87.   Selig said it is time for both major league and Japanese baseball to revisit the existing treaty.

88.   Shinjo, like Suzuki, moved to the major leagues this season from Japanese professional baseball.

89.   Sign-stealing is common in Japanese baseball, but the reported scheme is so elaborate and blatant officials are taking the allegations seriously.

90.   Sign-stealing is common in Japanese baseball, but the reported scheme is so elaborate and blatant that officials have taken the case seriously.