Ramirez far from baseball’s bright lights

TOKYO Manny Ramirez is set to begin the next chapter of his baseball odyssey by playing for the Kochi Fighting Dogs of Japan’s independent Shikoku Island League.

Ramirez is no stranger to farflung outposts, having put in a brief stint in Taiwan in 2013. But fans will be curious to see how the former major-leaguer, known for a quirky personality, adjusts to life in small-town Japan.

Kochi is the capital city of Kochi prefecture on Shikoku, one of Japan’s four major islands. The city has a population of 340,000.

“I’ve always wanted to play in Japan,” the 44-year-old said in a comment posted on the team’s website. “I really appreciate the opportunity the Kochi team is giving me to continue my career.”

The Fighting Dogs open their regular season April 4 against the Tokushima Indigo Socks. In a preseason game Thursday, Ramirez had two hits in five at-bats and one RBI in a 3-2 win over a development team affiliated with former major-leaguer Hideo Nomo, the Nomo Baseball Club.

Ramirez signed a contract in January. While financial terms were not released, his agreement does have some unusual perks.

According to yakyudb.com, Ramirez will get all the sushi he can eat, be chauffeured around town in a Mercedes-Benz and will be put up in an expensive hotel.

But it won’t all be glamorous. The Fighting Dogs play many of their home games at the 6,000-seat Kochi Municipal Stadium. With an all-dirt infield, it’s typical of many small-town baseball stadiums in Japan: clean but low on modern amenities one would find in urban stadiums. Japanese-style squat toilets are often the standard.

Ramirez, a 12-time all-star, was suspended for 50 games in 2009 for using a banned substance. He retired in 2011 rather than face a 100-game suspension after testing positive for a performanceenhancing substance.