Comedian Kinichi Hagimoto、owner and manager of the amateur baseball team Ibaraki Golden Golds

"I'll do it (keep the team). I'll do it because everyone has told me to do so," said Hagimoto, popularly known as "Kinchan" and who owns and manages the team. He made the remarks ahead of a game in Niigata Prefecture.

Hagimoto's fans began collecting signatures across the country to seek the team's continued existence after he announced the decision July 19 to disband the team due to a controversy involving alleged sexual misconduct by one of its members.

Entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. said July 18 that it terminated its contract with Keiichi Yamamoto for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Hokkaido.

The Golden Golds became a member of the Japan Amateur Baseball Association in March last year and instantly caught the fancy of many fans because its roster included female members and former professional baseball players.

Its popularity led to the foundings of similar amateur baseball teams across the country.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 29, 2006
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