Could a US runner be successful on a Japanese Corporate Running Team?

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He should refute the claims because for some reason he is in a position of respect and it sure looks like he screwed Brian.

It is not just Nobby's business. It is also more importantly Brian's business. Brian went to him for help and as a result things became worse for Brian. I think that Nobby should be held accountable.

Nobby owes us nothing, but I do respect him and would like to hear his side of the story. I would also be interested to hear how much of Brian's initial story he can confirm. For this latest part, my guess is that he tried to help, but his attempts made things worse (despite the best of intentions).

I have a similar story.

My family lived in Japan when I was little, and we had a friend from a poor country who came from poverty but had found a job in Tokyo. Her visa was expiring (maybe this isn't the right term?) and she would have to go back to her native country for a time before she could return to Japan, but would lose the job in the meantime. An American friend with some influence tried to see what he could do to help her, but this foreign interference led to some sort of negative emotions with the Japanese. They announced she could NEVER come back to Japan again, but allowed her to stay in the country for another year if she wished.

Sometimes people try to help and it makes things worse.

It's Nobby's and Brian's business. It's not anyone else's. If Brian wants to make that business more public it's his business. That doesn't mean Nobby has to.

All Nobby said was that he'd look into this and if he could help Brian he would do so. He never said that he'd be able to help Brian, just that he'd see if he could. There is also the possibility, which no one here seems to have considered, that the situation Nobby found was not the same as Brian is presenting it. If someone decides that looks like Nobby screwed Brian that's their opinion and it's unlikely Nobby could say anything to change that person's mind.

I don't know all that much about what transpired between the two of them but I'll bet I know more than anyone else posting here aside from Brian. But this is a place where not knowing what you're talking about rarely stands in the way of making judgements or insulting people.

Nobby always leaves a link to his e-mail so anyone who wants to ask him about this episode specifically, or about anything else, can always find him. He's easy enough to track down. But there is no reason for him to explain himself to a bunch of anonymous message board posters.

Agreed overall, sorry if it sounded otherwise.

Consider also that there might be various legal injunctions flying around. It's possible that Nobby might not be able to speak publicly on this issue.

I would think that if Nobby tried to help and the result was Mazda flipped the tables on Brian, that he'd feel pretty bad about that. Might want to make ammends somehow.

If he had no intent on helping he should have said nothing.

If he found the situation to be diffetent then Brian presents it, he should share that.

He involved himself.

i cant imagine any legal injuctions preventing him to talk,....unless mazda bought him out too.....

Rich: much obliged.

What I merely state is that who-ever 'tipped-off' Mazda did it with the sole intention of helping Mazda not me - he wanted Mazda to know that they had to be careful, potential trouble was coming - courtesy of a foreigner in their ranks. As I said in my post, the management had no idea about the actual charges I'd made in LetsRun.com. HR people (the people who got the tip-off) removed them from the 'evidence' sheet they used to report me to management.

Management never had an idea about the stuff I was subjected to by HR until I revealed it myself.

The person who reported to Mazda did exactly what 99% of Japanese do whenever one of them is accused by a foreigner - they believe the foreigner is lying. Regardless of what the evidence may be. And when the facts are proven - and that is only through the accused Japanese incriminating himself or being turned in by a co-conspirator, the accused Japanese person's supporters suddenly go deaf on you. They vanish. And this happened again in August 2006 - Nobby went silent on me. Why was his silence particularly loud?

Nobby offered me help. But I had very little hope in much coming out of it - I'd read his first reaction to my early posts - he'd taken them very personally. He interpreted my comments as an attack on the integrity of his country, which ironically is what he was doing to the U.S. through his comments about U.S. runners. I took that personally and decided to say something in support of the country I know and love - U.S.A.

I clearly understood the 'game' when he said he'd be talking with people in Tokyo - they all knew about the abuse we're subjected to . I'd have to have been super naive to think that the talks would be about correcting Mazda's wrong - more about how to cover-up the coming trouble. When I asked my wife about Nobby's offer she winced and said, "This is Japan. He wants you to prove that you're lying". He contacted Mazda in the belief that I had lied against Mazda - Mazda HR repeatedly refered to their informer as a person "worried about the lies being published online by a disgruntelled foreigner".

What Nobby has not said to LetsRun.com readers is what I told him just before Mazda closed the door on me.

I told him that in the week I arrived in Japan - late November 1991, I was asked to give some advice to someone who was going to Boulder for school. His name was Nobby.

I was told by a young Mazda runner that Nobby was from his hometown or high-school. I don't remember exactly how I gave the advice about living in Boulder but the name Nobby was mentioned to me regularly by the young runner. I explained this to Nobby after he'd already visited Japan.I asked him to call the runner to get the team members' take on the story. I said ask them to say what they know about my situation - how much the company told them I was being paid in explaining why they couldn't go to training camps, or why they all had to sleep in my room during race trips... I told him to ask the runner. That would have solved everything. Nobby never contacted me again nor did he respond to my e-mails in particular the one in which Mazda had proven intent to defraud by possessing a contract even bigger than the one I was fighting for.

Yes I understand that Nobby is a good guy to many... so is Mazda.

To those saying Nobby has nothing to prove to anyone I have something to say there. He began the thread that called American runners wimps. He said they couldn't hack it in Japan. I said they could but Japan couldn't hack the idea of honoring contracts. Ask Thomas Osano, Cosmos Ndeti, Wanjiru who ran out on Toyota... I stand by my words.

What I found interesting from both Glenn Latimer and Nobby was that they both immediately returned calls and came across to me as defensive. After their initial statements of innocence they both had nothing to say. To me it came across as defensive.

Or I could just say that neither of those dudes actually care about helping Brian.

maybe they did at one point, but they dont now. i wonder, why is that?

if this story is real, why doesn't Brian or someone go to the US media. I'm sure some newspaper/news service would run a story on this.

Now I know why HRE was trying to get hold of me.

Brian, I'm sorry but I had never gotten around to even contact anybody at Mazda. I did briefly contact Sada-san; I think I called him and left him a message and he sent me an e-mail upon my return to US. I did try to call you while in Japan but I didn't get through and I didn't know I was supposed to keep calling you when you have my phone number and e-mail address. The only e-mail I got from you after my trip to Japan was you asking me about some Japanese guy, I forgot his name but I have no idea who he was or any way to even get hold of him.

I'm sorry I got on with my own business called "life" but what appauls me is that you did nothing else, maybe an attempt to contact me via e-mail or two and didn't do anything else for 4 years and now you are accusing me of teaming up with Mazda without even asking me what had happened? One guy contacted me from NY about your story; I called him but didn't get to talk to him. I thought I left him a message (can't remember) gut he never called me back. Again, I'm sorry if I got on with my business and never checked around every week, asking how you were doing when nobody, including yourself, contact me back. I didn't know I was supposed to take an initiative to see how you were doing every so often when you didn't yourself.

Like I said, I didn't even get around to contact anybody (except for Sada-san) to even talk about you. I thought I asked you that what I needed really is a proof of what had happened; a copy of a contract or something like that; not just you babbling about who said what. I'm sorry but I did talk briefly to a friend of mine who is a running magazine editor but, believe me, nobody is going to publish anything based on "he said this..." This is not a kindergarten fight. We need the evidence (sorry if I sound like a lawyer) and stories from both parties. And I was in no position to even contact Mazda without any of that except "Brian said this..."

You can ask my wife who is an American who lived in Japan for 3 years. Japanese can be actually more cruel to Japanese; and believe me, Mazda would never side a stranger like myself coming out of blue. Something like this would have to be gone through a proper channel like a lawyer or federation (not Japanese federation but your own; US or Zimbabwe) and they would not even listen, like the magazine editor, without some hard evidence. And I had to have those because, I'm sorry but I've heard some not-so-favorable stories about you while you were in Boulder and, while not to use it against you, I was in no position to take somebody's "story" as is to go up against somebody else.

I USUALLY try to help others if I can. Ask Brendan Reily; I just helped him ressurected the old business deal this Japanese company ignored purely because I knew he was on the right. I didn't get any personal gain from this but Brendan is a good friend and he had helped us in the past. Again, I'm sorry I got on with my life but I had no idea you were still sitting around, waiting for my e-mail or my call. But you telling all those stories about me based on "pure speculation", again without any hard evidence, and unfortunately letsrun is the perfect place to do so, you'll go up against 2 law suits instead of 1. In fact, I am very disappointed in you. I had every intention to help, and I still do, if I could; but you just didn't help me to help you.

pres mustache wrote:

What I found interesting from both Glenn Latimer and Nobby was that they both immediately returned calls and came across to me as defensive. After their initial statements of innocence they both had nothing to say. To me it came across as defensive.

I have NO idea what you are talking about. I had no idea I was supposed to check on a 4-year-old thread everyday to respond to so I won't look defensive.

pres mustache wrote:

Or I could just say that neither of those dudes actually care about helping Brian.

maybe they did at one point, but they dont now. i wonder, why is that?

I did. But I sure as hell don't now.

One more thing. I have NO business talking about letsrun to ANY Japanese. I doubt any of my running friends in Japan know anything about letsrun--it's not a Holly Grail of running that every runner from every continent would check out every single day like some letsrunners would like to think.

And speaking of hard evidence, I would like to know exactly WHERE I said Americans are wimps and actually bad-mouthed American runners. If all those runners you have mentioned are having the same trouble, particularly with a golden boy like Wanjiru included, you can certainly get together and bring up a law suit against those evil Japanese corporations. I would certianly be more inclined to stick with the issue if you pay me for it; instead, I offered to help for nothing and get bad-mouthed based on speculation? I'm sorry, Brian, but I'd have to say you are a paranoid and not very sincere and now I'm not so sure of all these stories you've been telling everybody here. Like I said, letsrun is a perfect place to do that but that won't get you anywhere.

With Ford Motor Company owning Mazda, why has Mr. Sherrif not contact Ford President / Owner, William Ford Jr., abouit this situation and allegations. Knowing the person Mr. Ford is, there is no way he would allow this continue.

Can someone explain in simple language...

1. Is brian now a citizen of NO country? How can this be?

2. Can't he just gtf out of japan and start over somewhere else...like the U.S.? Why not? Is he being held captive in japan?

3. Does he have a job now? Doing what? What does he do every day?

I read this whole thread, but there is a lot of "ramble" to the story and it makes it hard to understand.

confused and a little stupid wrote:

Can someone explain in simple language...

1. Is brian now a citizen of NO country? How can this be?

2. Can't he just gtf out of japan and start over somewhere else...like the U.S.? Why not? Is he being held captive in japan?

3. Does he have a job now? Doing what? What does he do every day?

I read this whole thread, but there is a lot of "ramble" to the story and it makes it hard to understand.

this is EXACTLY what I have wondered all along. Borrow some money and leave, start over.

Too bad this happened and too bad people's reputations are sullied by he said this/no, he said that comments that are difficult to se clarity in.

pres mustache wrote:

What I found interesting from both Glenn Latimer and Nobby was that they both immediately returned calls and came across to me as defensive. After their initial statements of innocence they both had nothing to say. To me it came across as defensive.

It's been a whole day since Nobby responded and neither Brian or Pres mustache hadn't posted anything. This is really suspicious. It MUST be that they are being defensive. And this MUST be that they are teaming up and working on conspiracy and indeed they MUST guilty.