Baseball legend Cromartie sues moviemaker

Baseball legend Cromartie sues moviemaker
"Warren Cromartie, a former Montreal Expos outfielder and legend in Japanese baseball circles because of his successful stint with the Yomiuri Giants, has filed an injunction to prevent screening of a film he says slurs his name.

Cromartie filed the injunction with the Tokyo District Court, asking it to order distributor Media Suits to halt screening of the movie 'Sakigake! Kuromati Koko The Movie. (Pioneer! Cromartie High School, The Movie).' Kuromati is the Japanese pronunciation of Cromartie's name.

'Cromartie High School students smoke, fight with students from other schools and are depicted as ruffians. Having continued to work toward the wholesome development of youth, even after retirement, the poor image presented causes extreme mental duress,' the injunction filed by the baseball star said.

The controversial movie is the film adaptation of 'Sakigake, Kuromati Koko (Pioneer, Cromartie High School),' a manga that has been running in the weekly Shonen Magazine since 2000. The manga tells the story of students at Cromartie High School, a public high school in Tokyo. The movie was due to hit screens in July.

Cromartie sandwiched stints in Major League Baseball with a highly successful period playing for the Central League's Yomiuri Giants from 1984 to 1990. He was a hugely popular figure and continued to appear in commercials on Japanese TV following his retirement.

Cromartie, 51, is now the manager of the Japan Samurai Bears, a team with an all-Japanese roster that plays in the independent Golden Baseball League in the United States. (Mainichi)

June 30, 2005"