The Baltimore Saga has been one of the hottest stories of this season with no shortage of articles, explanation posts, flame wars, and everything in between. But for the first time, we've got a one-on-one, sitdown interview with one of the league's most notable players, the current TPE lead for all quarterbacks, and the former face of the Baltimore Hawks. The talented, the famous, the incomparable Chika Fujiwara.
Dogwood Maple - Obviously, a lot has gone on in Baltimore this season. In your own words, walk me through what happened, and the thought process behind it.
Chika Fujiwara - So obviously things that went down in Baltimore weren’t exactly easy to talk about nor really got a lot of proper explanation from those outside of it. It started a while ago before this recent trade stuff where players weren’t wanting to stick around to build up the team and left which created this perpetual rebuild. Recent GMs tried to get things changed but, after the 8-8 season, it seemed that that wasn’t the end of things as more players left. Just kept going down hill according to a “lack of faith” as I’ve seen it described in any of the previous GMs in charge. Then you have the recent forceful firing that led to interim GMs in a season already lost
Dogwood Maple - What about the recent GM change? Can you explain how you saw that from inside the locker room?
Chika Fujiwara - A hiring process was opened up and all of those within Baltimore’s war room had our favorites (Glims and Frazzle) on the team so we wouldn’t have to trade our picks or players. They were told to apply because they, and everyone else in the war room, believed they had a chance. Process goes through and it turns out they pretty much were lied to. We were told that we needed an outside voice to right the ship. I didn’t have much of a problem with an outside voice at first. I was under the impression that everyone had gotten a fair chance and thought that maybe these new GM options had something that just really made them different than the favorites of everyone else. However, information came out that Glims and Frazzle weren’t even being considered for the spot despite the work they put in for their application.
Dogwood Maple - How did that make you feel?
Chika Fujiwara - Well it was pretty much a lie that they had a chance. Obviously not the big thing that made me personally want out from the new GMs since there was still an option that enough people would stay that we could build. Then everyone in the war room announced they were wanting out and I followed suit. I didn’t want to be stuck in another rebuild as I start regressing. I don’t think anyone wants to spend an entire career just rebuilding while max earning because it isn’t fun at all...so I demanded a trade with low hopes anyone would want me. One shining light was that Felix Archstone was possibly staying in Baltimore so I wasn’t too upset if I stuck around. Then the next step goes up on the following day when all of the former war room people were under the impression Felix Archstone was going to get talked to about sticking with Baltimore. Instead, trade offers were being listed and the option to stay in Baltimore for anyone seemed impossible. I added the possibility of a position switch after that with a real want to get out. The last thing I wanted was to end up just hating this career by never doing as well as I thought I could. Thankfully, I managed to get a trade out.
Dogwood Maple - Certainly a lot to unpack in there. But let's play the what-if game. What if Baltimore had hired a GM from within? Did you have a preferred candidate?
Chika Fujiwara - Glims and Frazzle were the favorites to be the “GMs from within” and more than half of the war room wanted that to happen. They have GM experience, they want Baltimore to do better, and they would require zero trades or transitions to get in and start playing.
Dogwood Maple - If Glims or Frazzle had gotten the job, would you still be in Baltimore right now?
Chika Fujiwara - Had they been hired, there’s a much higher chance I stick around or even if the situation had been handled better I might have stuck around. Although, seeing what I can do on another team has made me feel that I should’ve looked for other answers sooner.
Dogwood Maple - Let's stay with the what-ifs...if you could go back in time to being named the starting QB for the Hawks, what, if anything, would you do differently?
Chika Fujiwara - If I could go back to the time I got named the starting QB of the Hawks, I think I would’ve fought harder for some people to keep them on the team. Imagine the Hawks if our foundation players had stuck around? Probably would be on our third Ultimus appearance, but I understand things change for people’s wants and needs. Just a thought I always have if I had fought harder to keep people.
Dogwood Maple - With the new management installed, how do you see the Hawks' future playing out?
Chika Fujiwara - Although it was a rough transition, I do think the new GMs will be able to turn things around. All ready have seen the activity change up a bit and I’m sure there’s more faith in the new management than there has been from what I’ve seen, fortunately or unfortunately I guess based on how you feel about that. Just wish the whole situation was handled a little bit better all around or that I could’ve done more to not get us here.
Dogwood Maple - It seems like even before this, Baltimore had a....let's call it a reputation around the league. Do you think the Hawks get a fair shake with that? Or is it earned?
Chika Fujiwara - Think that they haven’t and don’t get a fair shake at all. There are plenty of people for a long time that have looked down at Baltimore for just constantly having to rebuild and yet, they were always eager to take any player from the team. I’m not sure if those former players trash talked us or how they felt about their time in Baltimore, but we all tried to do as much as we could. Know some definitely didn’t see it that way but we did try to do what we could even if everyone outside the team may not have seen it that way. Plenty of users would see what we did and go “oh look at how far Baltimore has fallen” or something dumb like that.
Dogwood Maple - Overall, where do you see Baltimore in five years?
Chika Fujiwara - In five years, Baltimore could either be on the come up and fighting for that third spot in the playoffs or repeating the cycle that has plagued them since...after their last Ultimus it seems. Really hard to tell but I feel the former is the more likely option given the GMs are experienced with team building.
Dogwood Maple - Do you ever see yourself going back to Baltimore? Or have you turned the page on that chapter completely?
Chika Fujiwara - Maybe? I’m not sure if after all of this that I’d be welcomed back to Baltimore or not. I tried my hardest for 6 seasons yet never did anything that good. Then left at the end just like everyone else that I didn’t appreciate leaving at a time we’d need them. I understand both sides of that division now but I think that I probably won’t be heading back to Baltimore.
Dogwood Maple - As someone who was a staple in Baltimore for so many years, how have you handled the move to Honolulu?
Chika Fujiwara - The move to Honolulu has been amazing. It’s different than Baltimore, obviously, but I think it has been a lot of fun so far. I have wanted to play on a team that I didn’t have to worry about everyone not having faith in me or a team that everyone outside was trying to make fun of me with the constant “Bomb it Chika” chants on gameday. Now I get to actually play and do my best without weird contract options that force our team to play an exact certain way that may not be the best every game or if the GM does something to play our best, he doesn’t get ostracized for being “shady” by others even though he’s just wanting to win like every other GM.
Dogwood Maple - The Hahalua have emerged as one of the favorites to win the Ultimus this season. Has this Baltimore saga been a distraction for you or in the Honolulu locker room?
Chika Fujiwara - Not at all. Honolulu has been a great place and the whole saga is behind me now. I don’t have to worry about it constantly anymore so all my focus can be on helping out where I can or just performing my best with my new team. If anything, I don’t even think that anyone really cares at all about that unfortunate part of my past as a player. Just about being QB1 with Honolulu and winning as much as possible now.
Dogwood Maple - In the last four games, the Hahalua are undefeated and you've tossed 11 TDs. To what do you contribute that success?
Chika Fujiwara - Having a great set of people around me has been something that I’ve worked with for a few times in my season but something just clicks in Honolulu. Get that I’m still throwing some interceptions, but it really does feel completely different suiting up in blue and having play makers from WR1 to the Fullback which not many teams can really say. It’s been a lot of fun and makes me more excited for the future to come.
Dogwood Maple - With a big game this week, you could set your personal record for most TDs thrown in a season. Is this a classic case of just needing a change of scenery or are you extra motivated to prove any doubters wrong?
Chika Fujiwara - Both for sure. It’s rough spending six seasons being told that you’re bad or that the situation around you constantly is bad. You look for answers or try to find results with new rookies which sometimes ends up making it seem like it was the receiver and not the hard work I was putting in. Now I think it’s a great combination that I maybe should have gone to sooner to really confirm my possible new record for touchdowns.
Dogwood Maple - Do you have any regrets about how the Baltimore saga unfolded? Or about your move to Honolulu?
Chika Fujiwara - Think my only regret is that it had to get to that point at all. Really wish that things had turned out differently and I’d be on the chance to get into the playoffs wearing the gold and red. However, not everything plays out the way you think it will even if you work as hard as possible.
Dogwood Maple - Finally, what parting message do you have for the fans of Baltimore?
Chika Fujiwara - My parting message would be to keep looking forward. Try to plan for what the next season will look like while fighting hard in your current season. It won’t be easy, yet those people that have only had easy careers don’t know how satisfying it is to fight tooth and nail for a playoff spot. They might make fun of you or wish you do terrible and you just have to keep pushing.
Dogwood Maple - Thanks for taking the time and being so candid. Good luck the rest of the season!
Chika Fujiwara - Absolutely, thanks for the opportunity.
As a part of the background for this article, we reached out to Butters for a comment:
“I’m just glad to be away from Star.”
(2,052 words - split 50/50 between me and @"Jackets28")
Dogwood Maple - Obviously, a lot has gone on in Baltimore this season. In your own words, walk me through what happened, and the thought process behind it.
Chika Fujiwara - So obviously things that went down in Baltimore weren’t exactly easy to talk about nor really got a lot of proper explanation from those outside of it. It started a while ago before this recent trade stuff where players weren’t wanting to stick around to build up the team and left which created this perpetual rebuild. Recent GMs tried to get things changed but, after the 8-8 season, it seemed that that wasn’t the end of things as more players left. Just kept going down hill according to a “lack of faith” as I’ve seen it described in any of the previous GMs in charge. Then you have the recent forceful firing that led to interim GMs in a season already lost
Dogwood Maple - What about the recent GM change? Can you explain how you saw that from inside the locker room?
Chika Fujiwara - A hiring process was opened up and all of those within Baltimore’s war room had our favorites (Glims and Frazzle) on the team so we wouldn’t have to trade our picks or players. They were told to apply because they, and everyone else in the war room, believed they had a chance. Process goes through and it turns out they pretty much were lied to. We were told that we needed an outside voice to right the ship. I didn’t have much of a problem with an outside voice at first. I was under the impression that everyone had gotten a fair chance and thought that maybe these new GM options had something that just really made them different than the favorites of everyone else. However, information came out that Glims and Frazzle weren’t even being considered for the spot despite the work they put in for their application.
Dogwood Maple - How did that make you feel?
Chika Fujiwara - Well it was pretty much a lie that they had a chance. Obviously not the big thing that made me personally want out from the new GMs since there was still an option that enough people would stay that we could build. Then everyone in the war room announced they were wanting out and I followed suit. I didn’t want to be stuck in another rebuild as I start regressing. I don’t think anyone wants to spend an entire career just rebuilding while max earning because it isn’t fun at all...so I demanded a trade with low hopes anyone would want me. One shining light was that Felix Archstone was possibly staying in Baltimore so I wasn’t too upset if I stuck around. Then the next step goes up on the following day when all of the former war room people were under the impression Felix Archstone was going to get talked to about sticking with Baltimore. Instead, trade offers were being listed and the option to stay in Baltimore for anyone seemed impossible. I added the possibility of a position switch after that with a real want to get out. The last thing I wanted was to end up just hating this career by never doing as well as I thought I could. Thankfully, I managed to get a trade out.
Dogwood Maple - Certainly a lot to unpack in there. But let's play the what-if game. What if Baltimore had hired a GM from within? Did you have a preferred candidate?
Chika Fujiwara - Glims and Frazzle were the favorites to be the “GMs from within” and more than half of the war room wanted that to happen. They have GM experience, they want Baltimore to do better, and they would require zero trades or transitions to get in and start playing.
Dogwood Maple - If Glims or Frazzle had gotten the job, would you still be in Baltimore right now?
Chika Fujiwara - Had they been hired, there’s a much higher chance I stick around or even if the situation had been handled better I might have stuck around. Although, seeing what I can do on another team has made me feel that I should’ve looked for other answers sooner.
Dogwood Maple - Let's stay with the what-ifs...if you could go back in time to being named the starting QB for the Hawks, what, if anything, would you do differently?
Chika Fujiwara - If I could go back to the time I got named the starting QB of the Hawks, I think I would’ve fought harder for some people to keep them on the team. Imagine the Hawks if our foundation players had stuck around? Probably would be on our third Ultimus appearance, but I understand things change for people’s wants and needs. Just a thought I always have if I had fought harder to keep people.
Dogwood Maple - With the new management installed, how do you see the Hawks' future playing out?
Chika Fujiwara - Although it was a rough transition, I do think the new GMs will be able to turn things around. All ready have seen the activity change up a bit and I’m sure there’s more faith in the new management than there has been from what I’ve seen, fortunately or unfortunately I guess based on how you feel about that. Just wish the whole situation was handled a little bit better all around or that I could’ve done more to not get us here.
Dogwood Maple - It seems like even before this, Baltimore had a....let's call it a reputation around the league. Do you think the Hawks get a fair shake with that? Or is it earned?
Chika Fujiwara - Think that they haven’t and don’t get a fair shake at all. There are plenty of people for a long time that have looked down at Baltimore for just constantly having to rebuild and yet, they were always eager to take any player from the team. I’m not sure if those former players trash talked us or how they felt about their time in Baltimore, but we all tried to do as much as we could. Know some definitely didn’t see it that way but we did try to do what we could even if everyone outside the team may not have seen it that way. Plenty of users would see what we did and go “oh look at how far Baltimore has fallen” or something dumb like that.
Dogwood Maple - Overall, where do you see Baltimore in five years?
Chika Fujiwara - In five years, Baltimore could either be on the come up and fighting for that third spot in the playoffs or repeating the cycle that has plagued them since...after their last Ultimus it seems. Really hard to tell but I feel the former is the more likely option given the GMs are experienced with team building.
Dogwood Maple - Do you ever see yourself going back to Baltimore? Or have you turned the page on that chapter completely?
Chika Fujiwara - Maybe? I’m not sure if after all of this that I’d be welcomed back to Baltimore or not. I tried my hardest for 6 seasons yet never did anything that good. Then left at the end just like everyone else that I didn’t appreciate leaving at a time we’d need them. I understand both sides of that division now but I think that I probably won’t be heading back to Baltimore.
Dogwood Maple - As someone who was a staple in Baltimore for so many years, how have you handled the move to Honolulu?
Chika Fujiwara - The move to Honolulu has been amazing. It’s different than Baltimore, obviously, but I think it has been a lot of fun so far. I have wanted to play on a team that I didn’t have to worry about everyone not having faith in me or a team that everyone outside was trying to make fun of me with the constant “Bomb it Chika” chants on gameday. Now I get to actually play and do my best without weird contract options that force our team to play an exact certain way that may not be the best every game or if the GM does something to play our best, he doesn’t get ostracized for being “shady” by others even though he’s just wanting to win like every other GM.
Dogwood Maple - The Hahalua have emerged as one of the favorites to win the Ultimus this season. Has this Baltimore saga been a distraction for you or in the Honolulu locker room?
Chika Fujiwara - Not at all. Honolulu has been a great place and the whole saga is behind me now. I don’t have to worry about it constantly anymore so all my focus can be on helping out where I can or just performing my best with my new team. If anything, I don’t even think that anyone really cares at all about that unfortunate part of my past as a player. Just about being QB1 with Honolulu and winning as much as possible now.
Dogwood Maple - In the last four games, the Hahalua are undefeated and you've tossed 11 TDs. To what do you contribute that success?
Chika Fujiwara - Having a great set of people around me has been something that I’ve worked with for a few times in my season but something just clicks in Honolulu. Get that I’m still throwing some interceptions, but it really does feel completely different suiting up in blue and having play makers from WR1 to the Fullback which not many teams can really say. It’s been a lot of fun and makes me more excited for the future to come.
Dogwood Maple - With a big game this week, you could set your personal record for most TDs thrown in a season. Is this a classic case of just needing a change of scenery or are you extra motivated to prove any doubters wrong?
Chika Fujiwara - Both for sure. It’s rough spending six seasons being told that you’re bad or that the situation around you constantly is bad. You look for answers or try to find results with new rookies which sometimes ends up making it seem like it was the receiver and not the hard work I was putting in. Now I think it’s a great combination that I maybe should have gone to sooner to really confirm my possible new record for touchdowns.
Dogwood Maple - Do you have any regrets about how the Baltimore saga unfolded? Or about your move to Honolulu?
Chika Fujiwara - Think my only regret is that it had to get to that point at all. Really wish that things had turned out differently and I’d be on the chance to get into the playoffs wearing the gold and red. However, not everything plays out the way you think it will even if you work as hard as possible.
Dogwood Maple - Finally, what parting message do you have for the fans of Baltimore?
Chika Fujiwara - My parting message would be to keep looking forward. Try to plan for what the next season will look like while fighting hard in your current season. It won’t be easy, yet those people that have only had easy careers don’t know how satisfying it is to fight tooth and nail for a playoff spot. They might make fun of you or wish you do terrible and you just have to keep pushing.
Dogwood Maple - Thanks for taking the time and being so candid. Good luck the rest of the season!
Chika Fujiwara - Absolutely, thanks for the opportunity.
As a part of the background for this article, we reached out to Butters for a comment:
“I’m just glad to be away from Star.”
(2,052 words - split 50/50 between me and @"Jackets28")
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