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Archived News of Frank's Field of Dreams
"The Old Reflector"
"Moving Day."
Kei Igawa pitched 6 solid
innings against the Detroit Tigers,
Igawa finished his first Spring Training with ERA of 3.13.
Hideki Matsui finished his Spring
Training with batting average
of .339 with one homer and six RBIs. Matsui is determine to
stay healthy after the wrist injury last year that ended his
personal playing streak of 1,768 consecutive games.
Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched in
Philadelphia today against the
Phillies, he finished his first Spring Training with ERA of 2.91.
(3/31)
Igawa solid in final spring start
Matsui determined to stay healthy
Matsuzaka trying to retain control
During the end of Spring
Training, there will be a lot
of players end up to be released, here are some quick
notes as we head into the regular season next week.
Cha Seung Baek was signed by the
Seattle Mariners,
Baek was with the Mariners' organization all along, but
his contract have expired, the Mariners feel he is good
enough pitcher to stick around and fill in as an emergency
starter. Baek will start the season with AAA-Tacoma.
Chan Ho Park will also head to the
Minor League, a decision the
New York Mets asked him to make, where he can either be a
reliever on the Mets' roster on opening day, or be a starter
down with AAA-New Orleans. Park was disappointed not winning
the 5th starter job, but he rather stick to his heart as a starter.
(3/30)
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Minor League Transactions (March 19-30)
Park will wait for call from Minors
"ROY?"
Hideo Nomo, Kazuhiro Sasaki,
and Ichiro have all won the
Rookie of the Year award when they first played in the
Major League. Will Akinori Iwamura or Daisuke Matsuzaka
follow their steps and become the 2007 Rookie of the Year?
Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki
Okajima also did
some Q&A with some Red Sox media members
while hosting them to a 90 minutes lunch.
(3/28)
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AL rookie crop features global flavor
Matsuzaka, Okajima host scribes
"Ump Bump."
Masumi Kuwata, one of the best
known pitchers in Japanese
baseball history, badly sprained his right ankle while colliding
with home plate umpire Wally Bell during 8th inning of the game
against the Toronto Blue Jays. X-Rays diagnosed Kuwata having
a grade 3 sprain on his right ankle, which was reported to be
severely swollen. Kuwata was expected to start the season at
AAA-Indianapolis, with high anticipation that he be called up
by the Pirates during the season, as he signed a Minor League
contract with the Pirates for an opportunity to possibly
pitch in the Major League before his illustrated career ends.
The injury will sideline Kuwata for about 4 to 6 weeks.
(3/26)
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Kuwata suffers right ankle sprain
"Impressive Duos, Cont."
Pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka and
Kei Igawa both pitched
in their last Spring Training outings for the Boston Red Sox
and New York Yankees. Matsuzaka pitched 5 shutout innings
without giving up a hit, struck out six, but did have some
command issues as he walked five batters. Igawa also went
5 strong innings, and only allowed three hits and one run.
(3/26)
Matsuzaka tosses five no-hit innings
Matsuzaka no-hits Reds, but Sox fall
Igawa, A-Rod lead Yanks over Phils
Jae Seo pitched 7 reliable
innings where he only allowed
5 hits and 2 runs in Devil Rays'
12 - 4 win over the Pirates.
Seo also collected himself a hit and 2 RBIs at the plate.
Tomo Ohka pitched another solid
game, this time
he helped the Blue Jays beat the Reds
3 - 2.
(3/25)
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Seo stays hot in Rays' win
Ohka is OK in strong start
"Dodge the Choo Choo."
Shin Soo Choo slugged a 2 run
homer against the
Los Angeles Dodgers, but with veteran Trot Nixon on
the team, Choo is set to start the year at AAA-Buffalo.
(3/25)
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Choo goes deep against Dodgers
"Spring Shuffles."
Chien-Ming Wang's hamstring
injury suffered from
doing conditioning drills will leave him to start the season
on the DL. Wang is expected to be back in late April.
Byung-Hyun Kim showed his
frustration on the news
that he will be pitch out of the bullpen, he would rather
pitch for another team who would use him as a starter.
Chan Ho Park is also not going to
be a starter, as least in the
beginning of the season he will be pitching out of long relief
situations. Like Kim, Park is not happy about the move.
China's National Team is currently
training in Arizona and
playing games against Minor League teams in Spring Training.
When the Minor League clubs break camp next week, most
of the 35 Team China players will join nine MLB organizations in
Arizona and Florida for two weeks of extended Spring Training.
(3/24)
Wang to start season on disabled list
Kim says move to bullpen is 'not right'
Smith, Sele to join Park in bullpen
Team China spreads baseball wings
Chien-Ming Wang experienced
some discomfort in his
right hamstring during conditioning drills, however it might
have just been a slight cramp caused by dehydration.
Byung-Hyun Kim is unlikely to have
a spot in the rotation as
originally planned, but he still might be a starter as several
teams have made their interest known to the Colorado Rockies.
Hong-Chih Kuo is currently out with
shoulder
inflammation, good news is that the MRI revealed
there are no structural damage in his shoulder.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays optioned
Hee Seop Choi
to
their Minor League camp, Choi will either start the
season in AAA-Durham or ask to be released in order
to continue his career back home in South Korea or
head to Japan. Former Boston Red Sox's #1 prospect
Seung Song, who toiled eight seasons in the Minor League
is heading back home for sure this year after signing
with the Lotte Giants. Song never got the call to
the
Majors, despite having some success in the Minors.
(3/23)
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Wang injures right hamstring
Rockies assign Kim, Martin to bullpen
Penny up, Kuo down
Choi Hee-seop May Come Back Home
"Impressive Duos."
Both Byung-Hyun Kim and Masumi
Kuwata had good outings
during their Spring Training games today. However, neither
is going to have much of an impact on their clubs' rotation.
(3/22)
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Kuwata impressive in outing
Kim impresses before washout
"Wild Thing."
Hong-Chih Kuo is going to have
an MRI after
complain having soreness in the back of his shoulder.
(3/22)
Shoulder an issue for Kuo
At Dodger Town in Vero Beach,
Hong-Chih Kuo filled in
to
start in place of Brad Penny, and Kuo was just flat wild
against the New York Mets, a team he had some success
pitching to last season. Kuo went 3 innings, allowed 1 hit,
struck out 3, but walked 4 batters while giving up 2 runs.
(3/21)
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Kuo, Dessens struggle in Penny's place
"Grand Iguchi."
Away from Florida, Tucson
Arizona to be exact, Tadahito Iguchi
had a heroic game by hitting a game-tying Grand Slam in the
7th inning. Iguchi also had a triple in Chicago White Sox's come
from behind
10 - 9 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
(3/21)
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Iguchi's slam helps Sox edge Giants
"Matsuzaka Being Matsuzaka."
The Jenn-Air grill posted up on
eBay to be auction off by
Manny Ramirez is no longer available as eBay has removed
the item, thanks to perhaps some random New York Yankee
fan try to mess around by placed a bid reachd 99 million earlier
today. But the performance by Daisuke Matsuzaka had against
the Pittsburgh Pirates at Pirate City where he went 5 1/3 innings,
giving up only 1 hit, 1 run, walked 1, while recording 7 strikeouts
is the talk in the Red Sox's clubhouse. Hideki Okajima also got
in the game, pitched a hitless 9th inning with a strikeout.
(3/21)
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Matsuzaka shines for Red Sox in win
Pirates impressed by Matsuzaka
Dice-K too hot to handle for Pirates
"Mariners' Musings."
Ichiro is currently on a tear
in the Catcus League, and
he is looking forward to have a great year where he hope
to help the Seattle Mariners back into the playoffs.
Cha Seung Baek has been optioned
to the Minor League,
he is out in the running as the Mariners' 5th starter.
(3/21)
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Ichiro aiming for efficiency -- and wins
Around the Cactus League
"Manny Being Manny."
eBay have a lot of strange
auctions, but I never would
have
thought that Manny Ramirez would be a grill salesman outside
his career as the slugger for the Boston Red Sox.
This is
just another case of Manny being Manny, or should
I say
Manny being George Foreman? In the auction, Manny
would
also include you an autographed baseball from him. Manny
later revealed the grill is his neighbor's, and he is just helping
his neighbor out by sell it under his name. Now I understand
why people say Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.
I think now would be a good time for
me to
eBay my Boston
Red Sox
Authentic Collection Premiere Jacket! I'm just kidding,
but
if you really want to get one, they are available
here.
(3/20)
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Ramirez puts grill up for sale
"Minor Report."
Baseball America's latest
transaction report
showed the Cincinnati Reds
have signed
Tzu-Kai Chiu, a lefty pitcher out of Taiwan.
With a possibility of starting the
year in the Minor League,
Kei Igawa pitched arguably his best game this Spring. Igawa
followed pitching coach Ron Guidry's advice of finishes his
delivery motion, which allows him to have better commands.
(3/20)
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Minor League Transactions (March 3-19)
Igawa sharp as Yankees blank Phils
Igawa heeds Guidry's advice
"Pitching Priorities, Cont."
Hong-Chih Kuo have most Los
Angeles Dodgers fans'
attention
whether not he would be on the team out of
Spring Training as
the fifth starter, however Kuo's
countryman Chin-Hui Tsao is
also vying for a spot
on the roster, hoping to make it as a
reliever.
(3/18)
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Tsao doing all he can to make it
"Snappy Spring."
Akinori Iwamura is having a
tough transition during his first
Spring Training. Iwamura admitted himself is a slow starter,
and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are not worried about it.
Chan Ho Park struggled mighty in
his three innings
of work against the Washington Nationals.
(3/17)
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Iwamura still feeling his way around
Park struggles in loss to Nationals
"Pitching Priorities."
Chan Ho Park can win 15 games
with the offense provided
by the New York Mets, Julio Franco said, but that is only
if he seal the rotation spot away from rookie Mike Pelfrey.
A rare rain happened in Florida
during this time of the year,
which rained out most portion of Daisuke Matsuzaka's
outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Matsuzaka only
fired 34 pitches before the game was called, but he threw
77 more to Red Sox's Minor Leaguer inside the batting cage.
Hong-Chih Kuo pitched against
Daisuke Matsuzaka, and he
served up three homers including a walk to Matsuzaka during
the game. Still, a spot in the rotation is still Kuo's to lose.
Chien-Ming Wang had another solid
outing, and most
likely he would be the one on the mound for the
New York Yankees on opening day in two more weeks.
(3/16)
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Mets can go two ways for No. 5
Dice-K delayed by downpour
Kuo needs to step up
Wang on pace to pitch opener
"Major to Minor."
Looking to avoid the large
amount of media following
Daisuke Matsuzaka, Takashi Saito will be pitching
two innings during a Minor League game instead.
Kei Igawa battled control problem
in his latest outing, but
he finished his outing by throwing three scorless innings.
(3/15)
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Dodgers' Saito will avoid Dice-K crowd
Igawa still making adjustments
"Rotation Roundup."
Tomo Ohka increased his chance
of being in Blue Jays' rotation
to begin the season by pitching 4 more scoreless innings.
(3/14)
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Ohka strong in start
"Doha Doping?"
Hong-Chih Kuo tested positive
for stimulants at Asian Games,
which was held in Doha, Qatar more than three months ago.
Patrick Courtney, Major League Baseball vice president of
public relations, said the commissioner's office will look into
the matter to see if disciplinary action should be taken.
(3/12)
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Kuo's test due to medication
"Losing Efforts."
Chien-Ming Wang pitched so-so
in his 3rd Spring Training start,
while Daisuke Matsuzaka started well, but struggled the
last two innings (3rd & 4th) where he gave up 5 hits and 4 runs.
(3/11)
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Wang settles down in loss to Tribe
Matsuzaka roughed up in loss
Matsuzaka experiments with O's
"Florida Fun, Cont."
Jae Seo pitched well and
Akinori Iwamura finally snapped
his hitless woe by recorded his first hit of the Spring.
Kei Igawa is sporting a new look on
the mound, where he feels
more comfortable by wearing sunglasses when he pitches.
(3/10)
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Seo shines but Rays edged by Phillies
Igawa comfy in the shade(s)
"Florida Fun."
Shin-Soo Choo hit the game
winning single while
Tomo Ohka was outstanding in his three innings of work.
(3/8)
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Choo delivers win for Tribe vs. Phils
Ohka hurls three shutout innings
"Delayed Debuts."
Both Chan Ho Park (work visa
delayed) and Takashi Saito
(calf injury) pitched their first Spring Training game today.
(3/7)
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Park feels good in spring debut
Saito makes spring debut
"Mesmerized Marlins."
After schooling the hitters
from Boston College Eagles'
baseball team, Daisuke Matsuzaka took care of the
Florida Marlins by holding them to three scoreless innings.
(3/6)
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Matsuzaka impressive vs. Marlins
"Tale of Two."
Jae Seo pitched two perfect
innings while Kei Igawa's
Grapefruit League debut was a very rocky one.
(3/5)
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Seo stifles Twins in Rays' loss
Igawa suffers rocky debut
"Sunday Story."
While many expect the Boston
Red Sox's pitching staff to
have a great year, do not underestimate New York Yankees'
rotation, with Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina,
Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano, and the possibility of top prospect
Philip Hughes and future hall of famer Roger Clemens (if signed)
add into the mix sometime around the All-Star break.
The last two spots in the Toronto
Blue Jays' rotation is
still up for grabs thanks to the inability of signing Ted Lilly
and Gil Meche during the winter. Free agent acquisition
Tomo Ohka did not make a great first impression, but he
still have four more weeks to improve before opening day.
Cha Seung Baek also had trouble
with his command,
and his spot on the Mariners' rotation is very slim.
Jae Kuk Ryu made his first Devil
Rays start and pitched two
solid innings. Ryu is contending for the #5 spot in the rotation.
When Masumi Kuwata was 20 years
old, he was teammates
with former Major Leaguer Bill Gullickson, who shared with
Kuwata the excitement of American professional baseball.
(3/4)
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Yanks pitching looks in midseason form
Ohka starts slowly
Baek struggles with command in loss
Ryu sharp in first Rays start
Kuwata fulfills lifelong dream
"Throw Down Your Two Cents."
From this month on, you can now
submit your
comment(s) on the website's newest entries.
(3/3)
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"The Matsuzaka/Okajima Show."
Boston Red Sox's winter
Japanese acquisitions both made
their debut at home. Hideki Okajima pitched a scoreless inning
against the Blue Jays, while Daisuke Matsuzaka struck out three
and allowed only one hit in two inning against Boston College.
(3/2)
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Snyder, Okajima impressive in loss
Okajima makes debut
Dice-K dominates in Sox debut
Matsuzaka wins first spring start
"March Madness."
Chan Ho Park will have plenty
of Korean fans supporting him
in
New York this year, he hopes to pitch above the expectations.
Spring Training games are
underway, and Chien-Ming Wang
cruises through two innings like his Japanese teammate Kei Igawa
did two days ago with only 19 pitches against the Minnesota Twins.
Even with the great outing, Wang admits of being little rusty.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are loaded
with young talents who played
several key roles last year. Hong-Chih Kuo and Takashi Saito
hope to translate their success from last year into this
season.
Boston College's outfielder Johnny
Ayers will be the first batter
Daisuke Matsuzaka face at City of Palms Park tomorrow night.
Boston College went 28-25-1 last year and is currently winless
with an 0-3 record, with a one run defeat in all three games.
I expect Matsuzaka have a great performance like Kei Igawa
and Chien-Ming Wang had during their Spring debut, because
the talent gap between a real pro and collegiate is just too much.
Josh Beckett and rest of the Boston Red Sox certainly proved
the theory against Northeastern University by the score of
11 - 0.
The atmosphere at this year's Red Sox
Spring Training
facility is certainly as crazy as many have expected.
Daisuke Matsuzaka is ranked by
Baseball America as the #1
prospect, he is the only Asian player to crack to top 100 spots.
(3/1)
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Park hoping to regain All-Star form
Wang, bats pace Yanks in opener
Wang has work yet to do
Dodgers scoff at sophomore jinx
The wait is over: Dice-K to make debut
Red Sox have The Buzz
2007 Top 100 Prospects
"Top(ps) This!"
As most people know by now, the
2007 Topps Derek Jeter
card has an error thanks to a prank pulled, or should I
say promotional stunt by one of their own employee.
Everyone knows George W. Bush and
Mickey Mantle
should not be in the background, but let's zoom in...
Where is Dubya's left arm? this is
sure one "error" card.
(3/1)
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"No Wrong For Wang."
If you are waiting for Chien-Ming
Wang to speak up and
cause a stir, you would be more likely to hear Jason Giambi
voice his hatred for heavy-metal music, watch manager
Joe Torre attack a junk-food buffet or see Mike Mussina
bash higher learning. A quiet guy from the little island called
Taiwan, is just who he is, and all that he ever wanted to be.
(2/28)
Wang quietly going about his business
"Igawa Impresses."
It was only an intrasquad game,
but Kei Igawa only
needed 19 pitches to complete the two innings
of work. 14 out of the 19 pitches were strikes.
(2/27)
Igawa impressive in outing
"Prospect Perspectives."
Baseball America recently
finished analyzing the top ten
prospects for each of the 30 organizations. Korean pitcher
Young-Il Jung of the Angels, and Taiwanese infielder
Yung-Chi Chen of the Mariners crack the top ten list within
their organizations. Let's take a quick look at both players.
Jung is a teenage pitcher signed
out of South Korea in
summer of 2006 for 1 million dollar, like Daisuke Matsuzaka,
he has not pitched in a regular game in the United States.
It is very interesting that Baseball America already ranked him
as the 4th best overall prospect within the Angels' organization,
which means he is either the real deal, or obviously overrated.
One thing to notice is that Jung is the only
Asian amateur player
to receive an impressive seven figure
signing bonus in the
last five years, so maybe he is really that good.
Jung is likely to
play at Low-A Cedar Rapids during his first Minor League season.
Chen has played three Minor League
season already after
signing out of Taiwan in early 2004. A solid hitter combine
with good base running ability, Chen has improved a lot in
the last three years. Chen hit the first Grand Slam in the
World Baseball Classic last March against China, and he
finished 2006 by helping Taiwan winning the Gold Medal
at the Asian Games held in Qatar. Ranked as the 9th best
prospect, Chen's road to Major League is currently blocked
by Jose Lopez at 2nd and Adrian Beltre at 3rd. With veteran
Willie Bloomquist coming back as the backup infielder,
Chen is likely to spend most of the year in AAA-Tacoma.
(2/26)
Top Ten Prospects: Los Angeles Angels
Top Ten Prospects: Seattle Mariners
"BP Buzz."
Daisuke Matsuzaka threw another
batting practice,
this time it was big leaguers Julio Lugo, David Ortiz,
Wily Mo Pena, and Manny Ramirez who step up against him.
(2/26)
Matsuzaka faces Boston's finest
Daisuke Matsuzaka threw live
batting practice for the
first time, and manager Terry Francona can only
compare the event like the one back in 1994 when he
managed Michael Jordan on the Birmingham Barons.
(2/24)
Matsuzaka shows he's got the right stuff
"Iwamura Impresses."
A flashy character, Akinori
Iwamura will fit nicely
into the Devil Rays' clubhouse this upcoming season.
(2/23)
Iwamura fitting in nicely with Rays
"Session 103."
Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 103
pitches in his first
side session in the bullpen. To those who saw him
pitch in person for the first time, it was almost a clinic.
(2/22)
Matsuzaka throws side session for Sox
"Major League ST."
With his visa issues out of the
way, Tomo Ohka has
finally arrived at Dunedin, Florida for Toronto Blue Jays'
Spring Training. Below are the full list of Asian players
participating the 2007 Major League Spring Training.
Cha Seung Baek
(40-Man Roster, Mariners)
Hee Seop Choi (Non-Roster Invitee, Devil Rays)
Shin-Soo Choo (40-Man Roster, Indians)
Chin-Lung Hu (Non-Roster Invitee, Dodgers)
Ichiro (40-Man Roster, Mariners)
Kei Igawa (40-Man Roster, Yankees)
Tadahito Iguchi (40-Man Roster, White Sox)
Akinori Iwamura (40-Man Roster, Devil Rays)
Kenji Johjima (40-Man Roster, Mariners)
Byung-Hyun Kim (40-Man Roster, Rockies)
Sun Woo Kim (Non-Roster Invitee, Giants)
Hong-Chih Kuo (40-Man Roster, Dodgers)
Masumi Kuwata (Non-Roster Invitee, Pirates)
Hideki Matsui (40-Man Roster, Yankees)
Kaz Matsui (40-Man Roster, Rockies)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (40-Man Roster, Red Sox)
Shinji Mori (Non-Roster Invitee, Devil Rays)
Tomo Ohka (40-Man Roster, Blue Jays)
Hideki Okajima (40-Man Roster, Red Sox)
Akinori Otsuka (40-Man Roster, Rangers)
Chan Ho Park (40-Man Roster, Mets)
Jae Kuk Ryu (40-Man Roster, Devil Rays)
Takashi Saito (40-Man Roster, Dodgers)
Jae Seo (40-Man Roster, Devil Rays)
Kazuhito Tadano (Non-Roster Invitee, Athletics)
So Taguchi (40-Man Roster, Cardinals)
Chin-Hui Tsao (40-Man Roster, Dodgers)
Chien-Ming Wang (40-Man Roster, Yankees)
(2/22)
Ohka arrives at Jays camp
"Forrest Gump...Sahara Style."
This have nothing to do with
baseball, but it certainly worth a
recognition. Three long distance runners has done something
most would consider insane: They ran the equivalent of two
marathons a day for 111 days to become the first modern
runners to cross the Sahara Desert's grueling 4,000 miles.
American Charlie Engle, 44, Canadian Ray Zahab, 38,
and Kevin Lin, 30, of Taiwan took less than four months
to navigate their way across the world's largest desert.
Their journey took them through six different countries:
Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya and finally Egypt.
(2/20)
Runners first modern athletes to cross Sahara
"Ichiro's Itch."
Ichiro, who has been a pro
baseball player the last
15 years (Japan/US combined), never had a chance
to file for free agency, he will get the chance to after
this season. With the Mariners' constant last place finish
in the AL West, Ichiro is very likely to test the market.
(2/20)
Ichiro says free agency a possibility
Ichiro's turn in cage not pleasant
"Saito's Success."
Takashi Saito has a good
fastball along with slider in his
pitching arsenal, but to credit his success, he also uses
a steno pad to remind him when and where to throw
the pitches for each hitter according to their weakness.
(2/19)
Dodgers closer Saito has notable habit
Saito wants suggestions for 'his' song
"Weekend Update."
With 200 photographers and
almost 1,000 screaming fans,
Daisuke Matsuzaka had his first bullpen session, and he is
slated to make his debut against Boston College on March 2nd.
Byung-Hyun Kim is looking forward
to stay consistent to
help the Rockies' rotations, while Akinori Otsuka is ready
to be a big part of the Rangers' bullpen once again.
(2/18)
Matsuzaka slated for debut
Fogg, Kim trying to earn spots with Rox
Gagne, Otsuka ready to anchor 'pen
There are Takashi Saito, Hong-Chih
Kuo,
and Chin-Hui Tsao sighting at Vero Beach.
Ninja Saito?
(Photo by Jon SooHoo/LA
Dodgers)
Hong-Chih Kuo throws to Chin-Hui Tsao.
(Photo by Jon SooHoo/LA
Dodgers)
And better believe it, even though
Masumi Kuwata
only signed a Minor League contract, he is still being
followed by about 50 members of the Japanese media.
(AP Photo)
Kei Igawa is not only the master on
throwing a
curveball, he also has great skills on the game
of Shogi, the Japanese version of Chess.
(2/16)
Dodgers eager as training camp starts
Kuwata steals spotlight as camp opens
Baseball not Igawa's only game
"Paparazzi Paradise, Cont."
Hideki Okajima arrived at
Boston Red Sox's Minor League
complex in Fort Myers for the first time, and he talked
briefly with his new teammates and introduced himself to
manager Terry Francona. After getting their glimpse on
Okajima, the group of 150 reporters and photographers
made a two miles trip down to City of Palms Park, where
Daisuke Matsuzaka held a 40 minutes press conference.
About 100 miles north of Fort
Myers, Kei Igawa threw about
40 pitches at New York Yankees' Complex in Tampa with manager
Joe Torre and pitching coach Ron Guidry watching on the side.
Igawa was a little rusty and wild during his first side session.
(2/15)
Okajima arrives at camp
Matsuzaka shows his lighter side
Igawa throws first side session
"2007 Outlook, Pt. 7."
So Taguchi will once again
serve as the late inning
replacement for the Cardinals, while Hee Seop Choi
also have a chance of making the opening day
roster as a backup DH/1B for the Devil Rays.
A new marketing deal has been
reached between
the Boston Red Sox and the Funai Electric Company.
(2/14)
Around the Horn: DH/Bench (Cardinals)
Around the Horn: DH/Bench (Devil Rays)
Marketing of Matsuzaka begins
"Paparazzi Paradise."
American paparazzi are chasing
the likes of Paris Hilton,
Lindsay Lohan, or Britney Spears, while their Japanese
counterpart are all camped out in either Fort Myers or
Tampa, Florida to give their Nation the latest update
and every move of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kei Igawa.
(AP Photos)
(2/13)
Yanks' spring adventure is under way
Matsuzaka's routine: Stretch and click
"Three Muskerteers."
With Korean players Jae Seo and
Hee Seop Choi already
on their roster, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays acquired their
3rd Korean player Jae Kuk Ryu, former Chicago Cubs' pitching
prospect via trade. Along with Akinori Iwamura and Shinji Mori,
the Devil Rays might have five Asian players on their 25-man
roster the same time during some point this upcoming season.
(2/13)
Devil Rays acquire Ryu from Cubs
"3 More Days."
Daisuke Matsuzaka left
California and arrived in Florida
as he gets ready for Spring Training the next six weeks in
Fort Myers with rest of his Boston Red Sox teammates.
(2/12)
Matsuzaka arrives for Spring Training
"New Additions."
Two new pages has been added to
the site. They are
Between Innings (games), and
All-Time Statistics.
(2/11)
"Iwamura's Day."
Akinori Iwamura celebrated his
28th birthday
in Florida at a press conference with a cake
presented by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
(2/9)
Iwamura a Ray of sunshine for team
"Plead the 5th?"
Not exactly sure what the plan
is, but the New York Mets
has reach a preliminary agreement with Chan Ho Park, where
he will be guaranteed $600,000 in his one year contract with
the team and can earn an additional $2.4 million in incentives
based on innings pitched. The Mets are set with Orlando Hernandez,
Tom Glavine, John Maine, and Oliver Perez in the rotation, and
the only way for Park to get the 5th spot is if he pitch a lot
better than Mike Pelfrey or Aaron Sele during Spring Training.
In my opinion, Park would be much better suited in long relief
situations like what Darren Oliver did for the Mets last year.
(2/9)
Mets looking to fill out rotation
"7 More Days."
Pitchers and Catchers are
expect to report to
Spring Training next week, and with the $103.1 million
dollar price tag that the Boston Red Sox paid for
Daisuke Matsuzaka, he will be the most scrutinized
player in Major League Baseball during this season.
Takashi Saito cut short his
offseason throwing program
because of what club officials described as a slight calf strain.
The Dodgers expect Saito to be 100 percent for Spring Training.
(2/8)
Can Matsuzaka live up to expectations?
Saito expects to be ready for camp
"2007 Outlook, Pt. 6."
Takashi Saito, after a
brilliant rookie campaign last year
will once again be the closer for the Dodgers this season.
Hong-Chih Kuo and Chin-Hui Tsao are also in the mix of
making the team as a reliever, but with less expectations
of contributing right away when season starts in April.
With the signing of Eric Gagne, who
was the best closer in
the Major League from 2002 to 2004, the Rangers will put their
2006 pitcher of the Year Akinori Otsuka back at the set-up role.
Hideki Okajima is certainly going
to have a spot in the
Red Sox's bullpen, however he will not be the closer.
Chan Ho Park is still a free agent,
it is very likely
whoever signs Park will have him pitch out of relief.
Park recently fired his agent Scott Boras.
(2/7)
Around the Horn: Bullpen (Dodgers)
Around the Horn: Bullpen (Rangers)
Around the Horn: Bullpen (Red Sox)
Chan Ho Park Finds New Agent
"Coming and Going."
Baseball America's latest Minor
League transaction report
indicated Korean pitcher Hyang-Nam Choi, and Taiwanese
pitcher Ting-Jen Yeh had been released by their respective
clubs. Choi pitched great in AAA-Buffalo but was the odd
man out of getting a September called up to Cleveland when
he was not on the 40-man roster. Yeh did not pitched well
during his brief stint at SS-Lowell. The Rockies, after non-tender
former #1 prospect of the organization Chin-Hui Tsao, have
signed another Taiwanese hurler in Sheng-An Kuo, coincidentally
Kuo attended Kao Yuan High School, alma mater of Tsao.
(2/2)
Minor League Transaction (January 22 - February 1)
"2007 Outlook, Pt. 5."
Daisuke Matsuzaka is going to
be the #3 starter on a
dynamic Red Sox rotation, which features two fellow
26 years-old in Josh Beckett, and Jonathan Papelbon, with
two great veterans in Curt Schilling, and Tim Wakefield.
Byung-Hyun Kim signed a $1.5
million dollar contract to be
back with the Rockies this season, and he and Josh Fogg will
likely be the #4 starter for the Rockies. Kim attracts some
other clubs, so by opening day he might be a starter elsewhere.
Hong-Chih Kuo will battle for the
5th spot of the Dodgers'
rotation with Chad Billingsley. If Kuo end up not getting the nod,
I expect the Dodgers' send him down to AAA if the plan is still
to have Kuo as a starter instead of being a middle reliever,
where Kuo has said he is less comfortable of pitching out of.
Chien-Ming Wang will be looked upon
as the Ace of the
Yankees' pitching staff after a great year in 2006.
Fellow 27 years-old Kei Igawa, acquired through the
posting system is likely the #4 starter to begin the season.
Jae Seo currently is penciled in as
the #3 guy
on a very youthful Devil Rays' rotation.
Tomo Ohka will be competing against
few others for the
#4 spot
in the Blue Jays' rotation. Ohka is favored to win it heading into
the Spring Training. Pitchers Casey Janssen, Shaun Marcum,
Dustin McGowan, John Thomson, Josh Towers are also in the mix.
Chan Ho Park is still a Free Agent,
Scott Boras has tried to
convince some clubs to sign him as a reliever, with no takers.
Boras also held a press conference for Daisuke Matsuzaka at his
corporation in California, about his client's transition to America.
(1/31)
Around the Horn: Starting Rotation (Red Sox)
Around the Horn: Starting Rotation (Rockies)
Around the Horn: Starting Rotation (Dodgers)
Around the Horn: Starting Rotation (Yankees)
Around the Horn: Starting Rotation (Devil Rays)
Around the Horn: Starting Rotation (Blue Jays)
Matsuzaka making smooth transition
"Monday's Musings."
Chin-Hui Tsao passed his
physical and is officially the newest
member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tsao was added to the
40-man roster and probably would not contribute right away,
but there is still a chance that he could overcome his shoulder
problems and become an effective reliever for the Dodgers.
New York Yankees and the Chinese
Baseball Association (CBA)
have formed a strategic alliance. The Yankees are the first
Major League team to hold such a partnership in China.
(1/29)
Dodgers sign Tsao to one-year deal
Yanks partner with Chinese Baseball
"1864 Baseball."
Conan O'Brien, the funniest
comedian alive today shows us how
the game was once played back in 1864. Here are some of the
most funny/memorable quotes from the video below.
Oh my God...yeah this is the authentic nature
valley granola bar.
I was down, I was in the civil war and I was
fighting and
I saw him, he was acting very cowardly, he said we all
going to get killed, let's get out of here, and then he
made out with a guy...that guy swing both ways.
What,
ho! What is that demonry, some sort of iron bird? everyone flee!
Despicable!
Deplorable! Some of the worst apple hurling
and
stick mashing I've seen, you hit like a bunch of old man that
fought in the Spanish-American War, which hasn't even fought yet.
I like to take a whole lot of you, and thrash you with this hand,
then bash you with this hand, then take both hands and give you a
massage to loosen you up. Now, let's get back out there, and
show the other team, why our life expectancy is only 39 years.
Thanks for the cool breeze, it was most
cooling
on my mustache, please cool me again.
Get it! get it you fool...someone catch that sphere,
(ball was dropped) you ass! what's wrong with you?
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