gotoh00

QUOTE(El Piervizdyeguchansodnik @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 02:06 PM) How's the media following Iguchi over there? Daily updates galore, but Ichiro is still the main focus. I never liked that show-off. He may be a great baseball player, but all he does in public is act like he owns the place.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 02:08 AM) Hm, thinking of the wrong guy perhaps? Anyway didn't he stick around just to break the record? Sure did, retired just last year after 22 years playing.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 02:04 AM) Jim albright mentioned it before i believe. He was supposedly one of the slickest fielding players in the history of japan and could bunt like no other ( except eddie collins who was just behind him i believe). We wasn't that slick of a fielder but made his living sacrafice bunting. The only official "pinch bunter" in history. He could get a perfect bunt down even when the opposition knew it was coming.

This one is readily online, but very fascinating. Who is the only pitcher in history to be credited with a win and a save in the same game due to a loophole in the already existing save rules, promting the MLB commish office to modify them?

QUOTE(qwerty @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 01:55 AM) Masahiro kawai. Man...how long you been studying Japanese baseball? I was so looking forward to seeing a lot of guys guess aimlessly too. Yup, it's Japan's Ozzie Smith: Masahiro Kawai. Great guy too, is now in Cooperstown right next to Sugiyama Naoki, a backup catcher who was really good a making it look like he tagged a guy out as he was crossing homeplate. That was until he was arrested for slapping a girl with his boot in a bar.

QUOTE(KipWellsFan @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 01:53 AM) Vizquel? Not even close! :headshake

Who has the world record for sacrafice bunts? Hint: He has homered of Shingo in his long career.

CWS game on ESPN2 today. Watching it right now and Iguchi has just singled to right. Must be trying to impress the U.S. popultion before opening day, and KW too.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Mar 14, 2005 -> 09:29 PM) This begs the question (something I've been meaning to ask for awhile now): Do you hear about Iguchi/Ichiro/Takatsu on nightly basis in Japan? Do they make their way on to the nightly news broadcast or do you have to be an involved sports fan to hear what they are doing in the states. ESPN and the other national media would like us to believe ex-Japan stars are talked about daily in Japan. For instance, when Matsui first came to the states to play for the Yankees, I remember hearing the streets were buzzing with Matsui talk. Like, people would stop whatever they were doing to hear how Matsui played. Sorry, just something I've been wondering for awhile. Thanks. It's not as bad as the U.S. media makes it out to be. You get 5 min. sports segments on the local news programs about the Japanese players in the Majors everyday, but nothing too extravagant. Not many people really care about the MLB very much in Japan anymore, most of the national attention is now focused on soccer and the domestic baseball league. Unlike the U.S., Japan has about 5 major sports-oriented daily newspaper that widely cover everything going on in the world, so that it where all the Japanese reporters covering the players' every move come from. The good things about these papers is that they have a one page adult section too, and no carding when you buy them! The only station that shows MLB games live in Japan is NHK, but its cable so you need to pay extra for it. It airs all the Mariners' home games, which can be annoying as I want to see Nomo and Matsui more, but what you gonna do?

CWS game tomorrow on ESPN, looking forward to seeing Iguchi live for the first time since he left Japan. He's been sitting the last 2 days so Ozzie should give him the start.

The new pitch is defintely the curveball that he shelved for the past couple of years. The reason being he was giving up too many homeruns in the 9th to lefites, especially Matsui and my fav. player: Koji Gotoh! He now throws it like a sinker so the batter is gonna have a tough time seeing it, hopefully.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 14, 2005 -> 01:04 PM) Is this a mistake? Nope, it was an all-star game in 1996 and pretty much anything went then. Ichiro's mentor Manager Ohgi put his boy on the mound for the last out and Nomura countered with Shingo as a pinch hitter. Ichiro's fastball was clocked at 90 MPH.

QUOTE(The Critic @ Mar 13, 2005 -> 11:44 PM) Former Mrs. Mongo. Former Mrs. Stone Cold. Debra McMichael Williams. Bingo, a stunner, isn't she? Even at 40 she can still get a guy aroused. Anyway, other little know facts: Ichiro's first pro league homerun came of Nomo. Ichiro pitched live to Shingo in an all-star game and got him to ground out to shortstop. Guy has a cannon for an arm and Shingo swings the bat really well.

QUOTE(Tmar28 @ Mar 13, 2005 -> 10:02 PM) debra michaels or whatever? Close but no cigar. Since most of the answer is out now, the prize is off. Instead, I'll just tell a Shingo secret. He was one of the worst pitchers on his high school team so he trained himself to throw underarm with the same arm action for every pitch. Is also the first guy Hideki Matsui homered off in the pros, but the pitch he hit was laid in there for him. Shigo's then manager Normura Katsuhiro wanted to see the much touted rookie's power stoke, so he ordered his pitcher to float one in on the inner half of the plate. It was a blow out game anyway so Shingo didn't mind see his fastball crushed to right field. Interesting, huh?

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Mar 13, 2005 -> 06:19 PM) We still don't know. Supposedly it's a sinker but I dunno. Maybe a curve??? He threw a curve in Japan but it was ineffective against lefties. The press here says that it's just a modified sinker that's even slower than his normal one with more movement. He plans to keep it locked up until the season is about to start. P.S. Prize to the guy who identifies my avatar babe

I got the info off a Japanese news site. No word on his fielding yet, but he seems to be doing fine.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 02:39 AM) Well, whatever Iguchi is doing it's working so far. He's 5 for 12 with 2 doubles. Also says he's really happy his wife and kid are with him everyday now.

Seems our new 2B is seeing the ball really well on his current 4 game hitting streak. Told the Japanese press he's been able to pick up the hand grips of the American pitchers earlier than he's used to than in Japan, allowing him to adjust to breaking balls. Also feels really strong hitting to rightfield now, wouldn't be suprised if he gets most of his extra base hits going the other way this year.

The skip says Iguchi will hit 2nd come opening day. He may consider dropping him into the cleanup zone if he shows he can hit for power. Either way, we all win. http://www.nikkansports.co.jp/ns/baseball/...50224-0028.html

Anyone got anymore from todays' practice?

Iguchi seems to be doing great with his new mates, especially the uncontrolable A.J. Click here to see some (slightly disturbing) male bonding. http://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/2005/02/24/162702.shtml Iguchi still can't shake off the jet-lag, so he's getting up in the middle of the night and practicing. Will leave at 7AM tomorrow and get a lot of toss swings in with a coach. Wonder who the lucky guy is.

Swinging for the stars it seems...or at least the clouds

Those photos are the real thing, you can see them on nikkansports.co.jp. Good luck reading the articles.

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...5news&fext=.jsp

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 21, 2005 -> 09:08 AM) Very interesting. Out of curiousity, does anyone know about his bunting skills? Can he sac bunt or drag bunt? He could sac bunt if the game really depended on it, but don't expect him to do it too often. He's a righty so no drag bunt.