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Interview with Tadahito...


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OUT LOUD: Tadahito Iguchi

 

The Sox second baseman (and Ozzie's MVP) tells an interpreter who tells Steve Rosenbloom about translating the Japanese game to the Majors.

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When I was was at the university in Japan, I went to international tournaments. Then I went to the Olympics with the Japanese Olympic team. There's a lot of different baseball styles in Japan. I had my experience in Japan and wanted to try my luck over here.

 

I don't feel any pressure (to play well and continue the progression to America of Japanese players).

 

There's a difference in the size of the strike zone here. The level of American baseball is a little bit higher. And in Japan, you generally are playing on artificial grass, whereas here, you're playing on real grass.

 

All the pitchers here are tough.

 

My manager at Daiei was Sadaharu Oh (Japan's all-time home run leader). It's 180 degrees from playing under Ozzie. He wasn't really a jokester. He didn't have the same kind of relationship with the players that Ozzie does.

 

Ozzie is very close to the players so they're able to have very good communication. He keeps himself close to the players. He doesn't keep himself aloof.

 

We're successful because everyone's doing what they have to do.

 

Shingo (Former Sox relief pitcher Shingo Takatsu) was always a help to me from when I first got here. I'm upset that he's gone now. We had a good relationship. I'm sad, but that's the way the world turns.

 

It's not something for me to say (how popular he is in Japan). It's for other people to look at and see. That's a difficult question.

 

We were just a normal family in Japan. My parents were very strict in making sure I studied. They have a cram school after a normal school day. You would go to school and then you would go to the cram school. They are schools that prepare students to advance from elementary school to junior and from junior high to high school.

 

I grew up in Tokyo. I don't live in downtown Chicago. It's difficult to compare the two. They are both big cities. I live out in Schaumburg. There's a big Japanese community in Schaumburg.

 

That's why I chose it in the first place.

 

I haven't had any problems where I've needed to call out to the Japanese community here.

 

My daughter doesn't speak much English. She's in an American school. She's learning.

 

The biggest adjustment is taking so long to come to work -- the traffic, and Schaumburg is such a long way. That distance is not something I was used to.

 

I'm not cracking open the books for English. Around the clubhouse, I'm working on my understanding and trying to communicate with other players.

 

The baseball world is the same in Japan as it is here. As far as normal conversation, I can pick up what people are saying. In Japan, we are schooled in English.

 

For Japanese food, I like Sakuma in Barrington. For seafood, I like Bob Chinn's.

 

When I was in college, I played against Chuck Knoblauch. The Japanese Olympic team played against the Minnesota Twins. He was playing for the Minnesota Twins. Ever since then, I was a big fan of Chuck Knoblauch.

 

When we won the Japanese World Series twice, those were my best baseball moments.

 

Winning the World Series here would rank first. That would be No.1.

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Tadahito lives near me, thats kind of cool. I cant believe he drives through the traffic around here to get to chicago, that must really suck. I would have lived closer, but he obviously feels comfortable in the japanese community in Schaumburg

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QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Aug 3, 2005 -> 12:07 PM)
Tadahito lives near me, thats kind of cool. I cant believe he drives through the traffic around here to get to chicago, that must really suck. I would have lived closer, but he obviously feels comfortable in the japanese community in Schaumburg

 

 

Yeah, that must be a b**** getting the ballpark. 53 to 90 to 94. Yuck. I wonder if I'll see him at Woodfield Mall or something.

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QUOTE(robinventura23 @ Aug 3, 2005 -> 12:11 PM)
Yeah,  that must be a b**** getting the ballpark.  53 to 90 to 94.  Yuck.  I wonder if I'll see him at Woodfield Mall or something.

 

I saw him at Todai in Woodfield over the summer.

 

Actually my son noticed him first. He loves him!

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I know a guy who works at the Best Buy in Schaumburg and Golf road. Appearantly Gooch is in there all the time buying s*** for his house, he's been to Iguchi's place a few times to install some audio equipment for him. Said Iguchi's a real nice guy, even though he speaks hardly any english.

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