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| Around The Majors Post anything related to baseball. If it doesn't fit in the Yankees Discussion forum, it fits here. |
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10-26-02, 01:34 AM
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The Source
  
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Long Island, NY
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MLB All-Stars vs. Japan All-Stars -- Tour information
Top of the World, then off to Japan
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com http://yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/ml..._mlb&fext=.jsp Major League Baseball announced its 28-player roster for next month's All-Star team trip to Japan and MLB.com will be with them every step of the way as part of our Non-Stop November campaign. Our coverage will be replete with audio sound bites, digital pictures of the four stops on the tour and daily game stories, features, notebooks and postcards from the most picturesque points of Japan. The MLB All-Stars will play seven games against a team of their Japanese counterparts and one game against the Yomiuri Giants from November 9-17 in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and Sapporo. The roster is chock full of MLB All-Stars such as home-run king Barry Bonds and Benito Santiago of the National League champion San Francisco Giants, Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams of the New York Yankees, Torii Hunter of the Minnesota Twins and Ichiro Suzuki, the Mariners outfielder, who will be returning to Japan to play for the first time since he signed with Seattle as a free agent prior to the 2001 season. Suzuki played nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League before traversing the Pacific Ocean to play in the United States. Hunter will add to our coverage by filing multimedia reports. "As Baseball's worldwide popularity continues its enormous growth, it is fitting that we return to Japan for the All-Star Series 2002," said Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. "With nearly 30 percent of Major League players born outside the United States and given the historic performances by former Japanese Professional Baseball players such as Ichiro, Kazuhiro Sasaki and Hideo Nomo, I am certain this competition in Japan will further promote baseball as a truly international game.'' Japanese pro baseball is currently broken down into two leagues -- the Pacific and the Central -- with the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Giants residing in the Central League. The Yomiuri Group, a media and entertainment conglomerate which owns the Giants, national television and radio networks and a Tokyo-based newspaper with a daily circulation of 14 million, is sponsoring the trip, which is a joint venture between MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association. "We're pleased to once again send a team of All-Stars to face the best players from Japanese Professional Baseball," said Don Fehr, executive director of the union. "Players from both sides of the Pacific relish the opportunity to compete in this biennial series, and we look forward to continuing this relationship in the years to come." The games will use a designated hitter and end after nine innings regardless of the score. Players will wear their team uniforms. The MLB team is scheduled to gather in Los Angeles on Nov. 2 for three days of practice at Dodger Stadium before departing for Japan on Nov. 5. After the team's arrival, the players plan to practice for two more days in Tokyo before beginning exhibition play on Nov. 9. It's MLB's first exhibition trip to Japan since 2000 and the 35th overall since 1908, when a team of U.S. players went undefeated in 19 games. Such baseball immortals as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Bench and Cal Ripken Jr. have played exhibition games in Japan and teams like the Yankees, Giants, Orioles and Mets also substituted for the All-Stars and made the trip. The Cubs and Sammy Sosa opened the 2000 regular season against the Mets in the Tokyo Dome -- the first time the regular season opened in Japan. MLB, which was 5-2-1 during the last tour, is considering having Ichiro and the Mariners open the 2003 season in Japan. Ichiro will be the only member of the Mariners making the November trip with a squad that will be managed by Art Howe, who is reportedly in the process of leaving the Athletics to head the Mets next season. The team includes 16 players from the NL and 12 from the American League. Scott Schoeneweis, the left-handed reliever, and shortstop David Eckstein will represent the AL champion Anaheim Angels. Barry M. Bloom is a reporter for MLB.com and can be reached at barry.bloom@mlb.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or any of its clubs.
MLB contingent to play in Far East http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1025/1451091.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SportsTicker NEW YORK -- Barry Bonds and Ichiro Suzuki will lead a group of major leaguers to the Far East next month for an eight-game series against a team of all-stars from Japan. Bonds, the single-season record-holder in home runs, walks, intentional walks, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, was one of two San Francisco Giants named to the 28-player club, joining catcher Benito Santiago. The Giants lead the Anaheim Angels, three games to two, in the World Series and will have a chance to win their first title since moving to San Francisco with a victory Saturday or Sunday. Along with Bonds in the outfield will be Suzuki, a star in Japan before leaving for the Seattle Mariners in 2001. He won Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors in his first big league season. The Angels will have two participants, scrappy shortstop David Eckstein and left-hander Scott Schoeneweis. Art Howe, who is expected to leave the Oakland Athletics to manage the New York Mets, will be the team's skipper. Rounding out the outfield will be Bernie Williams of the New York Yankees, Torii Hunter and Jacques Jones of the Minnesota Twins and Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies. The infield will include first basemen Jason Giambi of the Yankees and Derrek Lee of the Florida Marlins, second basemen Roberto Alomar of the Mets and Junior Spivey of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and third basemen Eric Chavez of the Athletics and Eric Hinske of the Toronto Blue Jays. Paul Lo Duca of the Los Angeles Doders will split time with Santiago at catcher. Schoeneweis is one of four relievers on the roster, joining Dodgers closer Eric Gagne, Twins left-handed setup man J.C. Romero and Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Fetters. There will be eight starting pitchers -- righthanders Bartolo Colon and Tomo Ohka of the Montreal Expos, Rodrigo Lopez of the Baltimore Orioles, Brad Penny of the Marlins, Brian Lawrence of the San Diego Padres, Miguel Batista of the Diamondbacks and Phillies left-hander Randy Wolf. The major leaguers will play eight games against a Japanese all-star team and one against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and Sapporo. MLB roster for Japan all-star series http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1025/1451097.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SportsTicker Players who will represent Major League Baseball in an eight-game series against a team of all-stars from Japan and the Yomiuri Giants Nov. 9-17 in Japan: Pitchers Miguel Batista, Arizona Diamondbacks Mark Buerhle, Chicago White Sox Bartolo Colon, Montreal Expos Mike Fetters, Arizona Diamondbacks Eric Gagne, Los Angeles Dodgers Brian Lawrence, San Diego Padres Rodrigo Lopez, Baltimore Orioles Tomo Ohka, Montreal Expos Brad Penny, Florida Marlins J.C. Romero, Minnesota Twins Scott Schoeneweis, Anaheim Angels Randy Wolf, Philadelphia Phillies Catchers Paul Lo Duca, Los Angeles Dodgers Benito Santiago, San Francisco Giants Infielders Roberto Alomar, New York Mets Eric Chavez, Oakland Athletics David Eckstein, Anaheim Angels Jason Giambi, New York Yankees Eric Hinske, Toronto Blue Jays Derrek Lee, Florida Marlins Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies Junior Spivey, Arizona Diamondbacks Outfielders Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants Pat Burrell, Philadelphia Phillies Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins Jacques Jones, Minnesota Twins Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners Bernie Williams, New York Yankees Manager -- Art Howe Coaches -- Sandy Alomar, Rudy Jaramillo, Rick Peterson |
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10-26-02, 01:45 AM
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#2 | |
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NYYF Legend
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Cloud Nine
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Sayonara, Bernie and Jason.
I wonder how much they get paid for this. You'd think they might want to relax, but doing it once might be fun. Dammit. Now I have a craving for sushi and Japanese noodles. WaSAAAbi. |
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10-26-02, 01:48 AM
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#3 | |
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NYYF Legend
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: NYC
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Too bad Soriano isn't going along ... he could interpret for Bernie and Jason!
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