Kosuke Fukudome Signs with the Chicago Cubs

The next installment of Japanese Baseball is making their way to this side of the waters, and his name is Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome is going to step in and play right field and most likely bat second for the Cubs. For 4 years and 48 million, he is said to be a cross between an Ichiro Suzuki and and a healthy Mark Kotsay. which if is true makes him a great sign by Henry and the crew.
The problem lies in if this guy, like many other Japanese Superstars, becomes a bust. And Jim Henry, Cubs GM, is banking a lot on his scouts and other baseball resources around him for Fukudome to step in and be his OBP. machine, like he was in Japan. My prediction, is that he plays a great right field and maybe even center if the right trade comes along (Brian Roberts). And what i most like it gives the Cubs a guy that will look at pitches. Besides Derek Lee and maybe Mark Derosa, everyone else on that team is a free swinger, and pair that with one of the worst OBP. leadoff hitters in the league, Alfonso Soriano. Those make for a lineup that could have trouble getting on base and scoring if they weren't hitting the long ball. This signing solidifies the batting order and is a major upgrade defensively over Cliff Floyd. Good sign for the Cubs, but I have my fingers crossed.


Scott

Rant 1

Here we go sports fans. I have bit my tongue for too long, I cannot take this current state of sports anymore and I think the world needs to know what is wrong. Let's start with last weekend and Tracy McGrady. We all believed your rant with Stephen A. Smith when you proclaimed that this was your year to take your team past the first round. What you should have said was I'm going to put on the greatest playoff performance I have ever done, and it's the fault of my teammates for not caring as much as I do. It will come down on T-Mac because of the claims he made, and we all will blame T-Mac for not making every shot he took and making every defensive stop. Let's be honest though, Yao Ming is the most unathletic 7 footer since Shawn Bradley. Yao plays like he is 6'0 and has absolutely no desire to change that. When a 7'6 guy is getting beat by a 6'8 guy on rebounds, can you say HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM. Then on Sunday when Roger Clemens made his triumphant return from the boss' suite on his white horse by signing with the Yankees. Great for Roger, you get to pitch when you want, show up when you want, and get paid a lot of money. Bad for the Yankees, Roger is not going to tutor the young guys, he is not going to start and close, and he is not going care about anything but Roger Clemens. This might be the only time in my life when I applaud David Wells for calling out Roger Clemens. I thought what he said might go over at least a little bit better for what Wells said, but I suppose that's what happens when you are the first to point out the obvious. Side note to the rest of the PGA...if you ever thought you had a chance of winning a tournament, that is now gone. When Rori Sabbatini called Tiger "beatable" it was like telling Wayne Gretzky that he can't score, or tell Michael Jordan that he crumbles under pressure. If anyone thinks that Tiger is going to just let those words be said and not do something about it you are wrong. Are we so short to forget about his run at the end of last year when everyone around golf said that Tiger had come back to the same level as everyone else. Shame on you Rori...you have only awoken a sleeping giant. Well that's going to end this rant, but as long as athletes and people in sports are making themselves to look like idiots...I will be there.

G e Koch

A-Rod is A-mazing in A-pril

For those of you who think that baseball is too boring and too slow paced I would like to introduce you to a baseball player by the name of Alex Rodriguez. He is the third baseman for the New York Yankees and having the greatest 18 games to start a season ever. He has hit 14 homeruns during those games and driven in 34 runs also. He is currently tied for the most homeruns ever hit in the month of April and is just a few RBI's away from breaking that record also. I personally am happy for A-Rod and the success he is having this season after how poorly he was treated last season not only by Yankee fans, but the media, his teammates and his coaches as well.

Alex Rodriguez won the AL MVP in 2005 with the New York Yankees and then during the 2006 season was completely thrown under the bus by the media, teammates, fans, and even his manager, Joe Torre. Just because A-Rod didn't have a typical year where he hit .300 and had 40+ HR and drive in 130 RBI's the fans called for his head and booed every time he came to the plate. The media made him the whipping boy for the Yankees losses and ignored the fact that their pitching rotation was decimated with injuries and that half their roster was in the big leagues when A-Rod was first playing T-Ball. His teammates called him a bad teammate and singled him out about his "lack" of production. The classy and flashy captain of the Yanks, Derek Jeter, even called him out at one point last year. Jason Giambi said that he needed to deliver more and hold up his end. To me this was hilarious because it wasn't too long ago that this steroid injecting slugger was in A-Rod's shoes: the lucrative contract, the high expectations, and the massive disappointment from the fans. You would think that this guy would side with A-Rod and stick up for him but instead he throws him under the bus. Giambi was suppose to save the Bronx Bombers his first year there but instead was a huge bust. He had to completely revamp his swing after he got off the juice and there were times when the brass of the Yanks were contemplating sending Giambi to the minors or just releasing him altogether. Joe Torre is the manager who quietly sits on the bench and is widely considered a players coach because he doesn't ride his players too hard and is very loyal. Torre was so loyal to A-Rod last season that at times he would hit him in the 8-hole. Are you kidding me the reining MVP who still hit .290 with 35 bombs and 121 RBI's was hitting in the freaking 8-hole.

This season though now that A-Rod is doing things that we have never seen before the fans view him as a god and are so thankful that they get to see him wearing that number 13 jersey and playing third base. The media is finally pointing out the true reasons why the Yankees are below .500 and are saying, "Imagine where they would be if it wasn't for A-Rod?" His teammates have only good things to say about him and they're all waiting with smiles when he touches home plate after each of his 14 homeruns. His beloved manager was recently asked about A-Rod and he responded with, "The sky is the limit... the sky is the limit for Alex... it is scary." Where was all this love at last year when he still posted numbers that for most players are career years?

I can proudly say that I never once faltered or jumped off the A-Rod train last year as I traded FOR him in every one of my fantasy baseball leagues last year. So when everyone was jumping off the train, I was moving my way up to first class. So now that A-Rod is walking on water this month I stick my head out of the window and laugh at everyone scrambling to jump back aboard the train. I say CONGRATULATIONS A-ROD YOU DESERVE THIS.

oh yeah and ALL ABOARD!!!!!!!!

Clay Jackson