Covering All The Bases
By: Dan Biederman
That’s right, Koskue Fukudome, the apple of many Cubs fans’ eyes, graces the cover of the May 5 issue of Sports Illustrated, which hit the mailboxes of subscribers across the country today, and will be available on newsstands next Monday.
SI writer Lee Jenkins profiles Fukudome in his profile of the Cubs new slugger, “Koskue Fukudome Tastes Good.” (The title of the article makes sense once you’ve read the piece, I swear.) A few exerpts:
The fact that Kosuke Fukudome stuck around is making this 100th-anniversary season a whole lot easier to stomach. Instead of picking at old scabs, the Cubs are celebrating a new player who does not know Bartman from Bart Simpson. Fukudome has been a Cub for only a month, but he already gets the loudest pregame ovations at Wrigley Field. Every time he walks to home plate, the organist plays a catchy melody that inspires chants of “FOO-koo-DOUGH-may.” Vendors say his jersey is their best seller, by approximately two to one. He has also spawned a cottage industry outside the ballpark, where you can buy bandanas with Fukudome’s name spelled in Japanese characters or T-shirts with shout-outs such as FUKUDOME IS MY HOMIE. (The Cubs, though, did have to pull one unlicensed T-shirt from the outdoor marketplace because it featured their bear logo with slanted eyes and Harry Caray glasses, over the words HORRY KOW.)
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Wrigley field has seen plenty of one-day wonders over the years. Most famously, Cubs centerfielder Karl (Tuffy) Rhodes hit three home runs off Mets starting pitcher Dwight Gooden on Opening Day 1994, only to hit just five more during the rest of his major league career. (Coincidentally, Rhodes ended up in Japan, where he’s hit more homers — 412 — than any other foreign-born player.) But Fukudome’s staying power has nothing to do with the long ball. He will never hit as many home runs as Matsui. He won’t steal as many bases as Ichiro. What separates Fukudome is his eye.
From the beginning of spring training Cubs pitchers noticed something odd about Fukudome when they threw him batting practice. He took an inordinate amount of pitches. When games began, his approach was not much different. Most major league hitters, if behind in the count, will swing at any pitch they believe is a strike. Fukudome will only swing at a pitch he believes he can hit. The difference is subtle but significant. “I just try to focus on the pitches I can handle,” Fukudome says. “If it’s an outside strike that I can’t reach, I won’t swing at it. I’ll just say, ‘I’m sorry,’ and walk away.”
Even in Japan, where hitters are well-known for their plate discipline, Fukudome was unusually selective. His on-base percentage over the last three years was .443, .438 and .430, tops in the Central League each season. This spring he tied for the Cactus League lead with 15 walks in 23 games. And this season he has drawn 19 walks in 24 games, seeing 4.5 pitches per plate appearance, second most in the majors.
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Japanese players are often viewed as curiosities by their American teammates. But the Cubs have embraced Fukudome as thoroughly as their fans have. Theriot carries a Japanese-English dictionary. Ace starter Carlos Zambrano wrote his own name in Japanese characters on the back of his cleats. Shortstop Ronny Cedeño choreographed a handshake with Fukudome that includes a bow at the end. Though the Cubs have never had a Japanese player before, several are well acquainted with Japanese baseball. Outfielder Alfonso Soriano began his professional career in Japan. Lee’s father, Leon, played 10 years in Japan before becoming the first black manager there.
The Cubs also appreciate that Fukudome makes an effort. During a bus ride from Phoenix to Tucson in spring training, Theriot sat in the back row of the bus with Mark DeRosa and Daryle Ward, having a private conversation. Fukudome sat one row in front of them. After about 45 minutes Theriot noticed Fukudome typing feverishly into a small keyboard. “I looked closer, and I saw that it was his little electronic translator,” Theriot says. “He was keeping track of every word we were saying.”
Full story available:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/04/29/fukudome0505/index.html
Image Credits:
http://i.cnn.net/si/si_online/covers/images/2008/0505_large.jpg
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/baseball/mlb/04/29/fukudome0505/fukudome1.jpg
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/email/siextra/2008/04/30/images/3.jpg
Posted by danbiederman 
