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Countrymen in the Clubhouse?

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Countrymen in the Clubhouse?
As a Seattle Mariners fan, I've been able to watch first Sasaki, then Ichiro come directly from Japan and work wonders, with Hasegawa joining the club and pitching sufficiently in relief. With this year's questions about the SS position (after Guillen's lackluster second half) and the recurring question about left field, there was of course talk of the two Matsuis bubbling up. It seems of course that Kazuo will not be coming across this year, and the Yankees seem to want Godzilla (and a strong relationship with the Giants, if the Post's rumor is to be believed). Competition from the Yankees on a financial ground is costly, as Steinbrenner always seems willing to throw millions over any other owner to achieve victory.

All this rambling does have a point: how much does the presence of countrymen on a MLB club's roster influence NPB players who might consider hopping the ocean? In an interview earlier this year, Hasegawa spoke of how nice it was to have players from home in the clubhouse with him. Is it just a perk, or could it be crucial to a decision?
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Re: Countrymen in the Clubhouse?
[ Author: Guest: asij 81 | Posted: Oct 16, 2002 4:47 PM ]

Although noting this from a distance, it seemed that in Boston, Nomo came back to life while pitching for most of the season with Ohka. Ohka on the other hand struggled until Lou Merloni returned from Japan. Then again, Nomo struggled while pitching with Ishii while in New York, and none of the Koreans have been able to stick here in Boston. As a matter of fact. The cultural differences and great personal dislike of each other developed into a full scale brawl between Tomo Ohka and Sun Woo Kim while down in Pawtucket R.I. at the AAA level. This was something the media and most of the front office didn't understand or report on due to cultural ignorance and indifference.
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