CJ Baseball: June 16, 2007

Jason Standridge has arrived in Fukuoka. Jason is a RHP pitcher who the Hawks signed to be a reliever or possibly a starter. I met Jason last year, he and I were roommates in spring training. He was playing for the Reds and I was in camp with the Pirates, both camps are close to each other and a mutual friend set it up so we could all share a house.

Coming to Japan in the middle of the season must be overwhelming. I had always thought that if I came here to play I would want to do it in the middle of the year so I could skip Spring Training. I had heard how difficult Japanese spring training could be. Now that I am here I am glad to had gone through spring camp. Two months was a lot of time but it was good for me. I was able to get a sense of how things work here and even though I still have to make adjustments as I go I have a pretty good idea of what I need to know both on and off the field to be comfortable.

Jason doesn’t have that luxury. He is jumping right in to not only playing in Japan but living here as well. His wife is with him so they have a lot to learn together. I am trying to give him as much information as possible to make the transition easier. It can be a lot though for an American. One of the great things about Japan, and especially Fukuoka, is how patient people are with us. The Japanese really treat foreigners well, at least in my experiences here, and that makes life a little easier. He is really excited to be here and to be playing for the Hawks. I am excited for him and hope that I can help get both he and his wife comfortable so they can enjoy Japan as much as me and my family do.

Since I have been back from the minor leagues I have getting more regular work than before I left. This game is about production and ultimately you have to get the job done if you want to play. I have been fortunate to have a few good outings since I have been back and hope that I can continue to contribute to our team’s run at a championship. I was upset with the move at the time but I can tell you that my trip to the minor leagues was exactly what I needed. I am seeing the benefits from the mental readjustment I made while I was there.

The schedule is really unusual as we wind down interleague play. Our last 8 games in interleague come over the course of 16 days. The league leaves at least 1 off day in between interleague games as well as 4 off days at the conclusion of interleague play in case of rainouts. We won’t have any rainouts to make up so we’ll have 4 off days at the end of interleague play next week. Most likely we’ll practice in 3 of them and have 1 off. At least I am hoping we get at least one off.

For an American it is really weird to have more than one consecutive off day during the season. So when we have 4 after next Sunday and most likely 2 after our series in Yokohama I’ll feel a little out of sorts.

[Full Article: http://www.cjbaseball.com/book/week19-20.htm#6.16]