Kei Igawa

By the sounds of it in the article, Igawa isn't ready to move back to Japan. Once his current contract is over, he'll be looking for another venue in North America.

I couldn't really tell from the article if he was still trying or not. Everyone seemed to understand if he was just going through the motions, but his actions all seemed to say that he was still working hard to get back up to ichi-gun. The tone was odd, as though Pennington-san had half a mind to writing Igawa off, and another half admiring Igawa's determination to continue to play in North America.

Dear Westbay-san:

I think you're right, that K-san is holding onto a dream of pitching in MLB. Despite some positive comments in the story, though, I wonder if he'll get any offers at the major league level. Poor Igawa took a terrific beating in the NY press when he was sent down, and any MLB team picking him up would have to deal with fans (well, so-called fans anyway) just chomping at the bit to heckle him. A few walks, or a homer given up, and it could all unravel.

I think the article was a bit unfocused, too. For me, the sad image that lingers is of Igawa feeling isolated in a country far from home, sticking to the routines he knows and trusts. I can't help thinking that everything would fall into place if he could just return to Japan. I for one will never forget some of his amazing performances for Hanshin. He was one of my favorite pitchers of all time, and I'd love to see him on the mound once more.