Swallows accept bid
	Ishii excitement
	Cards sign Taguchi

By Wayne Graczyk
January 11, 2002

So Taguchi Photo: Wayne Graczyk

TOKYO--While Major League Baseball continues to consider contraction, expansion is the word for Japanese fans of the American majors, now that two more high-profile players are heading west--expansion in the number of Japanese players in the majors, and expanded interest among baseball lovers in this nation.

Ace lefthander Kazuhisa Ishii of the Yakult Swallows is expected to join the Dodgers, and former Orix BlueWave outfielder So Taguchi will play for the Cardinals, joining Mets righthander Satoru Komiyama as newcomers in 2002. This brings the number of Japanese expected to play in the majors this season to at least 11.

Ishii, a 28-year-old lefthander with an above-average fastball and an assortment of breaking balls including a splitter, is going to Los Angeles to join countryman and seven-year veteran righty Hideo Nomo. The Dodgers won the right to negotiate with Ishii after the Swallows agreed to post him, making him available to the highest bidder. L.A.'s reported $11.25 million fee was tops among several teams making offers, and Ishii is expected to sign soon.

While he says he likely would have joined any club that won his rights with the highest bid, Ishii is especially happy to be going to Southern California. His wife, former television sports anchor Ayako Kisa, has lived in Los Angeles and speaks fluent English. The Dodgers also have a strong relationship with Japanese baseball, dating back to the Brooklyn days of Walter O'Malley.

Manager Walter Alston led the Boys of Summer on a Japan tour in 1956, and the Tokyo Giants have occasionally participated in spring training with the Dodgers in Vero Beach, Fla. Tommy Lasorda, who also serves as an adviser to Japan's Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, brought the Dodgers to Fukuoka, Japan, for a two-game series against the Daiei Hawks in 1993, and he welcomed Nomo to the Dodgers in 1995.

Dodgers manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Jim Colborn have experience in Japan, too. Tracy played right field for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in 1983 and '84. Colborn was the Orix pitching coach for four seasons (1990-93), then served as Pacific Rim coordinator for the Mariners before joining the Dodgers. He speaks Japanese well enough to communicate with Ishii and Nomo.

For Ishii, his dream to play in the majors comes after a year of uncertainty and several changes of heart. He expressed his desire to be posted last April as he began his eighth season. Yakult agreed to his request, acknowledging that the nine-year vet could file for free agency after the 2002 season and the Swallows would get nothing in return. By posting him, the club would set up itself for a big payoff.

Then came Sept. 11, and Ishii, with Kisa expecting their first child in December, considered staying home and playing in Tokyo for at least another year. The Swallows were confused and anxious about losing a potential windfall but eventually offered Ishii a multi-year deal.

Then Kisa gave birth to a healthy boy on Dec. 3, and Ishii's concerns about security diminished. He also saw Komiyama agree to sign with the Mets and realized the time was right to make his own major league dream come true. Once again, he asked Yakult to post his name, and the transfer process began.

Ishii has been compared to such big leaguers as Andy Pettitte of the Yankees and Eric Milton of the Twins, but he also could remind some of Yankees lefty David Wells, wearing a baggy uniform and showing poise on the mound in pressure situations.

Japanese fans remain enthusiastic about their own league and grow more interested in the American brand of baseball every day.

"This is going to be a real exciting season for us," said 53-year-old Yakult fan Yoshio Sakurai. "I think the Swallows can win the Japan Series again, even without Ishii, and I'll be rooting for Ishii and the Dodgers to win the World Series."

Ichiro Photo: Larry Goren

Several Japanese TV networks are expected to increase live telecasts of big league games in 2002, with heavy coverage of the Dodgers, Cardinals and Mets in addition to the Mariners (with Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki) and Giants (Tsuyoshi Shinjo).

Travel agents and tour companies expect the addition of more Japanese players in the majors will spur Japanese baseball fans to visit North America on their vacations to see the home-grown players and revive interest in international travel, said to be down about 18 percent since Sept. 11.

"I would like to take a trip to the U.S. this year and see Ichiro play in Seattle and Taguchi play in St. Louis when the Cardinals play the Dodgers and he faces Nomo and Ishii," said 31-year-old Orix fan Kenji Sakamoto. "Knowing I will have a chance to see them play against the best players in the world will take away my fear of flying."

After Ishii's expected departure, Taguchi's move to St. Louis came as a surprise to many who thought he would stay in Japan and jump from Orix to the Hanshin Tigers. His best assets are speed and defense, but the Cardinals will count on him to produce offensive numbers similar to those Shinjo posted with the Mets last year.

Hideki Matsui Photo: Wayne Graczyk

Posting was not necessary for Taguchi, who like Komiyama was a free agent. He hit .280-8-42 in 2001 and is a lifetime .278 hitter, while Shinjo was a .248 hitter in nine seasons in Japan who batted .268 for the Mets.

Japanese fans expect Taguchi, like Shinjo, to be awed by the aura of the major leagues. The sense of having fun while playing ball after viewing it as work, as is the Japanese style, will bring out the best in the man who played alongside Ichiro in the Orix outfield for seven years.

Japanese fans will look forward to skipping work and watching Taguchi and Ishii, Ichiro and Shinjo, Nomo, Komiyama and Sasaki, Mac Suzuki, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Hideki Irabu and Masato Yoshii, and there will be more to come.

Yomiuri Giants slugger Hideki Matsui, who won the Central League batting title (.333) in 2001 as well as the home run (42) and RBI (108) titles in 2000, turned down a huge contract offer from the club, signing only for 2002. The outfielder will complete his ninth season and can file for free agency in November.

Norihiro Nakamura Photo: Wayne Graczyk

So can Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes third baseman Norihiro Nakamura, who led the Pacific League with 132 RBIs last season while hitting .320 and slamming 46 homers. Both previously said they were not thinking about the majors but now say they are keeping their options open. Like them, Japanese players and fans should grow only more interested in the majors in coming years.