Kent Ninomiya San Diego Padres

So That's How It's Going to Be! - Kent Ninomiya

2008-04-19T00:06:00.002-05:00

So that's how it's going to be... eh? It's not enough that the Padres break our hearts, they have to be oh so cruel. On paper the Pads seem to have what it takes. An overpowering pitching staff and adequate bats. They hang in there tight for those close low scoring games. Only a true fan can sit there cheering in the ninth inning of a 0-0 tie. Only a masochist is still cheering in the 22nd inning for the Padres to come back from a 2-1 deficit. San Diego wins enough to get fans hopes up then loses the tight ones that would give us satisfaction. After sitting through more than six hours of pretty boring baseball we deserve a win. Rockies fans might say they deserved it more but i'm ignoring them right now. I'm talking about the Padres and their habit of losing the games that make you happy you're a fan. You know... the knock down drag outs that you have to claw for with all you got. Losing those hurt so much more than the lopsided pounding. In this young season that seems to be all we're feeling.

Padres Heartbreak - Kent Ninomiya

2008-04-10T18:52:00.002-05:00

I just finished watching the series between the Padres and the Giants in San Francisco. The Pads looked good going in. Pitching was strong as ever and their bats seemed to be coming alive early. Virtually the entire starting line up entered the series batting over .300. Despite all the nay sayers it looked as though the Padres could have another successful year and wipe clean the memory of last year's last minute collapse. SD walked away with the first game of the series making the hapless Giants look amateurish with a record of 1-6. The last two games of the series were low scoring drawn out battles. In the first the Padres came back from a 0-2 deficit to send the game into extra innings only to lose it in the bottom of the 11th on a Benjie Molina home run. In the second game there was no score going into the bottom of the 9th. It looked as though it would be another extra inning game but with two outs Daniel Ortmeier muscled in a run on a double over the head of Jim Edmonds to score Rajai Davis from second. It was two close walk off losses for the Padres in two days. Here's my question... is being a Padres fan all about the heartbreak? Yeah... I know it's early in the season... but I feel like we are being slow tortured. It's far more painful to lose the nail biters than the blow outs. Padres fans are not Cubs fans or old Red Sox fans. We don't like the pain. Would it be too much to ask to have the Padres win a few of these close ones? Please... at least until the sting of last season fades. Kent Ninomiya

Baseball's Big Lie - Kent Ninomiya

2008-02-14T19:46:00.006-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - The media circus surrounding Roger Clemens' congressional testimony isn't shedding much light on who is lying and who is telling the truth. However, it is exposing the crystal clear hypocricy of baseball. The surprising champion of truth in all this may end up ironically being Jose Canseco. Canseco cashed in on confessing his steroid use. He wasn't going to the hall of fame anyway so he might as well make some money off the scandal. While Canseco delighted in pointing his steroid inflated finger at big star after bigger star, he is coming to the defense of Clemens. Canseco insists Clemens was not at a 1998 party he hosted. Clemens' accuser, Brian McNamee says Clemens was there. Canseco calls McNamee a "dirty liar." Why would Canseco, a man who made a second career out of outing fellow MLB players, publically defend Clemens? On the other hand, why would Clemens' long time friend and training partner Andy Pettitte implicate Clemens? It's a huge mess getting bigger because Congress decided to sweep in with a holyer than thou condemnation. Jealous politicians, who I suspect once had fantacies about being a sports star like Clemens, take delight in tearing down this icon. It's the ultimate in player hating. I don't know if Clemens is lying or McNamee is lying. They may both be lying. The one thing that's certain is that steroid use in baseball was commonplace and condoned by MLB and lawmakers for decades. The joke about spring training is that it's a time to figure out the proper dosage. Lots of players took steroids and the league knew about it. Saying they're cleaning it up now is hypocritical. Remember, baseball was in big trouble after the 1994 strike. Fans were slow to return. The homerun contest of Mark McGwire and Sama Sosa, career homerun record of Barry Bonds and pitching heroics of Roger Clemens brought the fans back. Baseball now enjoys unprecidented prosperity thanks to these athletes. Now that the league is lining its pockets with the exploits, they are wagging their collective finger at the guys who did it for them. The true villians in all this are the owners and league officials who allowed it to happen. If they truely wanted performing enhancing drugs out of baseball they could have taken steps decades ago. They didn't. Looking the other way was paramount to condoning it. They do not have the right to act outraged now. Kent Ninomiya

Who's Next? - Kent Ninomiya

2008-02-09T18:20:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Let me get this straight. Roger Clemens' former trainer Brian McNamee now says he injected Debbie Clemens with HGH. Roger Clemens' wife is now an alleged doping fiend? The story from McNamee seems to get stranger and stranger by the day. As far as I can tell it's just his word against everyone else. Unless, of course, those bloody syringes he supposedly hung on to for 7 years turn out to prove something. What I find off about the story is that it is trickling out. It's as if it is being made up along the way. First it's a legendary pitcher being accused, then his wife. Who's next? His kids, his dog, his ham sandwich? The unfortunate part of all this is that Clemens may never get a chance to clear his name. Meanwhile he is being smeared weekly with fresh stories about his alleged drug use. It's time for McNamee to put up or shut up. Every day this drags on make it more of a travesty of justice. If Clemens is guilty prosecute. If he is innocent then clear his name. Trial by media benefits no one. The guilty have justice delayed. The innocent are unjustly tormented. The media loses its soul and credibility. Kent Ninomiya

Bizzare Twist in Clemens Story - Kent Ninomiya

2008-02-07T00:40:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Lawyers for Brian McNamee, the trainer accusing Roger Clemens of steroid use, now say they gave prosecutors physical evidence that proves Clemens is guilty. They claim they handed over bloody syringes with Clemens' blood on them in early January. This prompted strong denials from Clemens' attornies who say anything like that would have to have been fabricated. Common sense suggests it is highly unlikely a trainer would keep used syringes with illegal substances in them for seven years. Why would he do that? It is unsanitary and implicates him in a crime. Also if he had these why did he wait until now to hand them over? Roger Clemens knows this is no joke. His team of lawyers must have told him the legal ramifications of perjury. Yet the seven-time Cy Young Award winner gave a five-hour sworn deposition Tuesday to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Afterward he again denied to reporters that he ever used performance-enchancing drugs. Clemens knows that if he's caught lying he could go to prison. That makes Clemens either completely innocent or increadibly stupid. This case gets more and more bizzare every day, but I still haven't seen any evidence that proves Clemens did anything wrong. His accuser is hardly credible and now suddenly there's physical evidence we didn't know about? There is something very wrong in all this. Clemens may need his day in court to get this all out in the open and clear his name. Unfortunately this will probably drag on for years and may never reach trial. If that's the case Clemens will have no where to go to get his reputation back. Kent Ninomiya

Greene Rakes In Green - Kent Ninomiya

2008-02-04T13:20:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Padres shortstop Khalil Greene rakes in a lot of green with a new two-year contract worth $11 million guaranteed. It's his reward for a monster 2007 season. Greene was the team's 2007 MVP after hitting .254 and setting career highs with 27 homers, 44 doubles and 97 RBIs. He also set a club record with a .984 fielding percentage over 690 chances. Greene is an important element of the Padres which is known more for its pitchers than its slugging infielders. He's also a popular humble guy who is popular with the fans. Good job Padres management for hanging on to this guy. Kent Ninomiya

ESPN Suspends Jacobson - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-23T14:25:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Suspending TV talent for off hand remarks seems to be in vogue these days. Now it's ESPN's Dana Jacobson who is on the hot seat. The co-host of "First Take" on ESPN2 is reportedly serving a one-week suspension for comments made at a January 11 roast of ESPN Radio personalities Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. Jacobsen is said to have made vulgar comments about Notre Dame as a joke. Jacobson is a Michigan graduate who often kids Notre Dame alumnus Golic about the rivalry between the schools. Apparently it went too far. Jacobson reportedly made a number of apologies the next day to Greenberg and Golic, and issued a statement saying, "I am sorry. My remarks about Notre Dame were foolish and insensitive. I respect all religions and did not mean anything derogatory by my poorly chosen words. I also deeply regret the embarrassment I've caused ESPN and Mike and Mike." The apology wasn't good enough for ESPN.

The question I have is: would Jacobson have been suspended if the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman had not been disciplined for her comments about Tiger Woods recently. Then Golfweek ran a cover of a noose to exploit the controversy. Editor Dave Seanor got fired for approving it. It seems to be a feeding frenzy on TV talent.

I watch Dana Jacobson on a regular basis. She is a classy professional who presents herself well while doing hours of live television involving contentious debate. She was making jokes at a roast. Did she go to far? Maybe, but come on, it was a roast. A McCarthy style witch hunt is brewing in the broadcast industry where everyone is hypersensitive about what they say and intent is determined by public opinion days after the fact. We need to be careful not to lose our freedoms of expression and press by pandering to "pile on" outrage. They are just words. Let's not make them about something they're not. Kent Ninomiya

New Steroids Procedure - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-19T20:11:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - In the old days, when an athlete was accused of using performance enhancing drugs they just came out and denied it. That strategy didn't work well for those who were actually guilty. Just ask Marion Jones who is heading to prison for six months for lying to investigators. Houston Astro shortstop Miguel Tejada is now under investigation by the FBI for allegedly lying to investigators about his possible steroid use. If he's found guilty he might go to prison as well. Athletes are realizing that covering up is often more costly than what they're accused of doing in the first place. Many are now listening to their attorneys and saying nothing. There's a reason Mark McGuire is rarely seen in public anymore and wont grant interviews to anyone. He knows that nothing he says will help his case or public perception. McGuire refused to implicate himself or possibly commit perjury when he testified before congress. It hurt him in the public eye but may keep him out of prison if he ever is found guilty of anything. Even Roger Clemens, who went on the offensive against his accuser, refuses to make statements that could end up harming him later. Expect more carefully worded statements when he eventually testifies to congress. The bottom line is, athletes are beginning to realize that people will not take their word for it. The smart ones know what they say can and will come back to haunt them. Kent Ninomiya

Bud Back - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-18T16:35:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Bud is back! The big question around the baseball world is whether that's a good thing. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig just extended his contract another three years. He will be with us through 2012. This is somewhat unexpected. Selig hinted that it was time for him to retire. It is certainly an interesting time in baseball. It's enjoying unprecidented financial success while under fire for steroid allegations. So is Selig good or bad for baseball. I think he is a valueable asset. Baseball is going through its most dramatic change since integration. Its biggest stars are its biggest liability. Strange times we live in. Bud is responsible for the steroid controversy coming to the surface. He is not trying to sweep it under the rug. He encouraged the Mitchell report, accepts partial responsibility and vows to clean things up. He is not responsible for steroids. He is doing something about it. Baseball has also exploded economically in his tenure. MLB grossed more than 6 billion dollars last season. They set an attendance record of nearly 80 million. Both are records. Selig promises to expand the league even more, bringing more baseball to more regions of the country. If you are a baseball fan, Bud is a stud not a dud. Kent Ninomiya

Interesting link - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-16T16:08:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - I would like to recommend an interesting blog. It's by OldSchool, a guy with a good grasp on sports issues. Lately he's been addressing the Roger Clemens steroids accusation issue. Check it out! Kent Ninomiya
http://oldschool.tblog.com/

New Minor Leaguers - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-16T16:08:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - News on recent minor league signings in the Padres organizations from the associated press: Catcher Robert Fick, outfielder Jeff DaVanon and left-hander Mike Megrew agreed to minor league contracts with the San Diego Padres on Thursday and were invited to spring training.
Fick returns to the Padres after spending the last two seasons with the Washington Nationals. He was with the Padres in 2004 and 2005. He is a career .258 hitter in parts of 10 big league seasons with five teams.
DaVanon split the 2007 season between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland Athletics, hitting .213. He's played parts of eight big league seasons with three teams, batting .259.
Megrew made 19 starts and had 21 appearances for Double-A Jacksonville in 2007, going 6-6 with a 5.30 ERA.

Baseball Holds Its Breath - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-14T12:55:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - As Roger Clemens awaits his February 13th meeting with U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, he ponders the seemingly impossible task of clearing his name. The seven time Cy Young Award winner and, until recently, shoe in for the Hall of Fame, was named in the Mitchell Report as a user of steroids. The apparent source of the allegation is a sole trainer who claim he injected Clemens years ago. Clemens vehemently denies the allegation. He is doing what he can to fight it and the public perception that followed. He released statements, appeared on 60 Minutes, and filed a lawsuit against his accuser. Clemens also plans to testify before congress. He is doing more to clear his name than any other athlete who has been in this situation. If Clemens is guilty and there is convincing proof out there then he is in big trouble. Doing steroids is bad enough. Lying about it under oath will land you in prison. Just ask Marion Jones. However, if Clemens is not guilty then he is doing quite literally all he can. He is fortunate to have the money and resources to fight allegations in a way few others can. He will, no doubt, spend millions in his attempt to save his reputation. It will be worth the expense if he is able to turn around public perception and save his legacy. By all accounts it is a long shot. It is more unlikely than a 45 year old who can still throw a baseball like Clemens. He seems to realize this. "How do you prove a negative?" Clemens asked rhetorically at his news conference. "How do you do it?" His voice dripped with anger and frustration. Clemens is going for broke in this ordeal. Either he will be completely destroyed and disgraced or vindicated and held up as a working class hero for overcoming the establishment and unjust accusations. Either way he will carry indelible scars. What else can he do though? Kent Ninomiya

Golf Channel Controversy - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-12T16:19:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - A few words about the suspension of Kelly Tilghman. The Golf Channel anchor will leave partner Nick Faldo and the network for two weeks as punishment for her comment that golfers should "lynch" Tiger Woods "in a dark alley" if they want to catch up to him. It was a stupid thing to say but no one believes she meant it literally. Tiger Woods, through his agent, said it was a non issue. The Golf Channel treated it as if it was no big deal and kept Tilghman on the air for several days after the comment. It wasn't until the next week when there was a public outcry and Rev. Al Sharpton called for Tilghman's firing that the Golf Channel took action. Suddenly they condemned her words. They released a statement saying "there is simply no place on our network for offensive language like this." Hmmm... such outrage. Why did it take them so long to feel it? I see hypocrisy here. If there is no room on the Golf Channel for that language then Tilghman should have been yanked from the air immediately. If it was a non issue then she should not be suspended. If you are going to take a moral stand then you have to make up your mind. You can't have it both ways. The late suspension was a compromise to hopefully get angry African Americans off the Golf Network's back. Tilghman's suspension conveniently ends just in time for her to work the Buick Invitational on January 24. It will be Tiger Woods' 2008 debut. I guess the Golf Network's timing isn't completely off... not when it comes to scheduling their outrage. Kent Ninomiya

Changing Faces - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-11T16:19:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Take a look at the leader board at the Sony Open. K.J. Choi is the big story. He is leading thanks to his amazing 5 under 65. It's a monumental turn around from his last place finish among the 31 winners at Kapalua for the Mercedes-Benz Championship seven days ago. He leads Kevin Na by two strokes. Another big story is Tadd Fujikawa. Last year he became the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut on the PGA Tour. The 17-year-old from Honolulu failed to make the cut this time but he's the focus of attention whenever he plays just like Michelle Wie and Tiger Woods. Do you notice anything about the names? Every one of them if Asian or of Asian ancestry. Tiger is the undisputed face of Golf yet many don't realize that he is more Asian than he is black. Asian athletes are moving to the forefront of American athletics. Gone are the days of the meek Asian stereotype. Baseball is full of Asian stars like Ichiro. Basketball has Yao Ming. Football has Hines Ward. The list goes on and on in sports ranging from tennis to figure skating to soccer to hockey. It's good for the future of sports to have role models of every color. It inspires young athletes to strive for their dreams. These pioneers represent far more than they know. They are like Jackie Robinson breaking down barriers both real and imagined. Kent Ninomiya

Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-10T14:05:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Here's a link to a blog you might find interesting. The author seems to have a good grasp on some pressing sports issues of our time. http://oldschool.tblog.com/post/1969970957#comment_anchor

Golf Channel Controversy - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-09T03:27:00.002-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - This entry may seem out of place for this blog, but I don't have a golf blog and it is an important topic that applies to all sports. Should someone lose their job and career for saying the wrong thing? Is it right that years of unblemished service be wiped out by a single off hand comment? The answer is... it depends. Last Friday, Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman said young pro golfers trying to catch up to Tiger Woods should "lynch him in a back alley." Naturally this comment sparked outrage since Tiger Woods is part African American. The anger further intensified as Tilghman was allowed to appear on the air all day Saturday as if nothing happened. She issued an on-air apology Sunday and said he apologized directly to Tiger Woods, however she remained on the air that day. The Golf Channel issued a statement saying "we regret if any viewers were offended by Kelly's choice of words."
Tiger Woods is apparently taking the high road and not making an issue out of it. Woods' agent is quotes as saying "It is a complete non-issue. Kelly and Tiger are friends. It might have been a poor choice of words, but there was absolutely no ill intent whatsoever."

It is entirely reasonable to assume that Tilghman did not mean to offend anyone and is not a racist. It was most likely a slip of the tongue and she did not realize the context of the word "lynch" when she said it. So then, what should be her "punishment" if anything? The Golf Channel is obviously concentrating on intent. Since she has no ill will then it's a simple matter of apologizing. The fact that their viewer base is primarily white and not overall offended by her remark anyway also limits their motivation to dole out any punishment. To some this makes the Golf Channel seem apathetic and racist. Other groups out there are horribly offended and want Tilghman's head. It doesn't matter to them that Woods himself says he's not offended and is willing to drop the matter. They want to make an example out of Tilghman as if punishing her will stop others from making slips of the tongue in the future.

I have worked in television for more than 20 years now. Many comments have passed my lips that came out differently than I intended them. When you talk for a living on live television you sometimes say stupid and inadvertently offensive things without realizing it. Is that a punishable offense? One time in San Francisco I was chatting on air with my co anchor about a man who found several stolen Oscar statues in a trash dumpster. His reward for returning them was an invitation to the Academy Awards ceremony in the next day or two. I commented that I hoped he had time to find something nice to wear since the Academy Awards are all about what people are wearing. The man happened to be African American. One viewer was greatly offended by my comment and wrote a letter accusing me of being a blatant racist. He said I claimed African Americans are too poor and stupid to dress themselves. I have quite honestly never had that thought in my life and was not thinking about the man's race at all when making the comment. I was talking about clothes. Despite this the viewer was irate. I personally expressed my regret to the viewer if my comments offended him and explained that I did not mean what he believed I did. It did not satisfy him and he continued to be angry and convinced I was a racist. Nothing I could say or do would satisfy him. He just wanted to be offended.

I have also been on the other side of misspoken words. I was hired to be a primary anchor at a television station in Minneapolis and partnered with an African American woman. The general manager who hired me was a visionary. He was willing to create an all minority main anchor team in an overwhelmingly white market. When asked about this, he said when it comes to anchors it didn't matter the color of their skin or the "slant" of their eyes. Columnists and Asian American groups around the country took it upon themselves to be offended by the "slant" comment. Some called for the general manager's firing. They didn't bother to ask me if I was offended. I wasn't. I knew this man to be honorable and brave. He took a huge risk hiring me and was in no way a racist. His words came out wrong. That's all. The story diminished what should have been a hugely positive story about the landmark all minority anchor team in Minnesota. Those who were so offended missed an opportunity to focus on a positive accomplishment by being petty and negative.

The bottom line here is that words are powerful, but they're just words. A sum of a person's character and accomplishments can not be reduced to a single inadvertent comment no matter what it is. If there's a pattern of offensive behavior or words, that's different. If it's a single off hand statement then it should be judged in the context under which it is said. Making a big deal about an innocent statement harms the movement for equality. If the mainstream sees minorities as over sensitive and unreasonable then they will ignore legitimate complaints. Likewise, the mainstream needs to understand that offensive comments do harm us all and use these incidents as opportunities to focus on removing them from our lexicon. There is work to do on both sides. Kent Ninomiya

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2008-01-08T03:27:00.000-06:00

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will baseball ever be the same? - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - What is an innocent man supposed to sound like? Do we know? If I asked what a guilty man sounds like I'm sure I would get all sorts of answers, but an innocent man is harder to identify. This is the no win situation facing Roger Clemens. No matter what he does he will look and sound guilty to many just because he was accused. This is the gross injustice inflicted by our media culture. While the courts are supposed to assume innocence until guilt is proven, it is the opposite in the media. Public perception is always to assume guilt. The tragedy is that even if a celebrity is later proved to be innocent, people generally don't remember that. Roger Clemens seems to realize that he is ruined no matter what he does. Still he is releasing statements, holding news conferences and suing his accuser. He is doing what he can to clear his name even though he realizes it will never be enough. Celebrity is an unforgiving double edged sword. It will slice you a path to the front of the line then cut you down where you stand. In my career I've witnessed countless lives ruined by unsubstantiated accusations. I do not know if Roger Clemens is guilty or not, but I will strive to give him the benefit of the doubt while due process is observed. I do this even though I know my media colleagues wont. I urge my fellow journalists to consider what they do on a daily basis. Our job as journalists is to uncover the truth and report the facts. Giving false impressions by repeating unproven accusations as fact is wrong. Let's do the right thing. Kent Ninomiya

No Way Jose - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-06T22:16:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Maybe Jose Canseco wont fatten his wallet with another sleezy book about steroids and baseball after all. ESPN says Canseco is having a hard time finding a writer to actually do the work. The guy he wanted to do it says he's passing because Canseco has nothing. Can Canseco find someone sleezy enough to write the book anyway? Probably, but his limited credibility is taking a hit with this writer passing on the project.

(ESPN) Former Sports Illustrated associate editor Don Yaeger, who had initially planned on collaborating on Jose Canseco's next book, has decided against working with the former slugger, according to a published report. "I'm passing," Yaeger told the New York Daily News. "I had a chance to review the Jose Canseco [material] that he provided me. I don't think there's a book there. I don't know what they're going to do. I don't think he's got what he claims to have, certainly doesn't have what he claims to have on A-Rod. There's no meat on the bones."
Canseco finalized a deal for his sequel to "Juiced" and it is expected to hit bookstores by Opening Day of the 2008 season, two New York newspapers reported last month.
The working title of the book is "Vindicated."

Hiroki Kuroda - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-03T00:10:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - The Padres are going to have their hands full dealing with the Dodgers next season. Not only did they upgrade their manager to Joe Torre, they are loading up with premier players. Many of them are coming from Asia. They include newly added Hiroki Kuroda, Hong-Chih Kuo, Takashi Saito, and Chin-Lung Hu.

(ESPN) With the acquisition of Hiroki Kuroda, the Los Angeles Dodgers have purchased a gem. The 32-year-old right-hander is a real no-nonsense player with a top-notch track record.
"He's got a good fastball and three or four above-average pitches that he can throw in the zone," said Marty Brown, who managed Kuroda the past two seasons with the Hiroshima Carp.
Kuroda, who has a 3.69 career ERA and 103-89 record, did more to help his team win from 2002 to 2007 than any other pitcher in Japan. The only player who contributed as much to his team's success per season over that period was current Red Sox right-hander
Hiroki Kuroda's three-year, $35.3 million deal with the Dodgers includes a $7.3 million signing bonus. Although the newest Dodger is best known for his ability to get ground balls, Brown says what's special is Kuroda's knack for stepping up late in the game.
"He's similar to Pedro Martinez in that respect," Brown said by telephone last week. "They are different kinds of pitchers, but they both have that ability.
"He [Kuroda] will be in the sixth or seventh inning, sailing along, and he gets into a little trouble. Suddenly he grabs another gear. He has that competitive nature. We've all seen Pedro do that for so many years."
Yet, as with most ace pitchers, there is always the fear that mammoth pitch counts in games, between games and in the preseason will bring Kuroda down to earth sooner or later. When Brown arrived to take over his former club in 2006, he began putting his 6-foot-1, 190-pound ace on a pitch count, while shifting him as much as possible to four days' rest instead of six.
The new skipper also patched Hiroshima's porous defense, and despite a season that was punctuated by an elbow injury, Kuroda posted one of the nation's most impressive starting pitching seasons in nearly 20 years. In 2006, he rang up a 1.85 ERA despite working in a hitters' league and in Japan's toughest park for pitchers.
"I think Kuroda will be someone's No. 3 starter and will get just as many [ground balls] here as he did there," new Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman said last Wednesday in an e-mail. "He pitched and was successful in one of the smallest parks in Japan, and I also think he is a workhorse that will continue to eat up innings here in the States."
Kuroda was eligible to file for free agency a year ago, but between elbow surgery in the United States in November 2006 and his father's failing health, the right-hander opted to remain in Hiroshima for another year.
He was on track for another superb season in 2007 until it unraveled at the very end of July. From July 31 on, his ERA jumped by a run and a half to 4.58.
Brown believes his righty was looking away from the small-market Carp, who had finished in the bottom of the Central League for 10 straight seasons.
"There were some promises made to him [Kuroda], about what the team would do to keep him, and most of those did not materialize," Brown said. "We were going to be more competitive, and then there was all the focus on [Tomonori] Maeda."
Since filing for free agency in November, Kuroda's focus has all been on pitching in the majors.
He seems a good match for Dodger Stadium because he doesn't give up many home runs or walks. Growing up in a park where you have to pitch inside, Kuroda locates his fastball well to both sides of the plate. Although he depends on a two-seamer and his breaking pitches to feed his infielders' assist totals, his location allows him to get strikeouts when necessary.
While he will certainly need to adjust to more different situations than he faced in Japan, Kuroda has all the tools he needs to succeed and is unafraid to use them.
"He has a way of leaving everything on the field," Brown said.

Happy New Year! - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-01T22:51:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope your 2008 is fullfilling and fruitful. Let's all treat each other well and work toward peace and harmony. Kent Ninomiya

presumed innocent - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-01T01:44:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - I am happy to see that there are those out there who are not rushing to judgment in this steroids thing. (AP) Roger Clemens remains welcome to speak at a convention of Texas high school baseball coaches who earlier reconsidered their invitation upon allegations of steroid use in the Mitchell report. Unless there is some concrete evidence he is guilty or if the media circus would keep him from coming ... it would be unfair of us not to let him come.
-- Jim Long, president of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association
The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association said Monday that despite the allegations in the 409-page report, the group found no reason to not let Clemens speak at its annual meeting next month.
"He still wants to come," said Jim Long, president of the association. "He said he intends on speaking."
The group's decision was first reported by Houston television station KRIV.
Clemens' agent, Randy Hendricks, did not immediately return a telephone call Monday from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Clemens is among the biggest names to appear in the Mitchell report, a study by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell on the illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. Clemens was accused in the report of having used steroids by a strength and conditioning coach.
In a video posted Dec. 23 on the Web site of his foundation and on You Tube, Clemens denied using steroids.
Clemens is set to answer questions about the steroids accusations in an interview on CBS' news magazine "60 Minutes" that is scheduled to air on Sunday.
Long said the group left its options open depending on what Clemens says in the interview.
"If something else comes up, there may be a possibility he wouldn't come," Long said. "But unless there is some concrete evidence he is guilty or if the media circus would keep him from coming ... it would be unfair of us not to let him come."
Clemens had been scheduled for the last eight months to talk about pitching and what he did on a daily basis that kept him in shape during his long career to members of the country's largest high school baseball coaches association. The convention is Jan. 10-12.
In the Mitchell report, former Toronto and New York Yankees strength coach Brian McNamee said he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998 while with the Blue Jays, and in 2000 and 2001 while with the Yankees. McNamee also claimed he injected Clemens with human growth hormone in 2000.

Canseco sequel - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-31T01:44:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Former MLB star and current sleazebag Jose Canseco is trying to cash in on the recent publicity generated by Mitchell Report and is reportedly writing another book. We should have expected this. Canseco made bank on his first book and has no moral obstacles to exploiting his seedy past again. It's like serial killers who profit by selling their story. Canseco admits he's a cheater and drug user. He not only got away with any punishment for his misdeeds, he's profiting from them and selling out all his former buddies in the process. Anyone can make a mistake. It takes a real jerk to make money from it and true evil to destroy the sport that made you without a care. Kent Ninomiya

(ESPN) Jose Canseco has finalized a book deal for his sequel to "Juiced" and it is expected to hit bookstores by Opening Day of the 2008 season, two New York newspapers reported Sunday. Robert Saunooke, Canseco's lawyer, told The New York Daily News and The New York Post that the book, which has a working title of "Vindicated" will be co-authored by former Sports Illustrated writer Don Yaeger.
The Daily News first reported the story Saturday on its Web site.
"Jose already has a lot of stuff put together," Yaeger told The Daily News.
Disappointed by the Mitchell report, Canseco hopes to publish "an unjaundiced view, without the rose-colored glasses" of steroid use in baseball, Saunooke told The Post.
"The book is basically going to be -- I don't want to say an attack -- but it will be a clarification of why certain names should have been mentioned [in the Mitchell report] that were not mentioned," Saunooke said of the new book. "We had hoped that the Mitchell report would have been more revealing. It basically ended up being nothing more than [Mitchell saying], 'I talked to a lot of people, some people wouldn't talk to me and it's up to the commissioner,'" Saunooke told The Daily News.
Saunooke told The Post that he and Canseco talked to Sen. Mitchell and provided him with "tons of information and background" on steroid use in baseball. But when the Mitchell report was released, he and Canseco were disappointed that names like Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez were not named.
Canseco's name appears 105 times in the Mitchell report, more than that of Barry Bonds (103) or Roger Clemens (82). In all, the 409-page report identified 86 names to differing degrees, but Clemens clearly was the symbol.
"I saw the list of players, and there are definitely a lot of players missing," Canseco told Fox Business Network this month. "I don't know what they accomplished or what they are trying to prove."
Prodded further about players not included, Canseco said this of Alex Rodriguez: "All I can say is the Mitchell report is incomplete. I could not believe that his name was not in the report."
One of the topics of Canseco's new book, Saunooke told The Post, will be how Mark McGwire asked for immunity before his appearance before Congress in 2005.
Another topic of Canseco's new book might be A-Rod.
In July, Canseco told WEEI Radio in Boston that he had "other stuff" on Rodriguez, who he called a "hypocrite" who "was not all he appeared to be."
"Jose has information about A-Rod and the Yankees that will be in the book. But, I am not sure if Jose is willing to disclose it at this point," Saunooke, told The New York Times in July.
In Baltimore for a Yankees' game against the Orioles that month, Rodriguez told reporters that he hadn't heard Canseco's comments about him. "And I have no comment."
In "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big," Canseco called himself the "godfather of steroids in baseball," saying, "I single-handedly changed the game of baseball by introducing them into the game."
He wrote in that book that he personally injected McGwire with steroids and that he saw McGwire and Jason Giambi inject each other.
Canseco also claimed he introduced the performance enhancers to Palmeiro, Rodriguez, and Juan Gonzalez when he joined the Rangers in 1992.
Canseco hit 462 home runs in a major league career between 1985 and 2001. He played seven full seasons for the A's before being traded to Texas in '92. He also played for Boston, the Yankees, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Oakland again, and the White Sox.

Clemens fights back - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-29T01:05:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Roger Clemens appears to be fighting back. Reports suggest he has his own people proactively looking for information that could clear his name. Since Clemens claims he is being smeared by a former trainer, it is likely his investigators are looking to undermine the trainer's credibility and/or smear him back. I do not know if Clemens is guilty of taking illegal steroids or not, but I do know he deserves due process. Clemens is not guilty unless convicted. As far as I know he has not been convicted or charged or arrested for anything. Despite this Clemens' reputation and name have been irreparably harmed. It's unfortunate Clemens finds it necessary to dig for dirt on the guy flinging it at him, but what choice does he have? Kent Ninomiya

(ESPN) Roger Clemens' lawyer has hired private investigators in an attempt to challenge the credibility of Brian McNamee, who has claimed to have injected Clemens with steroids, a lawyer familiar with the matter told The New York Times.
McNamee told former Sen. George Mitchell that he injected Clemens with steroids while Clemens was pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. Clemens, the biggest star named in Mitchell's report on performance-enhancing drug use in baseball, has denied ever using steroids or human growth hormone, saying the report is "simply not true."
Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said Wednesday he would conduct his own investigation into the allegations against the seven-time Cy Young Award winner. He claimed that Mitchell had failed to interview some key people who know Clemens and McNamee, though Hardin has declined to identify those people.
"We are convinced the conclusions in Mitchell's report are wrong and are investigating the findings ourselves," Hardin said, according to The Times.
McNamee's attorney, Earl Ward, said McNamee had been thoroughly vetted by federal authorities, who accompanied him during his interviews with Mitchell, and that McNamee had been threatened with prosecution if he lied to Mitchell's investigators.
"There's nothing new in Brian's background that Clemens or his folks don't know about," Ward said, according to The Times. "Our response to all this is that Senator Mitchell's investigation was unbiased and objective. I don't think you're going to get the same degree of objectivity from Roger's camp."
According to the Mitchell report, McNamee said he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998 while Clemens was pitching for the Blue Jays, and steroids and HGH in 2000 and 2001 while he was a member of the Yankees.
Clemens' last four Cy Young Awards were won in 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2004.
CBS' "60 Minutes" will air its interview with Clemens on Jan. 6 and Clemens said he will make himself available to reporters following the broadcast.
Hardin said the interview with Mike Wallace -- a self-described friend of Clemens who said he's frequented owner George Steinbrenner's suite at Yankee Stadium -- was scheduled to take place this week at Clemens' home in Katy, Texas.

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