According to this article in the Chicago Sun-Times the White Sox were the high-bidder for Fukudome, but still lost out to the Cubs!

“Certainly the comfort level that the Japanese players have had with Lou played a role in Kosuke’s decision,” agent Joe Urbon said. “That was certainly in the plus column for the Cubs.”

“Economics at the end of the day did not necessarily play a role in this,” Urbon said, adding, “I think it’s unfair to characterize the other Chicago team as not putting their best foot forward. They did, as did the San Diego Padres, as did a few other clubs. But, again, economics played a big role, but the position that the player was going to play played a big role. The ability to win played a big role. The Japanese community played a big role. A lot of factors came in that pointed to the Cubs.

“The Chicago Cubs just fit more of what he needed more than any other team, and that’s how he came to his decision.”

An article from Scott Merkin says that Fukudome “simply wanted to be the first Japanese player for a particular franchise.”

Wow, I guess the mystique of Wrigleyville has made it as far as Japan.

Aaron Rowand, Kenny Willaims’ Plan 1(c)?, signed a $60 million, five-year deal with the San Francisco Giants. So with Torii Hunter signed with the Angles, Fukudome with the Cubs, Rowand with the Giants, and Boston using Coco Crisp as trade bait for Johan Santana, who does that leave us with? Fuck it, call up Brian Anderson!

The Mitchell report will be released tomorrow to the public at a 2 p.m. EST news conference. It has been leaked to the Associated Press that 60 to 80 players will be named, including MVPs and All-Stars.

Here is to hoping your childhood heros are not named.

Two Japanese baseball players agreed to contracts with Major League teams last night. Former White Sox, and member of the 2005 World Series championship squad, Tadahito Iguchi has agreed to a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres. Kosuke Fukudome, of the Chunichi Dragons, has agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

Iguchi is a good second baseman, and a fan favorite on the Southside. I’m glad to see him sign with a team. Fukudome, on the other hand, is one less outfielder for the Sox to sign.

I don’t know how seriously Kenny Williams was pursuing Fukudome, but I can only feel this leads us to the inevitable Aaron Rowand signing. The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Rowand has listed his Pennsylvania home for sale, confirming what we already knew, that he will not be resigning with the Phillies.

Sun-Times beat writer Joe Cowley’s ‘futur-vision’ of the ‘09 White Sox Season:

The one thing about White Sox general manager Ken Williams is that he always has a plan.
But for how long?

Think ”Wayne’s World,” fast-forwarding to May 2010. And, no, this isn’t the ”Scooby Doo” ending.

”Distractions” best sums up how one could envision life for the Sox after the 2009 season.

Start with Williams’ shocking news during his visit with President Giuliani at the White House that winning his second World Series was enough. It was time to move on and take over personnel duties for the Oakland Raiders.

That left new GM Rick Hahn in charge of what has become the ”South Side Zoo.”

Still regretting manager Ozzie Guillen signing a deal with Sirius/XM Radio to do a morning drive show with Mike North, Hahn has turned his attention to the field, with the defending champions slumping.

Yes, it was a coup acquiring right fielder Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs after 2008, but Soriano is off to another slow start as Guillen tries to light a fire underneath him.

Who cares if the North Siders still are paying half his salary and have only Gavin Floyd and Lance Broadway to show for it after Scott Podsednik was injured. Guillen wants results.

Thank goodness first baseman Paul Konerko and designated hitter Jim Thome are starting to heat up. Thome, who signed a one-year extension to stay with the Sox, is now 26 home runs shy of 600 and in midseason form.

The same can’t be said about catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Ever since hitting the winning home run in Game 7 of the World Series off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mark Buehrle, it has been a crazy winter for Pierzynski.

Teaming up with Sox fitness consigliere Dale Torborg, the duo’s first action movie, ”Demonslayer,” tanked at the box office — although DVD sales have Hollywood rumbling about a sequel, ”Demonslayer II: Who, Me?” But Pierzynski isn’t thrilled about losing time to Gustavo Molina behind the plate.

Third baseman Josh Fields and second baseman Orlando Hudson have been solid and, more important, quietly going about their business.

Same for the starting rotation of Javier Vazquez, John Danks, Nick Masset, Gio Gonzalez and Adam Russell, who have dominated, while closer Bobby Jenks leads the American League in saves and has watched ”Bobby Beer” pass up Coors sales in the Chicago area.

But Hahn still is getting killed for acquiring a slumping Alex Rodriguez from the Los Angeles Angels in the winter. Yes, the Sox were responsible for only half of A-Rod’s salary, but giving up pitchers Jack Egbert and Carlos Vasquez, along with top outfield prospect Ozney Guillen — who graduated from high school a year early just to join the Sox — has the elder Guillen questioning his own future in the organization.

So searching for some sort of spark, Hahn finds it in late May. He turns over a food table in the visiting clubhouse of Minnesota’s new ballpark, letting his players know he means business — and leaving pitching coach Don Cooper to scream, ”Hey, I didn’t eat yet!”

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, word of Hahn’s outburst reaches Williams, who is scouting his son Kyle as a wide-receiver prospect.

”There you go, Rick,” Williams says with a smile.

It has begun.

Future Me will see Demonslayer at least five or six time in theaters.

Chicago Sun-Times: Future shocks for future Sox

Chumps pay $25 for parking. Cheapskates take public transportation, which provides valuable life lessons for the children:

“Daddy, why is that man talking to himself, picking at his sores and not wearing any pants?”
“Because he roots for the Cubs, son.”

ESPN: The Cheapskate’s Guide to Baseball Games

Matthew McGough has a great little story about how he became a New York Yankees batboy in 1992:

I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and it’s Don Mattingly. He sticks his hand out and he says, “How’s it going?  I’m Don Mattingly. Are you going to be working with us this year?”

I’d never really thought of the experience in those terms, and he could have said so many other things that wouldn’t have been as cool as that, like he could have said, “Who are you?” or “Are you the new batboy?” or “Are you going to be working for us this year?” But he said, “I’m Don Mattingly, are you going to be working with us this year?”

I said, “I know who you are Mr. Mattingly. I’m Matt, the new batboy.”

“Great to meet you, Matt. I have a very big job to ask of you. I just unpacked all my bats from spring training and I don’t know if it was the altitude of the flight from Florida or the humidity down there, or what, but all my bats came up short. The game starts in about two hours and I need you to find me a bat stretcher.”

“OK.”

Read the ending …

The Moth: My First Day With The Yankees

Team Marketing Report, a sports marketing research firm, has calculated that the Fan Cost Index (i.e. the cost of a family of four to go to a ballgame) has risen 3.6% to $176.24. The most expensive being Fenway at $313.83 and the least expensive being Kauffman at $123.42.

I’d say the average is actully on the low end of an estimate. As I understand the FCI is calculated with the “avergae” ticket price in mind, but good luck getting tickets a lot of teams (Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, etc.) for face value. Once you add in the cost of going through a broker and/or eBay (who snap up most of the tickets to the most popular teams) good luck taking staying under $300.

Associated Press: Buy me some peanuts …
Team Marketing Report: Fan Cost Index

The White Sox could lock up [Tadahito Iguchi] the 32-year-old second baseman with a contract in the range of three years for $15 million.

Daily Herald: Don’t be surprised if Sox sign Iguchi soon

Just a few days ago it sounded like Kenny Rodgers was only going to miss April, being placed on the disabled list with a tired arm. Turns out to be worse than that:

Tigers left-handed starter Kenny Rogers is expected to miss the first half of the season after he underwent surgery on his pitching shoulder today to remove a blood clot and repair arteries.

In making the announcement on Rogers’ surgery and prognosis, Dombrowski said that Rogers would be able to begin throwing in six to eight weeks. “We anticipate he will be out three months,” Dombrowski said.

Not good news for the Detroit.

Detroit Free Press: Rogers to miss first half of season