Quote:
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In time, I go the feeling that the Giant front office didn't want their guys to mix with the 'gaijin' too much. I think they were afraid the players would learn bad habits from us. Perhaps it was paranoia. Perhaps it wasn't. That was one of the things about Japan I was beginning to discover. You never really knew where you stood, because the Japanese were reluctant to tell you. It was easy to be paranoid in that environment. Culture shock was setting in. - Warren Cromartie, pg. 21
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So I got the gang together and took the team photo posted on this forum post. It was only then that I realized that three other ex-MLB players were on the roster: Gabriel Ynoa (BAL), Albert Suarez (SFG), and Scott "Scooter" McGough (MIA). Unlike Escobar and Aoki, these three had barely 100 games among them in the major leagues.
In his MLB career, McGough - and I silently vowed never to call him by his nickname "Scooter", as there's only one Scooter in the history of baseball for me* - pitched in 6 games for Miami. In 6.2 innings pitched, he amassed an ERA of 9.45. Didn't give up a homer, though.
This is his second year for the Swallows, and he's proven himself to be a valuable setup guy and occasional closer. In nearly 70 innings last year, he went 6-3 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.35 WHP and earned 11 saves and 18 holds while amassing 1.5 WAR. I learned that he's from Pittsburgh, PA, a city dear to my heart, and we had a good time reminiscing about the Monongahela Incline. He told me about the Takao Tozan Cable, which is the steepest railway line in all of Japan. I asked him if he's seen the movie "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and he just gave me a blank stare. Maybe "films that take place in Pittsburgh" isn't one of his "varied interests."
Meanwhile, I spoke briefly to Gabriel Ynoa and Albert Suarez, my third and fourth starters. I think Ynoa was a flyer on one of my deep fantasy teams and I was still holding a grudge.
But I really wanted to talk to the guy with the Charlie Chaplin moustache. His name is Yuhei Takai, our starting right fielder. The 35-year old has played for the Swallows for his entire career, 16 years. He's "thick headed." I went over to him and we exchanged stiff greetings. I resisted the urge to ask him if he's ever seen "The General."
Notes:
* Phil Rizzuto's the only Scooter for me, ex-Brewer Scooter Gennett be damned. While I'm not a Yankee fan, my earliest memories of watching baseball was of the Yankees with Rizzuto on the broadcast team.