Has Japan Become America's Farm Team? (In Baseball, That Is)
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As Matsuzaka signs a huge contract with the Boston Red Sox, some Japanese fans worry about losing all their superstars. Others are just proud
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Hideo Nomo is getting another shot at pitching in America.
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Followers of the Yankees and Red Sox, do not delude yourselves: money does matter. Imagine, please, being Ron Gardenhire, manager of the Minnesota Twins, as opposed to either Joe Torre or Terry Francona. It's Game 2 of the American League Division Series. Your team has a chance to go up, two games to none, in Yankee Stadium. And who is ...
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TOKYO (Sports Network) - Carl Crawford led off the game  with a homer and David Ortiz hit a monstrous shot to lead a  team of Major League Baseball All-Stars to a 5-3 win over a  squad of Japan stars in Game 2 of their series at the Tokyo  Dome.
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Japan and the United States reached an agreement this morning that will allow the export of some American beef. The Japanese halted trade after a case of mad cow disease in Washington state last December, but now they have agreed to do business again.
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The Yankees and Mariners have become the first major league teams to sign Chinese players, so could baseball's version of NBA superstar Yao Ming be on deck? Unlikely, for reasons that are varied and complicated.
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This time it wasn't his stomach that left Daisuke Matsuzaka feeling queasy. It was the Cleveland Indians' offense. During his last start in Texas, the Japanese sensation was seen dry-heaving in the dugout runway. No need for the Pepto-Bismol this time, just better command.
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Japan&#39;s weekend baseball games will go ahead after club owners averted a second players&#39; strike by promising to add a new team next season.
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They offered Brad Radke more money than he got from Minnesota. They were there, dollar for dollar, with the Yankees for Carl Pavano, but he opted for childhood loyalty and signed with the Bombers. They had manager Terry Francona personally recruit Jon Lieber, but he signed with the Phillies. They made a run at Oakland ace Tim Hudson, but the ...
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Baseballâs mass migration to Arizona for spring training is a development that would have been someoneâs spring fantasy a couple of decades ago.
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Japan is the world&#39;s second largest economic entity, after the United States. Its economic clout is felt worldwide. It is the second largest financial supporter of the United Nations.
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Ichiro Suzukiâs attempt to break George Sislerâs season hits record is not only big for baseball, but also for Japanese players all over the world.
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He had been here before. On March 20, 2006, Daisuke Matsuzaka started and went four innings against Cuba in Japan's World Baseball Classic championship victory
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In any other year, Daisuke Matsuzaka would have been back in Japan, where spring training camps opened yesterday.
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Akinori Iwamura stepped up to the podium, took a deep breath and smiled. The last time the five-time Japanese League All-Star remembered feeling so nervous, his country was facing the United States on the way to winning the inaugural World Baseball Classic last winter.
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Pro sports can seem driven by commercialism, as team owners lust after fancy new stadiums, fans jeer losers and true believers seem quaint. Then there's Red Sox Nation, an island that seems almost immune to modern sports marketing. Now the club is cashing in on its World Series championship.
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The first Japanese-born pitcher to appear in the World Series appeared unimpressed by his own historic moment last night. But then, that has been the demeanor reliever Hideki Okajima has adopted since he made the decision to follow his more celebrated countryman, Daisuke Matsuzaka, to this strange and wonderful ballpark, where everything seemingly has a nickname: the Wall, the pole, ...