Dome's diary - Apr. 9th

by dragonsfanatic on Apr 16, 2009 7:12 PM CDT

Dome keeps his diary posted on his website once or twice a month, and here's quick summery of what he wrote on Apr. 9th - on the moving day from Houston to Milwaukee after he hit four hits including a solo shot.

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- Milwaukee is way chilly than Houston...

- Yesterday WAS my opening day (even team's third game)... first three basehits were all off first pitch but those were sort of unintentional... and the solo jack was unexpected one.

- So I could get ready for season opener as usual as I did in past years. I know I have to produce good numbers this year but I don't be too much fired up and will do what I can do, as usual. I would just focus on finishing the job in front of me, no matter what Lou want to me to do.

- Our locker room is just great as always. It is just fun.

- In the spring training, I asked managements to set in my ways for some portion, including number of swings per day.

(dragonsfanatic note - Dome is known as a practice junkie in Dragons spring training in my neighborhood, Chatan, Okinawa, as 1500-2000 swings every day for a month...that's his way.)

- No bad effect for me from WBC experience and nothing negative about it.

- All I do is for world champs and nothing else, and that's team effort. I never forget how I felt last October. I am looking for hope opener in Chicago.

- Thanks for your support and I owe everything to you fans.

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This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Awesome, thanks for the translation.

Google Translate just doesn’t cut it. Stick around, Dragon, we are glad you are back!

Dan

Evey Hammond: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici. V: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

by dtpollitt on Apr 16, 2009 7:28 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

+1

Hey Dragon, we missed you in the second half last year. We don’t hold any of Dome’s struggles against you personally at all. You should stick around for the good and bad. Nice to have you back!

by bikemonkey on Apr 16, 2009 7:43 PM CDT up reply actions

This is great, Dragons, I've missed the diaries

Some speculated last year that Dome may have over practiced … looks like he’s determined to keep up his pace. I won’t complain as long as he keeps producing. Right now he’s one of the strongest members of the squad.

I can just picture him in the club house, grinning away.

Milton "Porcelain Doll" Bradley.

by Emelie on Apr 16, 2009 7:44 PM CDT reply actions

Nice post

I clicked on the diary and was about to say, “why are you linking to this if it’s in Japanese,” then I read it. It would be so great if he could keep it up though!
Go Cubs!

"Check the magic of a winning season and there are always reasons beyond the talent." Ned Colleti

by wrigleyrocker12 on Apr 16, 2009 8:03 PM CDT reply actions

thanks a lot Dragon

I really appreciate you coming here and translating his blog for us.

Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

by Cubbie-Tim on Apr 16, 2009 8:12 PM CDT reply actions

Thanks for the post as always...

… glad to have you back here and contributing, and glad to have Dome contributing as well.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Apr 16, 2009 8:42 PM CDT reply actions

Now we're talking.

These are some of my favorite posts, along with Josh 77’s Minor League Wraps.
Good to have you and Kosuke back, d.

"May the sun never set on American baseball." ~Harry Truman

by Goodie1969 on Apr 16, 2009 8:46 PM CDT reply actions

In looking at the translation again...

… dragonsfanatic says that Dome used to take 1500-2000 swings a day during Japanese spring training. That’s a lot of swings — I know Japanese players are known for being worked far harder in spring training than US players.

But in the previous sentence he translates Dome as saying, if I get the gist right, that Dome had asked Cub management to establish a training routine for him, including “number of swings”. I’m not sure that a specific number of swings is that important, but it does jibe with what Dome said last year as to not being sure what was expected of him — that might have been a translation problem, as the translator was replaced this year.

In any case, it’s clear that Dome wanted to make sure he was approaching 2009 the right way. Nine games in, we already have some positive results.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Apr 16, 2009 9:13 PM CDT reply actions

Well that was...

my early morning typo… corrected.

Sounds like he successfully removed some limitation that he had last year in spring training, his managements showed some understandings. That’s good sign for better result I hope.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is still complaining his pitch count is strictly limited between games and in spring training, in Japanese TV program last December. He said “no throwing at all for a week was sort of hell for me” while he was placed on DL last summer. Red Sox management never understands he can build his shoulder by throwing a lot, so he sometimes threw when nobody’s watching him and finally produced good numbers in later last year, he said. He is now on DL again after named as MVP of WBC.

BTW Ichiro just reached another milestone (3086 career hits – new Japanese record). He is a product of Dragons hometown – I don’t know he has chance to come back to his hometown as a player in future…

by dragonsfanatic on Apr 16, 2009 10:09 PM CDT up reply actions

I think Lou having managed Ichiro

helps him to uinderstand Fukudome and changing the routine for him better

Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

by Cubbie-Tim on Apr 16, 2009 10:46 PM CDT up reply actions

Really glad to hear he's having a good time with

the guys in the clubhouse.

Thanks for the translation, Dragons. VERY much appreciated.

Because when it comes to sports, we die harder than Bruce Willis.

by halfblindcubbiegirl on Apr 16, 2009 9:13 PM CDT reply actions

Let me as well

thank you Dragonsfanatic!

I was wearing my Chunichi Dragons white Home jersey. Stood up proudly on Dome’s HR!

If he can continue to be even moderately productive with his bat this year, it will put much less pressure on the team having to be concerned about Milton Bradley’s health.

by The E-Man on Apr 16, 2009 9:15 PM CDT reply actions

Welcome back

Dragon! Thanks for doing these.

"That’s the great thing about baseball, you never know what’s going to happen till you get the final out." — Lou Piniella

by drewishdrewid on Apr 16, 2009 10:42 PM CDT reply actions

i clicked on the website and noticed...

that he spells his name on the site as Kohsuke Fukudome instead of Kosuke….which is correct?

by aznsensation on Apr 17, 2009 6:48 AM CDT reply actions

My understanding, from watching A LOT of anime,

is that either is correct; the ‘H’ is there to ensure that the first syllable is pronounced as a long ‘O.’ He could also spell it with a bar over the ‘O’ and get the same result.

How long should we give sig lines at the bottom of the comments?
Bradley watch -- out 2 games of 9

by znohitter on Apr 17, 2009 8:18 AM CDT up reply actions

The reality...

I remember I wrote about this – it was almost a year ago. Pls refer my explanation about this.

by dragonsfanatic on Apr 17, 2009 9:09 AM CDT up reply actions

makes sense

I originally thought it was the romanization of a name as well, but that was a pretty good explanation.

by aznsensation on Apr 17, 2009 9:38 AM CDT up reply actions

In Japanese

I wonder if there are slang terms for home runs…in the translation it says “jack”. We call them “bombs” or “round trippers”. Are there many words for a HR in Japanese?

Fukudometer: Created 3/31/08 Wrigley Debut 4/5/08 WGN and Japan TV Debut 4/6/08 Sun Times Debut: 4/20/08 Coffee Table Debut: 7/17/08 (http://www.wearecubsfans.com)

by Fukudometer on Apr 17, 2009 10:21 AM CDT reply actions

i call them jack's too

remember, it’s michael JACK schmidt (God bless you, harry kalas).

by fajita on Apr 17, 2009 12:35 PM CDT up reply actions

There are some words for HR

“Honruida” is the formal word for HR – “honrui” is home and “da” is basehit, mostly used for scorekeeping.
“Dan” is bullet and used with other words to express HR – just like “Manrui-Dan” means grand slam (Manrui is bases-loaded), and “Jougai-Dan” is hit out of ball park physically (just like over Green Monster of Fenway).

But we call it homerun or homer mostly, in anyway.

by dragonsfanatic on Apr 17, 2009 4:29 PM CDT up reply actions

or 'ippatsu'

which means ‘a shot’. e.g. ‘That was a huge ippatsu into the bleachers’.

by emhigh on Apr 18, 2009 12:43 AM CDT up reply actions

Nice to have you back, dragon.

I just hope Cubs fans can be as patient with Dome as Dome is patient at the plate. He’s off to a great start, which certainly helps.

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by daver on Apr 17, 2009 11:12 AM CDT reply actions