In honor of Hideki Okajima winning MLB's 32nd man All-Star vote for the American League, here is a Q&A session with the All-Star setup man prior to being named to the team. Okajima is only the third Japanese rookie to make an All-Star team and follows in the footsteps of both Ichiro Suzuki and Hideo Nomo...pretty good company for the Oka-Doke.

He is, for my money, the biggest surprise in Major League Baseball this season and the biggest reason why the Sox have the best bullpen in the American League -- a crucial part of team-building that has at times eluded Sox GM Theo Epstein during his tenure with the Sox.

In talking to your manager in Japan, he had mentioned that the change up you’re throwing this year is acting more like a power change or circle change than the change up/splitter that you threw in Japan? Is it a different pitch than the one you featured in Japan, or did you throw it in Japan as well?
HI: That’s something I created for the United States and Major League baseball. It was something I threw sometimes in Japan but I couldn’t throw to the good location and I didn’t have a lot of confidence in it. It’s something that’s worked pretty well since I’ve come over [to Boston].”

Did you work with anyone to develop it, or did you come up with by yourself?
HI: All I learned was by myself with finger control making the ball go this way or that…but the Japanese hitters don’t chase those pitches. They have good pitch recognition with the eye.

Does the ball used in the Major Leagues react differently? How is it different?
HI: I can’t feel a big difference [in the ball] but the batter is chasing after the pitches, so there must be a big difference. I’m not really that conscious of it.

I remember in talking with Trey Hillman, your manager with the Ham Fighters, that during your time pitching away from Tokyo you really missed your family…has that been an issue at all here?
HI: I am with my family here [in Boston] so that hasn't been a problem.

Are you missing home or homesick at all?
HI: Yeah…I miss it and want to go back.

What do you miss the most?
HI: The hot springs definitely…the saunas and the spas in Japan. There are big Japanese bath tubs in Japan. Everywhere I go in the United States the bathtubs are small and I miss the much bigger bathtubs in Japan.

How much bigger are the bathtubs in Japan?
HI: Everywhere you go in the United States the bathtubs come up to here [said Okajima through translator Jeff Yamaguchi pointing to the water level going up to around the knee]. In Japan the bathtubs go up to here [with Yamaguchi then pointing up to about his waist] and a lot of times kids have to stand up when they go inside of them. It’s kind of like a swimming pool almost.

Also reading up on you it seems that a lot of your favorite movies are kind of romantic movies (Ghost, Pretty Woman, Autumn in New York)…is that your favorite kind of movie?
HI: I like the romantic movie…they’re very relaxing to me. If you watch the action movie or the war movie they’re very exciting to me and then I can’t go to sleep afterward.

In case you were wondering, Onsen are the Japanese baths that Okajima was talking about missing while he's living in the United States. The mention of Onsen kind of reminds of the background bath house in a scene where the late Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundgren whoop-ass against the Yakuza in a little piece of Cinematic Genius I like to call "Showdown in Little Tokyo"...and I'm all about anything that reminds of that movie and the gone-from-the-limelight-but-not forgotten Tia Carrere.

I think it would take very little effort for the Boston Red Sox ownership to get one of these babies custom built out in the bullpen for the Sox relievers to "heat up" in before entering games...With beaches and hot tubs in the outfield of some ballparks around the Major Leagues, think of the price Sox ownership could charge to watch a Sox game live from a heated Onsen in the Boston 'pen.

Onsen - Japanese volcanic bath

"On the surface there's barely a ripple; everything is calm and reassuring.  This is Japan.  Underneath, things are brewing, bubbling, getting ready to surface.  This is also Japan - the fragile chain of volcanic islands that plays host to twenty thousand thermal springs"— Hotta/Ishiguro, A Guide to Japanese Hot Springs

Onsen is the hot spring which has a hot sulfur smelling water where people are usually sitting or lying down. Onsens are usually found on mountains. Beppu is one of the most famous onsen villages in Japan. Generally, these onsen villages are found in northern and southern part of Japan. There are also some nearby Tokyo, such as in Atami or Hakone.

Onsen is the place where Japanese people relax after work or in weekends, and forget time. Lying down in natural water, people don't bother their minds with work or materialistic issues, but let their body and spirit rest within the elements of the nature. Although saunas or massages or massage chairs are often provided, the real point is the volcanic water and the feeling close to the nature.

Onsen - Japanese volcanic bath

Onsen-Ryokan is combination of an old Japanese style guest house ryokan, and rotenburo, an outdoor bath. These are very comfortable places for couples, since they can enjoy the bath together. Nowadays, there are not many mixed gender baths, so men has to satisfy themselves enjoying the outdoor landscape!

Onsen is remaining it's popularity even in today's busy and urban Japan. Gladly it seems that people even in metropolis sometimes have a retreat and enjoy this healthy experience of Japanese food and volcanic bath.

Ashiyu is a small onsen where you can relax your feet, ankle deep in hot sulfur water. Most ashiyu are free of charge.

There are also sento public bath houses in cities. The difference with onsen and sento appears to be that in onsen the water must have volcanic origin.

Generally its forbidden to enter onsen if you wear tattoo, since tattoo is sometimes a sign of yakuza, the underground mafia of Japan.

The Sox announced earlier today that converted catcher and current first baseman/designated hitter Jeff Bailey has been called up to the big leagues for the first time as a 28-year-old. Bailey led the Sox minor leagues with 22 home runs at Pawtucket last season and has hit .301 against left-handed pitching this season.

Bailey is presumably being called to the Sox as they travel into Detroit for two reasons: 1) Kevin Youkilis is a little banged up with the quad injury and now would be an opportune time to give him some rest heading into the All-Star break with a 12 game lead in the AL East and 2) Detroit will be throwing a pair of left-handers against the Sox this weekend and Bailey might be able to help them as another right-handed bat.

This quote on Bailey from Sox Manager Terry Francona during spring training, courtesy of Downtown Ian Browne from an MLB.com story: "He's a good hitter. He's the type of hitter that, in my view, can hit Major League pitching. He's lunching up on some average Triple-A pitching. This guy looks like he could hit some good pitching."


The Lefty has an interview with Sox first round pick Nick Hagadone, who should be making his first start with the Lowell Spinners anytime now...I saw him hanging around during batting practice yesterday afternoon prior to the game and he is a tall mug of water.

Excellent story from good buddy James Murphy on Jordan Sigalet, a minor league goaltender with the Boston Bruins who has been waging a war with Multiple Sclerosis throughout his pro career and is readying for the 2007 Shutout MS Charity Hockey Game up in Burnaby, British Columbia. A diagnosis of MS is a tough thing for a young athlete to hear, but Sigalet should be an inspiration to all. 

Here's the Daily Dose of Red Sox Nation...a little old in that it took place last month and the quality of the recording was bad and bordering on atrocious, but still pretty funny to me.

More in a bit...