C.J. Nitkowski pitched for several major league teams from 1995-05. He's now playing his second year in Japan for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and will file periodic updates for The Associated Press on his experience. His stories will be archived on his Web site, www.cjbaseball.com
By C.J. NITKOWSKI
For The Associated Press
FUKUOKA, Japan (AP) -The Olympic baseball competition begins Wednesday in Beijing and based on the rosters, it's easy to see that Japan is willing to do whatever it takes to bring home the gold.
The Japanese roster is made up entirely of the country's greatest stars while Team USA consists of minor league players whose names most of you wouldn't recognize, at least not yet. These Americans hope to follow the spike marks of Roy Oswalt and Ben Sheets, who both led the way to victory in 2000.
Major League Baseball decided that no player on a team's current 25-man big league roster would be eligible to participate in the Olympics. Beyond those 25, all other players are eligible, a pool that goes above 3,000 professionals.
But it's not that easy because Team USA must seek the permission of the player's parent club. Even with its hands tied, American officials have worked hard to put together the best possible team, especially after failing to qualify in 2004.
In 2006, Japan won the inaugural World Baseball Classic but lost to the U.S. in their only meeting. The U.S. victory was punctuated by a missed call by home plate umpire Bob Davidson that negated a Japanese run, possibly costing Japan their strongly sought victory.
In spite of the WBC championship, Japanese players and fans still remember the name Bob Davidson and get visibly angry at what they perceive as getting robbed in their head-to-head matchup with the U.S. Point being, these players and fans take great pride in how they fare internationally, especially against the United States, where it is believed the best baseball in the world is played.
This decision to allow Japanese professionals in the Olympics is eye-opening to me, seeing how my Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are in the middle of a pennant race. We will lose our top two starting pitchers and our starting shortstop, a slick-fielding, lefty-hitting speedster who has been hitting above .320 for most of this season.
It would be like the Yankees losing Mike Mussina, Joba Chamberlain and Derek Jeter for three weeks in August, a move that could potentially cost the team a spot in the postseason. Certainly Hank Steinbrenner would have something to say about that.
The Japanese, however, don't bat an eye. Not one utterance of unfairness or the hint that maybe this is a bad idea. Hawks fans are proud to see their best players represent their country. Certainly they know what is at risk, but at the same time there is a great sense of pride.
The international stage is a priority and the owners and general managers in Japanese professional baseball gladly give up their best players for what could lead to Olympic gold and heightened national pride. You can be assured that their 2004 bronze medal finish in Athens ignites a passion for redemption.
