Kevin Millar to Join Chunichi

Millar is one of the first guys I could use the reversal of the major league equivalents to give NPB equivalents. The only reason I hadn't done it is most of the guys going to the NPB haven't gotten a good tryout in the majors. For laughs I ought to do I. Rodriguez too. I know if I converted minor league records to the majors it should work, but I don't have good conversions to the majors for all minor league teams.

Jim Albright

- Millar is one of the first guys I could use the reversal of the major league equivalents to give NPB equivalents.

Is Steve Cox another one?

Amen to that, my brutha. Millar's a .296 career MLB hitter, but the scariest numbers on him are his doubles -- he only needs just over 400 AB/year to get 40 two-baggers, on the average. He's a respectable fielder who can play corner outfield or 1B/3B, and should be quite capable of at least .315 - 25 - 100 for the Dragons. I suspect if his average suffers (say, .265), you'll see him make up for it in power and run production. Excellent signing; I was actually praying the Cubs would come to their senses and snag him!! /jc

The difference between Millar and Cabrera is that Cabrera has more power.

How do you figure that? Millar will hit 50 HRs in Japan.

Oh, come on. In his best year in MLB (2001) Millar played in a career high 144 games and hit a career high 20(!) home runs. He'll be playing in one of the biggest parks in Japan. He might top out at 40, but really the most likely figure is 30-35.

Millar's a pretty decent player, but he's not better than Hideki Matsui by any means.

A lot of people may not realize that Millar also played in one of the worst hitters parks here in the States. Cabrera probably has better power, but I would say that Millar hits for better average, and the slight drop off in the quality of pitchers could very well turn a good portion of those doubles into four-baggers. I predict that he'll be in the mid 40's range but would not be overly surpirsed to see him surpass that. The one factor working agianst him is that at 31 (I believe) he's as good as he'll ever be.

Credit Millar's previous 20-HR showings to (a) quasi-regular playing time, (b) position switches, and (c) playing in a pitcher's park. Again, his average 2B totals for the last 2 seasons, even with these factors, was 40...! Add to this that he's a legit .300+ hitter, and the adjustment to J-Ball may not be so severe.

Sidebar on Alex Cabrera: I remember the scouting report on him coming over: "Not a great average hitter; has pop but K's too much and can't catch up to a good fastball." Well, he hit 55 of something out last year... and I doubt they were all Uncle Charlie's, changeups and shoutos.

Point is, Millar has the potential (and attitude, apparently) to be huge in NPB -- even more so than A-Cab. But potential is what it is, and we'll have to wait and see. Still, he should make one helluva Dragon.

Quasi-regular playing time doesn't matter. His career high is 144 games (with career high 20 HR); the Japanese season is only 140 games long. He was playing in a pitcher's park in MLB, and he'll be playing in a pitcher's park in NPB.

I expect Millar to be a darn fine player in Japan. I think the Dragon's are definitely improved by getting him. And since he's a former St. Paul Saint, I'll be rooting for him. But I don't think he'll hit 50 home runs. Maybe in a career year, when everything goes right he might hit 50, but I still think 35-40 is more likely, and note that that is an improvement over his MLB numbers.

Now, if you want to say he'll slug over .500, I'd definitely agree with that.

I never said he would hit 50 HR's. (I alluded to him having more potential than A-Cab did when he was coming in to NPB, a statement which I stand by unequivocally.) The point I was trying to make is that getting bounced all over the lineup and/or spot-starting is difficult for any ballplayer, but Millar handled it well. Going into a gig where he's a starter would seem a step up, n'est-ce pas?

According to ESPN, Millar's contract incentives kick in at .280-20-60, which should be a lock barring injury or a trip to the wrong fugu establishment. I said earlier that .315-20-100 was quite possible, unless he goes higher on HR's and (perhaps) lower on AVG, and considering his historical slugging and avg., that seems pretty fair.

The only concern I would have with Millar is that (last year, anyway) he doesn't seem to hit well on turf -- this includes his slugging %, which is about 150 pts. lower.

I wish he had stayed in the U.S. Those teams back in the U.S. will be sorry that they let him go.

Actually, the ESPN article says Millar has to clear waivers, and there is some question whether he will do so. Anyway, projecting Millar to 140 games (a la Japan) in 2001 and 2002, he gets the following using a MLB to NPB conversion:

      AB    H   2B  3B  HR  BB   Avg    OBP   Slg
2001 437   147  39   3  32  47  .337   .402  .661
2002 479   157  46   0  29  54  .328   .397  .605

Another poster asked about Steve Cox. His 2001 and 2002 numbers are as follows:

       AB   H   2B  3B  HR  BB   Avg   OBP   Slg
2001  443  122  29   0  28  39  .276  .334  .516
2002  530  144  29   1  25  71  .272  .358  .471

I really want reasonably full-time players (leaving out guys like Jose Ortiz) and am leery of extending guys who have injuries (like Ivan Rodriguez in the past couple of years). Also, please note there are no park adjustments in these figures.

Jim Albright

Actually, the ESPN article says Millar has to clear waivers, and there is some question whether he will do so.

According to ESPN Insider, the Red Sox reportedly will make a waiver claim on Millar in an effort to convince him to come to Boston rather than play in Japan. But that doesn't mean he's not headed to Japan. Millar's free to reject a contract offer from a team that claims him off waivers.

It's been a disappointing offseason for us Red Sox fans. But from what I saw on a local sporting news show and what I read in this article [Boston Globe], it appears that Millar is heading to Boston after all. Boston will in turn compensate the Chunichi Dragons with money for what they gave to the Marlins, and possibly former NY Met, Benny Agbayani, who has similiar numbers as Millar.

Don't count your Marlins 'til they're gaffed, redsoxfan. Accoring to the AP, Millar has spurned the BoSox [South Coast Today].

Another Boston Globe article today has Kevin Millar saying that he does indeed want to play for the Red Sox in 2003 if something can be worked out between the Sox and the Dragons. However, the Dragons seem to be taking a hardline and aren't really budging.

Another complication, indicated in an article by ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons, is that MLB has mandated that Millar honor his contract with the Dragons and even if something was worked out between the 2 clubs, Millar will probably have to go through posting once released by the Dragons.

So I guess we'll just have to wait and see how all this pans out.

One more Boston Globe article, which includes:

Chunichi officials are confident the player is theirs and will report to spring training, which for Japanese teams begins Feb. 1.

''There is nothing to worry about,'' Chunichi Dragons president Junnosuke Nishikawa said yesterday in a wire service report. ''I've been told that Millar says he is now with our team as long as we don't trade him.''

Round and round we go.

Just when you thought the saga was over.

Millar still not set [Globe.com].

We are waiting for Kevin from Nagoya, Japan. We lost Gomez last year, so we need Kevin.
But, ... Game over!?

You might say it is "Game Over." Another Boston Globe article has Millar confirming that he will not be reporting to the Dragons. Millar again compares his agreement to Nakamura's agreement with the Mets, which Norihiro backed out of at the end, and continues to grab at straws that his agreement can be voided or made invalid.

So, unless the Dragons are sending over an entourage of Japanese "businessmen" with no pinkies, it seems highly improbable that Millar will be playing in Japan this upcoming season.

I just hope that wherever Millar ends up, he is worth all this trouble.

Red Sox still have a chance signing Kazuo Matsui next year? lol

Look, if Tuffy Rhodes could hit 50, Millar can with out a doubt. If Tuffy or Caberra came back to the States the most they would hit is probably 15-20.

Cabrera would hit at least 30 dingers if he played 162 games in the States. I'm not sold on Tuffy due to age and past MLB performances but 25 is a minimum for him I would say.

Tuffy Rhodes hit 50 once. Last year he hit 46, and in the 5 years previous to 2001, he hit: 27, 22, 22, 40, 25.

And why are we even comparing Rhodes and Cabrera to Millar? Rhodes and Cabrera play in a completely different league, with different pitchers, and different balls that are in all likelihood livelier than the ones the Central League (where Millar would play) uses.

Why are the two leagues in Japan using different baseballs? Is there really such a discernable difference between the Central and Pacific Leagues? I know there's a DH for one a la MLB, but noticibly livelier balls? How odd...

Because in Japan for the most part different teams use different balls. Ostensibly, they are all supposed to be within league specs, and in terms of weight and diameter, I'm sure they are. But for COR (coefficient of restitution), there's probably some variance.

Looking at the Pacific League home run numbers for 2000 (I can't find any league numbers beyond that; Westbay-san, do you know of any place that has them?) here's the break down:

Team	HR
Osaka Orix Seibu Chiba Nippon Ham Fukuoka	125 116 97 109 177 129
Total	753

Now here are the numbers for 2001:

Team	HR
Osaka Orix Seibu Chiba Nippon Ham Fukuoka	211 143 184 133 147 203
Total	1,021

Look at that jump! Seibu nearly doubled their home run output! And here are the numbers for 2002

Team	HR
Osaka Orix Seibu Chiba Nippon Ham Fukuoka	177 102 183 101 146 160
Total	869

While the acquisition of Cabrera and McClain in 2001 can account for some of Seibu's increased production, it can't account for all of it. Nor does it account for the increases experienced by almost all teams.

My feeling is that following a particularly anemic year for offense, Seibu started using a slightly livelier ball. Probably (Osaka) Kintetsu and Fukuoka as well. The next year, spooked by the assaults on Oh's record, Fukuoka stopped using it, but Kintetsu and Seibu probably continued.

Of course, this is far from the ideal analysis. What would be best was if we had data from, say, around 1998, and then a statistical test called factorial analysis of variance could be performed. The factorial ANOVA would tell us if there was an overall unusual jump in homers beyond random chance, and also, which teams experienced unusual jumps. If I had the data, I could possibly do such an analysis. I'd have to download a demo of a statistical program like SPSS, but I could do it, I suppose...

Anyway, just for comparison, here are the league numbers for the same period in the Central League:

Year	HR
2000 2001 2002	848 781 826

[Format edited by: westbaystars on Jan 12, 2003 5:13 PM, JST]

Ask and you shall recieve. I think this is an interesting enough study (and far enough off topic) to create a new thread. Home runs per team since 1998 are here. Please post your study and follow-ups there.

Kevin Millar isn't Hideki Matsui. For sure. The best thing for Chunichi to do is to sell Millar to the Red Sox for 3 millions dollars, and for sure, the Dragons will win in the deal. Millar doesn't deserve a "4th World War." This guy is a role player, not a regular player. Not in the United States, not in Japan, not in Dominican Republic. Whats the matter?

Kevin Millar no es Hideki Matsui. Seguro. Lo mejor para Chunichi es vender a Millar por tres millones de dolares a los Medias Rojas y seguro que los Dragones salen ganando en el negocio (lo compraron por un millon y medio). Este tipo es un jugador sustituto, no un jugador regular. No lo fue en Estados Unidos ni Republica Dominicana, ni lo sera en Japon.

A guy who hits for average, power, and gets on base at a very good rate in the MLB, is not a "role player" at all. Millar would be a superstar playing against NPB competition. We've seen it time and again, players who weren't even good enough to be role players in the MLB (Petagine, Rose, Cabrera, Rhodes, Obando, May, Arias, Valdes, Bolick, Diaz, etc.) come to Japan and become very good players, and in some cases, some of the best players to ever play in Japan. You're just showing your ignorance by claiming that Millar isn't a good player, when he's quite good even by MLB standards.

Also, with regards to just general differences, the two leagues aren't quite as homogeneous as the American and the National Leagues are. In MLB, there's been a movement toward standardizing the leagues: the league presidents have been abolished, the umpires have been brought under one umbrella, there's interleague play, and there's a lot of movement between the leagues. In contrast, Japan, the PL uses the DH, while the CL does not, there are still two distinct league presidents, no interleague play, separate umpires for each league, and there is less player movement over all, and not much between leagues. In addition, the CL's parks are on average smaller than those in the PL.

Millar will definitely benefit from the smaller CL parks in general, but he'll be playing in the Nagoya Dome, which is the biggest park in the CL, and the most extreme pitchers' park in Japan.

Kevin Millar told Boston reporters just today that he's not going to Japan. His dream is to start on opening day for the 2003 Boston RedSox. He has talked it over with his friends and family and expressed a change of heart. Read about it for yourself. [The Boston Globe]

Last week, when Millar supposedly told Chunichi representative Lin, the Japanese press reported that 1) it was taking time to get his visa, and 2) his wife had a family emergency that would postpone his arrival in Japan a few days to a week. Yesterday's (Jan. 30) Nikkan Sports reported that Lin, who also happens to be an old aquantance of Millar from Florida Atlantic University (or at least met him at that time), had advised Millar to give up on the RedSox.

Today's Nikkan Sports states that Chunichi's Nishikawa-president has sent yet another representative (most likely with all his fingers) to negotiate with Millar. If worst comes to worst, lawers may get called in.

From what I've gathered from as little as I pay attention to political news is that G. W. Bush is the only one who wants a war with Iraq. Even the U.N. doesn't back him. While North Korea appears to be a greater threat, he seems to be ignoring it all together, so it's unlikely to develop into a war soon. Is it the "War on Drugs" that Millar doesn't want to leave? Does wrapping oneself in a flag really get support of fans?

Anyway, Yamada-kantoku, after pre-camp strategy meetings Friday, stated that they've got a powerful enough line-up as it is. Millar has pretty much alienated himself to his new team with this. I think he will see some serious problems if/when he does come. Will he be thought of by Chunichi fans as Greenwell is to Hanshin fans?

I seem to have ruffled some feathers with my accusation of Millar wrapping himself in a flag as a poor defense for his actions. Before I get may more name calling posts and e-mail messages, let me clarify some things:

1. I am not a flag burner. While I don't embrace any flag in particular, I don't waste my time burning them either. Spreading hate like that just isn't my thing.
   
   Furthermore, while some seem to think that burning a flag is the opposite of wrapping oneself in one, I think they're both the same thing. The purpose of both is to stir emotion away from rational thought in furthering an argument. On the one hand, embracing a flag, cross, emblem, icon, other artifact{} that has special emotional meaning to a group of people associates one in a good way with that particular group. The image of that idol is emphasized over all other issues.
   
   On the other hand, flag, cross, emblem, icon, book, other artifact{} burning/destroying is meant to show a total dislike of something that consumes one to the point that it must be eradicated. Such intolerance is something totally alien to the U.S. Constitution - yet a tool that politicians and religious figures around the world use regularly, all spreading hatred for those who think differently then themselves.
2. I really don't do drugs or alcohol. I don't really understand why I keep being accused of abusing these two narcotics. I can count the number of times I'd been drunk in my life on one hand, with fingers left over. And not living in the U.S. during my high school years, I wasn't exposed to experimentation with drugs like so many seem to be.
   
   With so many things to challenge the mind and body in the world, why would anybody try to kill his/her mind and body with recreational alcohol or drugs? It's beyond me. And not a very effective counter argument to support Millar's desire to void his contract.
3. I am not a member of the Communist Party. Here's another leap in logic that I don't understand. Criticizing someone for waving a flag to evade questions makes the critic a Communist? I'm guessing this accusation was was sent in my an anonymous grade school kid. I have a hard time imagining an educated adult saying such a thing, over 10 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain.
   
   What political party do I follow? None in particular. I agree and (mostly) disagree with pretty much all of them. There's a quote that I really like that I'd been crediting to Arthur C. Clarke, but recently saw it cited to Douglas Adams. It goes something like, "Anyone capable of putting themselves into office should be disqualified." (Actually, that kind of sounds Mark Twain-ish.)
   
   So far as the philosophy behind communism is concerned, it's no different than capitalism or any other religion out there. Yes, I group it with religions, since pretty much all of them are implementations of a philosophy. And like religions, while the philosophies may have their merits, the implementations have a great deal to be desired.
4. Some people seem to have a limited vocabulary to those generic, mindless, baseless explicatives that appear to be some sort of taunt, based on their context in movies and on playgrounds throughout North America. Such thoughtless, unsubstantiated name calling didn't bother me in grade school, it doesn't bother me now. Find something intelligent to say.

I apologize for this rant. I just wanted to clear these things up before I get many more of these attacks.

The question is not how patriotic anybody is, it's how valid is the patriotic defense? And do baseball fans actually fall for the smoke screen and not ask for a better reason?

I don't think patriotism, communism, or the war on drugs have anything to do with the Millar Situation. Millar saw a way out and took it. Most Major Leaguers would pick Boston over Nagoya in a heartbeat and you can't really blame them. Why sacrifice one's comfort for a foreign land? Most players aren't up to the challenge of dealing with a foreign language, learning a new "style" of baseball, etc. It's important to understand why these players don't want to play overseas, it only makes one respect more those foreign players in Japan who have stayed and succeeded.

I truly think Millar would have played well for Chunichi and I looked forward to seeing him in a Dragons uniform this spring but I guess I'll never get to see that. Chunichi should've gone after a real horse, like Jim Thome, but at least the Phillies gotta' hold him! I'll drink an Yebisu to that. Cheers!

- Millar saw a way out and took it.

A way out? Despite what his truth-twisting agents would have you believe, Millar signed a valid contract, so he's pretty much at the mercy of the US courts. And I feel very little sympathy for him.

Although Millar may not be in the starting lineup for Boston on Opening Day, I'm fairly certain that he won't be playing baseball in Nagoya this year.

Don't be sore just because you'll have to pay to see the Cubs [CNN/Sports Illustrated] lose this season.

- Although Millar may not be in the starting lineup for Boston on Opening Day, I'm fairly certain that he won't be playing baseball in Nagoya this year.

Agreed, but the point is, he might not be playing baseball anywhere for the next two years.

- Don't be sore just because you'll have to pay to see the Cubs lose this season.

Smack talk from a Phillies fan? That's funny. The Cubs have more titles, more pennants and more playoff appearances than that sorry franchise. Go buy some batteries to throw. Unless you're a BoSox fan ... Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

I'm getting a lot of questions about what Millar's status is off forum, now. The reports in Nikkan Sports are a bit vague, usually quoting AP stories from U.S. newspapers. The only thing I've read in Nikkan that I haven't seen (yet) in the English press is the possiblity that the Yankees will try to out bit Boston if Millar is posted, just to spite them. Sounds kind of tabloid-ish to me. Oh, wait. Nikkan is quoting the New York Post, which I've seen very little to convince me isn't a tabloid. (But, hey, even the tabloids get some things right, sometimes.)

Anyway, to help you all sort through the Millar mess, here are some Google searches that might interest you:

• Boston Globe
• ESPN
• MLB.com

Please reach your own conclusions as to how this will work out.

This Boston Globe article states that Millar's agent claims that the contract with Chunichi was agreed up "in principal." I've read other comments to that effect from the English press. Yet the Dragons were so confident that they had a valid contract with him that they threatened legal action against Millar for breach of contract.

So, can anyone site a source that actually knows? It appears that the contract is the central point of the current dispute over who has what rights with Millar.

A Japanese-American baseball fan was quoted in the Feb. 9 Boston Globe article "Can Bullpen by Committee Save the Sox?" as saying that the Dragons may attempt "kai-goroshi" (keep to kill) tactics on Millar's contract. Is there any validity to this statement?

As to what Millar signed, everyone's being quiet about the details, but I read somewhere that what he signed was a faxed "agreement in principle" which, depending on the terms of the fax and the contract, could be no more than a document reciting what terms Millar and the Dragons arrived at. Although from the way the MLB and Dragons are acting, I think its more likely the actual portion of the contract reciting the specific terms without incorporating all the league rules and other stuff that's in a standard players contract. If this is what it is, I don't think it's legally that much different from the longer version and Millar's in a tight spot.

I've read two quite detailed and seemingly reliable articles today:

- Boston Globe
- Sun-Sentinel

We can't know what happened exactly, but rather what's next.

bino316 from Anaheim

Today's Nikkan Sports (Feb. 14) sites the above Boston Globe article and adds that Chunichi is still not satisfied with penalties for breaking his contract nor a replacement for Millar.

The logical thing for Chunichi to do would be to cut their losses and return Millar. But as the second article mentioned about making Millar open to all the MLB teams before becoming a free agent, that would set a bad precedent. I think Chunichi wants to let it be known that backing out of even a "gentleman's agreement" has its price. (And, yes, I think that Nakamura should have had something more explained to him about his indecision and what his responsibilities in the process were as well.)

Filling the hole for Millar will be difficult. But I don't think that Millar can be expected to do well here after this fiasco, either.

It looks like Millar has wisely clammed up for the time being. But I can't help but see my 4 year old boy sitting down and pouting, refusing to move because he can't get his way.

This diary [in Japanese] has many interesting thoughts about the Millar situation.

For those of you who don't read Japanese, this diary is that of Haruko Umeda-san.

It starts off (the two entries at the bottom dated Feb. 3) with an interview with Kevin Millar which was held at Millar's home on January 13. It's just got some general information on Millar's family, education, and sports life.

I'll just skip a lot of the happenings, like comments on various Boston Globe articles and the MLB.com interview. You've all seen those and reached your own conclusions.

Umeda-san, on February 11th, reached the same conclusion that I have of much of the Mainstream North American press, that they're clueless about what's going on over here. She laughs at the suggestion that Sandars would be sent to Chunichi in Millar's place.

But the real interesting thing comes in her February 12th entry. Siting the Seattle PI, Umeda-san scoffs at the assertion that the threat of withdrawing the MLB opening in Tokyo had anything to do with negotiations in the Millar case. I like what she says:

[...] It wasn't Japanese baseball organization who wanted the Major League opening game in Japan. Nor the Players' Association. It's the Major League Organization that wants to expand into the Japanese market. [...] This has nothing to do with Chunichi. [...]

She's got a point. I really don't think that the NPB teams would shed a tear if Seattle and Oakland cancelled. Such a threat to cancel opening day in Tokyo would have zero effect. (Besides, Shukan Baseball and other sources all seem to concur that the cancelation threat is due to the heightened terrorist warning [2nd segment - specific?] in the U.S.)

She is also pointing out the contradiction of the statement from Millar's side.

His Agent says "It was not a binded contract. It was just a faxed brief agreement." In the mean time Millar is begging Chunichi to give his contract away. If it is not a formal contract, why don't you just ingore it and have a new contract with BoSox right away?

She also says it is not fair to bring Japanese word "kai-goroshi" issue in the Boston newspapers without knowing details. He hasn't even made a formal proposal to cancel his contract to Chunichi yet.

I agree with her. Even the Curt Flood saga is a totally different story. The Millar saga is more childish trouble. A 29 years old GM and a 31 years old kid made all of this.

Anyway, I would like to say "let him play, anywhere. He is a baseball player."

The 29 year old GM did exactly what any smart GM would do. He saw a player he wanted, saw an opportunity to grap him on waivers and took him. All totally legal and within the rules. Theo found the loophole the same way Nomo did to get what he wanted. The real problem that needs to be fixed is smoothing the transition for players from MLB to NPB so that this cannot happen again. Millar's weak excuses aside, this is not a problem caused by the player or Red Sox management, but rather, the continued poor working relationship between the two leagues.

Will this hurt relations between the two leagues or just the Sox and NPB? Only time will tell. Maybe if the Sox do what the Yanks did and payoff some Japanese network to trade baseball programming for NESN while grabing another marquee player to play at Fenway...

According to ESPN, Millar has been released from his deal with the Dragons. Has this been confirmed by Chunichi officals, or has Peter Gammons jumped the gun yet again?

I've checked both Nikkan Sports and Yahoo Sports Japan for any such breaking news, but came up empty. There's not even anything on Chunichi Sports' Dragons' news page. Nothing.

It's very unusual that the Northern American press is beating the Japanese press to stories involving Japanese this year. Does the press feel they have to print tomorrow's news today?

The AP confirmed the whole thing here [Yahoo Sports].

This was a pretty interesting story from a Japan/US/international contract standpoint. Even the Red Sox GM thought so. But to be honest I just don't see Millar being worth all the fuss. The Red Sox have enough mediocre talent.

Captain

Westbaystars, check my column in ESPNdeportes.com (in beisbol page) about the "Millargate." It is in Spanish, but you can use the dictionary to read this.

Please, read this.

Enrique Rojas

[Admin: Translation via BableFish]

"Millar Won, Baseball Lost." A very good title. And a complete review of the whole affair.

My conclusion of it all was: a loophole was revealed, some stupid excuses were given, some feelings were hurt, and Chunichi is left without a #4 hitter. Future negotiations will see wording in contracts to make sure that this doesn't happen again. While it wasn't very nice of Millar, I don't think his actions are going to cause too serious frictions between the two super-power baseball organizations.

Those reading the Fish version, make the following substitutions:

Thousands = Millar
Red Averages = Red Sox
races = careers
gardener = fielder
garden = ball field
Novice = Rookie

Thanks for the summary.

It was just reported on ESPN that Kevin Millar has signed with the Boston Red Sox, and that he was traded to Boston from Florida, the team that the Chuichi Dragons had bought his contract. Apparently the two teams, Florida and Dragons, had reached some agreement financially to let him out of his obligation to Chuichi.

Please let this be the end of this fiasco.

OK, this whole mess seems to finally be over. Millar drove 15 hours from his Texas home to the Red Sox spring training camp in Florida and is ready to put the whole ordeal behind him. He was all over the sports shows here in Beantown. I personally think he's a great catch for the Sox.

In the end, it seems MLB or the Player's Union stepped in to resolve everything, probably to end any further deterioration between the two leagues. It'll be funny if the Player's Union did have anything to do with it, simply because Millar was a replacement player during the last baseball strike.

LOL. I read this tidbit: Some Japanese reporter questioned Pedro Martinez whether Hideki Matsui intimidates him and whether Pedro had seen his stats. Pedro counters by asking if Hideki had seen his stats yet.

The February 28, 2003 Japan Times [Link] states that Kevin Millar sent a letter of apology to the Chunichi Dragons and Dragon fans. Millar said his main reason in not coming to Japan was his family's concerns over the Iraq war.

Apparently the Japanese press hasn't forgiven Kevin Millar. Here is a headline from the April 3, 2003 Japan Times:

"Dragons turncoat Millar sinks Devil Rays"

For the record, Kevin Millar signed with the Boston Red Sox and is having a breakout season in leading them to the post season. However, right now I am writing a presentation on Japanese baseball. Any information would be appreciated.