Preparing for our departure
Tomorrow morning we will depart for Japan to take on the Japanese All-Stars in a five-game All-Star Series. I am extremely excited for the opportunity to represent Major League Baseball and the San Diego Padres in this event.
Today I reported to Arizona to join my teammates for the last of three workouts before we leave; I missed the first two days because I had to attend a wedding back home. The workout was an easy one and it was good to get back in the swing of things with baseball. Although our season with the Padres ended only a couple weeks ago, the time off felt like an eternity. Standing on the field with such an unbelievable group of players brought feelings of disbelief and amazement. I cannot believe the talent on the team and I am completely flattered that I was chosen to participate. I have admired and respected all the guys on the team as opponents and now I can be one of their teammates, if only for 10 days.
Tonight we had a meeting for the traveling party at the team hotel in
Phoenix. My wife, Liz, is accompanying me on the trip and it will be
the first time to Japan for both of us. We were given a short synopsis
of Japanese culture, etiquette, traditions and other topics we might
find useful. It was a very informative and helpful meeting which
increased my excitement for the trip. I am a little anxious about the
difference in Japanese and American cultures. The Japanese are very
polite by nature and I hope that I will not do anything they might find
offensive. I am excited to experience the Japanese culture and see
firsthand their customs, traditions and overall way of life.
As for playing against the Japanese All-Stars, it should be a very competitive and exciting series. Japanese baseball is extremely talented, as evidenced in the success of players such as Ichiro, Hideki Matsui, Kenji Johjima, Tadahito Iguchi, Hideo Nomo, Akinori Otsuka and many others in MLB. They also won the World Baseball Classic last spring, so we will have to play at the top of our game to beat them. It will be a fun and memorable experience to pitch against their best players, in front of their passionate fans, in their home stadiums and cities. I cannot wait to get over there.
The only thing I am not looking forward to is the 15-hour flight! Tall people and airplanes are not a good match!
Chris,
Looking forwarding to reading about your experiences in Japan. Are you slated to start one of these six games? Have a great trip.
Report any abuse or spam
Chris,
Hope you and Liz have a great time. We can't wait to see the pictures. Good Luck! We will be watching.
Report any abuse or spam
Chris,
Thanks for everything you did for the Padres and the city of San Diego. I can't wait to read about your experiences in Japan and see the pictures. Have a great trip! Good luck!
Laura
Report any abuse or spam
Chris,
I'm so glad that you and Clay Hensley have the opportunity to represent the U.S. in Japan. You did an awesome job in San Diego for the Padres! I'll be looking foward to your future blogs and pictures! Good Luck
Stephanie
Report any abuse or spam
People have to understand that Chris Young and Ian Browne are two of the great people in baseball. But those of us fortunate to know them both can only smile at the thought of Ian Browne standing there interviewing Chris Young, if you know what I mean, and those two definitely do. Ian, enjoy a Kirin or two while you are there...They don't have that at the Boston Beer Works
Report any abuse or spam
Hi Chris,
I just wanted to wish you the best of luck in Japan. It's nice to have you pitching for my team again. (Sure do miss you in Texas, big fella.) I hope you enjoy this unique experience, representing the US against some of the best players in the world.
Report any abuse or spam
Thank you for taking your time to report on this experience Chris. I look forward to following your blogs for the duration of your trip to Japan!
Report any abuse or spam
Hey Chris, congrats again on the stellar season, can't wait to see what you can do next year.
I can tell ya, you're going to have a tough time blending in over there, with roughly your entire torso standing head and shoulders above the rest of the population!
Good luck and can't wait to see your next blog entry.
-Ryan
Report any abuse or spam
Chris, I look forward to reading about your adventure !!!
Greg
http://baseballfix.mlblogs.com/
Report any abuse or spam
Howdy Chris (and Liz, too!),
Thanks for a great season of baseball! I know this will be a fun and interesting trip. I'm really looking forward to hearing how Japan and Japanese baseball strike you. Good luck tomorrow. cheers, boo and denny
Report any abuse or spam
Hey Chris and Liz
Have a great time in Japan. We, in California and Princeton, are rooting you on. It will be great to read about your experiences on a daily basis.
Best of Luck
Sara in Oakland
Report any abuse or spam
Chris: congrats on the great year and the superb playoff performance against the Cardinals. You were clutch in that game and gave your team a chance to get back in the series. As a diehard Princeton hoops fan and long-time Padres fan, I'm thrilled that you're a Padre and really excited about your long term prospects in San Diego. Now, if Will V. can just get up there with you, we Tigers fans will really have a fun phenonmenon to follow! Good luck in Japan.
--Steve Silverman '83
Report any abuse or spam
Chris, I'm not surprised at all that you were chosen for this team! You did an awesome job for the Pads this year and you made us proud. You and Clay will continue to do that in Japan. Best of luck to you and keep us posted. And make sure you and Liz take time to have some FUN too!
Report any abuse or spam
Chris, Stay out of trouble! SW
Report any abuse or spam
Chris, Congrats on a great season. You rock!
www.baseballstuff.mlblogs.com
Report any abuse or spam
Chris,
I hope you enjoy your time in Japan and am looking forward to seeing you play next season. By the way, I agree that tall people and airplanes are not a good combination.
Report any abuse or spam
What a refreshing change of pace for us to send our young men into a foreign country and have them accepted as heroes. Japanese players are great students of the game; go ahead and teach them a lesson them Chris.
Report any abuse or spam
Chris- great blog, and glad to hear you are enjoying time in Japan. Congrats on the solid season, always good to see a former teammate representing the PU Tigers!
Report any abuse or spam