Hanshin Hanshin Department Stores branch in Umeda, Osaka, saw customers camping out as early as just after midnight Monday to snag one of 1600 special 10,000 yen Hanshin Tigers gift bags the shop was selling. Among the items in the bag were a pair of tickets to a Tigers game. It perhaps says something about the intensity of the devotion the folks in Osaka have for their team when the first person in line was a 61 year old housewife. All the bags were gone within four hours. 

There is a lot of interest on the part of the Japanese press over Kanemoto's consecutive full games played streak, but with 337 dingers lifetime, aniki (older brother) is beginning to focus on reaching 400. Barring injuries, that should be a lead pipe cinch, but it obviously won't happen this season. 

Tigers special adviser Senichi Hoshino wants to get into the Little League biz by picking the players himself and then taking them into an international tournament. The former Dragons pitcher went to a Babe Ruth League international championship last year and said it felt weird not to have Japan represented at the event. But crikey, given Hoshino's temperment, would anyone really wish that on kids? 

Hiroshima Rightfielder Shigenobu Shima, who needs to prove he can in someplace else other than his home ballpark, is going to a Michihiro Ogasawara model bat this season that is an ounce lighter and half an inch longer than the stick he used in 2005. 

Yokohama Centerfielder Hitoshi Tamura made an appearance earlier today at a department store in Yokohama and revealed that he would like to eclipse the .300, 30 homer marks that he has attained in each of the last two seasons. During spring training of 2001, Tamura was given special hititng instruction by current Chunichi manager Hiromitsu Ochiai and that potential has obviously bloomed thanks to an increase in playing time. 

Also hoping for more playing time is outfielder Masaaki Koike, who established a career high in homers last season with 20. But that number is neutralized by the fact that he hit just .226 with runners in scoring position and didn't do very well against either righties or lefties, finishing with a .243 overall average and only a .747 OPS. He will need to be more selective at the plate this spring to encourage skipper Kazuhiko Ushijima to pencil him in every night. 

Yomiuri Outfielder Kenji Yano, speaking at a personal appearance, told the audience that he would like to steal 20 bases the coming season. But then Giants minor league manager Sadaaki Yoshimura chimed in that he wanted to see Yano swipe at least 30. The question that provokes is just where Yano would bat in the order that would allow him to do it. Second baseman Toshihisa Nishi had a terrible 2005 and one wonders if Yano might take his place at the top of the order while Nishi goes down to eighth. We'll have to wait and see. 

However, the main object of the press's affection these days seems to be rookie lefthander Takanobu Tsujiuchi, who was interviewed by Giants house organ Hochi Sports Monday along with another draft pick, Tohoku University product Satoshi Fukuda. Both men have been playing baseball since first grade and each can run it up there in excess of 93mph and hope to one day touch 100mph on the gun. Fukuda says that he just wants to make the big club out of spring training while Tsujiuchi wants to win the Rookie of the Year. While it is likely that Tsujiuchi will be given a look for the starting rotation, Fukuda will, at least for now, be slotted into a middle relief role. Their career goals? Fukuda aims to one day be inducted into the Meikyukai, a goal that was echoed by his younger teammate. Tsujiuchi is an admirer of Yomiuri lefty Kimiyasu Kudoh and Yankees southpaw Randy Johnson while Fukuda likes his sempai (senior predecessor) at Tohoku Fukushi, Kazuhiro Sasaki. But both state that they have to sharpen up their control in order to even think of doing well as pros. 

The Giants trot Tsujiuchi out at every opportunity and you can look for more of the same until they have to report for spring camp. 

Miscellaneous On the heels of Sunday's rumor that would have seen Mets infielder Kazuo Matsui dealt to Tampa Bay as part of a four team transaction, is another one that has Matsui maybe moving along with $5 million to Boston for Alex Cora.