Media glare not too bright for a patient Fukudome

MESA, Ariz. -- While the Cubs have superstars such as Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano on their team, it's only Kosuke Fukudome who gets grilled by the media every day.

Fukudome draws a crowd of Japanese reporters every day, and they want to know about his every action on the field.

"I'm a very patient man, so I'm OK with that," he said.

Doesn't he ever get tired of it?

"If that's the case, I wouldn't be here after the game," he said.

American reporters told Fukudome they weren't used to seeing one player get so much attention.

"Right now, at this point, I'm a little bit valued," he said, laughing.

Fukudome was 1-for-3 with a walk in Saturday's 4-1 victory over Arizona. He also was caught stealing once.

"I asked him today if we wanted to pinch run for him, or if he wanted to attempt a stolen base," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "He wanted to attempt a stolen base. Let him run."