Short makes the right decision

Three years ago, Larkin High School graduate Rick Short took a big-time gamble.

And Short hit the jackpot.

Back in 2005, Short, who logged a total of 11 seasons in baseball's minor leagues with the Baltimore Orioles, Cubs, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Montreal Expos, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals chains, finally realized his dream when he played 11 games in the big leagues in the Nationals first season in Washington.

"With Washington I was having a good year at Triple A and got called up," said Short, who hit .400 in 15 at-bats with the big team in 2005. "Things went pretty well in the big leagues."

And then Japan came calling - again.

Short, who registered 4,137 minor league at-bats, had spent the 2003 season in Japan, playing for the Pacific League's Chiba Lotte Marines. Short hit .303 in 519 plate appearances with 12 homers and 58 RBI before returning to the states for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

But this time it was the Pacific League's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (located in the city of Sendai; 2 hours north of Tokyo via the bullet train) that were interested.

"They made me an offer," said Short. "It was a tough decision. You work your whole life to get to the major leagues and then I got there. It made the choice to leave tough. But I think I made the right choice. I was getting a little older. I wasn't sure what my opportunities were going to be if I had stuck in the big leagues."

Short, 35, hit .314 in 2006 with Rakuten and then followed that up last season with an impressive .330 showing with 4 home runs and 53 RBI.

And he hasn't slowed down one bit this season. As of late this week, Short was second in the Pacific League batting race at .333 and had hit 10 home runs to go with a Japan career-high 63 RBI. Short has also once again displayed his penchant for putting the bat on the ball with only 44 strikeouts in 426 at-bats.

"Rick is a throwback type of player. His is not about hype or flash. He is about playing the game the way it is supposed to be played," said Marty Kuehnert, the assistant to the Golden Eagles president who made history in 2004 when he was named the first foreign general manager in Japanese professional baseball. "He gives you 100 percent of what he has every day. He may not be as fast as some, throw as hard as some, hit the ball as far as some, but he will never embarrass you-and most of the time he will help you win games.

"He is great at putting the bat on the ball. He doesn't try to hit monster home runs. He just tries, and most often does, give you a base hit that helps you win a game."

Playing the game the right way, as Kuehnert describes, has been a big hit in Japan.

"Rick has succeeded in Japan because he plays the game hard every day," said Kuehnert. "He never lets up. Our manager, who generally is not fond of foreign players, has learned to love him, his fellow players love him and the fans love him. Adjusting to Japan is hard for some players - the different culture, language, food and customs - but Rick has never let any of those things affect the way he plays on the field. He doesn't make excuses."

Short admits playing in Japan did take some getting used to.

"The first couple of years were the hardest," said Short. "You have to get used to the culture. It gets better. I can make it around town and go grocery shopping. The language is tough, but the team provides a translator on and off the field."

Short's strong work ethic has fit right in.

"People in Japan work hard and work long hours," said Short. "It translates into baseball. We practice on off days and we have meetings every day about the opposing pitcher even if we've faced that person 20 times. There are very hard-working people here."

While baseball may be baseball to many, Short notes there are quite a few differences between the way baseball is played in the U.S. and in Japan.

"That's always a popular question," said Short. "It's totally different from the baseball we know. They will bunt from the first inning and the starting pitcher will throw 150-160 pitches. The bullpen guys throw every single day. They cherish 1 run. If a team has a 4, 5 or 6-run lead and the other team gets a runner on third, they will pull the infield in and try to get that runner out."

Short said openness to change was also a major key for him.

"I took the approach of having an open mind when I got here," said Short. "A lot of foreigners come over here and think the way they do it in the U.S. is the only way it will work. You have to come here and try new things. You have to make adjustments. It's totally different. There are a lot of breaking balls and forkballs. Pitchers have incredible control here and they all have 4 or 5 different pitches. My ability to make adjustments allowed me to be successful here."

Short's move to Japan has also been beneficial to his pocketbook. According to Japan Ball.com's Bob Bavasi (www.japanball.com), Short's 1-oku Japanese salary translates into just over $909,000 (U.S., at current rates) this season. According to information from JapanBall.com and Xe.com (a currency converter), Short's 2003 salary in Japan would have been the equivalent to almost $440,000 (U.S., at today's rates), while his 2006 and 2007 Japanese salaries were the equivalent to around $365,000 (U.S., at today's rates).

"Financially, it made the decision a lot easier, I'm not going to lie to you," said Short, drafted originally by the Baltimore Orioles in 1994 (33rd round).

Short has also been able to share his experience with his wife and children. Short's wife, Karyn, and their three kids, Annabelle (8), Alan (5), and Holly (1 ), recently returned to the family home in Peoria for the start of the school year.

"They came over for the summer. They spend 3 months here and then go back," said Short.

Short is also enjoying his time as a sports celebrity in Sendai.

"We were an expansion team. This is our third year now," said Short, who lives 6 blocks from the stadium and noted the team takes care of his living arrangements. "The city I live in, there was no pro team here. Fans are crazy about the team. It's a lot of fun. Everybody knows who you are. The city has taken to the team."

In terms of his future in baseball, Short is taking things as they come.

"I'm 35 now. I guess I realize this is my last stop," said Short. "Going back to the states, I'm probably done there. Until they kick me out of here, I'm going to keep going as long as I can and keep coming back.

"At first I wondered if I made the right decision. Being here now 3-4 years and talking to my friends from the states and knowing how hard it is to get to the major leagues and how much harder it is to stay, I don't miss the uncertainty.

"I'm happy with the position I'm in."