Softbank Hawks Sign Pitcher

POWELL TO PITCH FOR HAWKS…AFTER SUSPENSION

Japan’s Pacific League has ruled pitcher Jeremy Powell may play for the Softbank Hawks, but only after serving a three-month suspension for signing a contract with two teams for 2008. Powell apparently agreed to deals with both the Hawks and Orix Buffaloes for the coming season, which is a no-no in baseball.

The league issued a resolution urging Softbank to leave Powell off their active roster until June 22. The regular season opens March 20. The 31-year-old right-hander was scheduled to meet with Hawks manager Sadaharu Oh last Friday at the team’s camp in Miyazaki before returning to the United States one day later.

Softbank has petitioned the league to shorten Powell’s suspension, which drew an incredulous reaction from Orix official Katsuhiro Nakamura, who said, “No matter how you look at it, this is outrageous. Talk about jumping the gun!” Orix is appealing the league decision awarding Powell to the Hawks. Powell claims he only signed the deal with the Buffaloes because he was told it would only be used for visa and residency purposes.

Powell has a 67-59 record with a 3.89 ERA in his Japanese career, and led the Pacific League with 17 wins for Kintetsu in 2002. However, a knee injury held him to just seven starts for last season for the Yomiuri Giants, for whom he went 0-2.

HEAD COACH SIGNS TWO-YEAR DEAL WITH NEW KBO FRANCHISE

Although there is considerable confusion over the Korea Baseball Organization’s franchise owned by Seattle-based Centennial Investments, including who will actually pay the bills, the former Hyundai Unicorns have named a new head coach for 2008.

Former LG Twins coach Gwang-hwan Lee was appointed head coach of the team after signing a two-year contract for 300 million won. Lee will get a 100 million won signing bonus plus another 100 million won a year for 2008 and 2009. He had been serving as the KBO’s education committee chairman after his previous stint with the Twins. The 60-year-old Lee began coaching in 1989 with the OB Bears.

Now there’s the small matter of which Centennial Investment partner will actually pay the cost of sponsoring the ex-Unicorns to the tune of a 12 billion won entry fee and 9 billion won per year for operating expenses. After a number of announcements from Centennial stating the new sponsors would be named shortly proved abortive, the team finally issued a statement that a “memorandum of understanding” has been signed with a company on good conditions, but nothing more. The sponsor is reportedly an IT financial firm from Hong Kong, but that had not been confirmed by Friday morning.

TAIWANESE TEAM SOLD TO CELL PHONE MANUFACTURER

The Macoto Cobras of the Chinese Professional Baseball League have been sold to a new owner. The Cobras were sold last week to the dMedia System Company. dMedia is based in Taipei, and manufactures mobile phones.

League commissioner Chao Shou-po gave the news at a press conference after negotiations to finalize the deal had dragged on for months. Chao said the CPBL was “happy with the new owners, because they have met all the requirements to operate a professional baseball franchise” in Taiwan.

(Courtesy of World Baseball Today)