Jeff Williams supporters' website

OFF-SEASON！

08/01/15

G’day fans
Long time no write.
I have been so busy in my off-season that I have barely had time to sit at the computer for long enough to write a message. I can hardly believe that it is almost time for spring training to start again but I am excited to get back.
Well first I must mention the Mitchell report as I’m sure you are all wanting to know from me what this is all about. First let me say this - I do not take steroids - I was very shocked that I was included in the report and I am looking into how to clear my name. In the meantime, I hope that you will trust that I am a clean ballplayer. I have been tested many many times while playing in America, Australia and Japan. I have always passed. Although I am going to have to deal with this, I feel that it is very important to move forward and not let this distract from the most important thing which is for the tigers to win the central league and Japan series. I promise I will focus on what matters most and that is winning….
Well this certainly has been an off-season full of moves and trades of impact players and is sure to make for an exciting season. I am really happy to see that we acquired Arai from Hiroshima. He is a great player and will surely help to balance out our lineup and drive in those runs in the clutch. Mostly I am happy that I don’t have to face him anymore as he was a power threat in every situation. I look forward to having him on the team.
This certainly eases the pain of Andy Sheets retiring and leaving a big hole to fill. I know that both Arai and Kanemoto will be happy to be on the field together again also. The pickup of Kanemura is a good one also. He has a great talent and I think with some of the veteran pitchers to hang around, he will become the great pitcher everyone expects.
I am interested to see what kind of role Hirano will fill as I always loved the way he played. He goes as hard as he can all the time and that is very exciting to watch as a teammate.
I was sad to see Nakamura, Hamanaka, Yoshino, and Akamatsu go because they are all good players and very nice guys. Wish them the best of luck and I hope they get a better opportunity with their new clubs.
Of course as a foreigner it is hard to say goodbye to the other foreigners because we spend the most time together so I’m sure it will be tough to not have Andy and Darwin back this season but I speak to Andy often and he is enjoying retirement so far so I am
happy for that. Also I know Darwin will get a good shot with another team as he is a great pitcher. Still, I will miss them both. I’m very happy that Vogelsong will be back as we have become great friends and help each other a lot during the season. I don’t know much about the 2 new guys but I’ll do my best to keep them focused and be their big brother and help as much as I can.
Only 3 weeks until I return but I have done so much this off- season that I’m ready for the normal life of baseball again.
When the season ended last year, I took my wife and kids to Hawaii for 10 days for vacation. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian village in Honolulu and it was fantastic. My mother and father and sister came from Australia to meet us there and we had a great time….very relaxing….
From there, we came back to Arizona and settled back into our home and American lifestyle again. Which for me means lots of golf and eating out at restaurants. Very unhealthy but very tasty. My favorite is Mexican food this off-season.
There are so many holidays at this time of year that you feel like you are going straight from one celebration to another - it is very crazy….
First there is Halloween.　Dressing up and lots of candy for the kids.　
Then there is thanksgiving.　A great big meal of turkey and trimmings. Then of course is Christmas.　with a 2 year old and 3 year old, it 　is lots of fun at Christmas time.
And finally new years. Which used to be a big party for me but now with young kids is kind of laid back but still celebrating with good friends.
And on top of that, we took a family trip to the snow fields for a few days last week so that our kids could ride on sleds and make snowmen….a very crazy time of year…….
I started my off- season training in the middle of November so am in great shape now and feel ready to pitch off the mound very soon.　I　have a great trainer and have been really happy with my progression this year.　I train with Jeremy Powell, Bryan Corey and Yabu Keiｉchi as well. It　 is good to have a group of guys who play/played in Japan as we can talk about all the NPB news and our experiences there.
Well I guess I have rambled on enough for now so I should go and get to bed.　Tomorrow is another big training day.
I look forward to seeing you at Koshien or wherever you can catch a Tiger game this year.
Until then……
Jeff
15/01/2008