Warren Cromartie said being back in Japan made him feel like he was home. He said there were fans who recognized him while he was out and about in Tokyo and that he'd already made plans to have dinner with a few of his former Yomiuri Giants teammates later in the week. If there's time, he said, he'd also like to take in a baseball game.
Cromartie is hoping that last one will be an option in another place he calls home, Montreal, Canada, in the near future.
The former Expos and Giants outfielder held court at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan for about an hour Monday night. Cromartie, 62, flashed his familiar grin and donned one of the Expos' famous tricolor home hats, before switching to a Giants cap about midway through. He spoke about his love of Japan and the Giants, but also about his goal to bring MLB back to Montreal, which has been without a team since the Expos relocated to Washington, D.C., becoming the Nationals, after the 2004 season.