In the good old days, Japanese baseball players used to dream about going to the major leagues. Now they just dream about playing on the West Coast.

In the world of Japanese baseball, west is clearly best. Six of the 11 Japanese in the majors will play for West Coast teams during the upcoming season. That's a very large amount when you consider that only 20 percent of major-league teams border the Pacific Ocean.

Shigetoshi Hasegawa recently signed with the Seattle Mariners, where he will join Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki.

"This is an exciting situation for Shige," Hasegawa's agent, Ed Kleven, gushed after the signing last week. "He wanted to pitch on the West Coast."

But why? A number of Midwest teams, such as the Chicago White Sox, are in dire need of middle relief. The Mariners already have a handful of outstanding set-up men.

Kazuhisa Ishii was equally eager to play on the West Coast. Before the southpaw was posted by the Yakult Swallows earlier this month, he made his preference perfectly clear.

"He's a good pitcher," Boston Red Sox scout Ray Poitevint said before the bidding began, "but . . . he said he only wants to play on the West Coast."

Ishii's posturing worked like a charm. The Red Sox were not among the teams that bid for him. In fact, only two teams east of Texas threw their hats into the ring. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who successfully courted Hideo Nomo last month, won with an $11.3 million bid.

Did Ishii influence the bidding process? Major League Baseball says no, but it's easy to read between the lines. That's exactly why Nippon Pro Baseball and MLB should insist that posted players keep quiet from now on.

Ishii isn't the first athlete to try to influence teams before the selection process even begins. NFL legend John Elway and NBA playmaker Steve Francis did it, albeit more blatantly. For those with long memories, these athletes will be remembered for beginning their careers with less class than a high school dropout.

Free agents, however, have every right to speak their minds and go wherever they please. That's exactly what Motonobu Tanishige did last month. Like a good Japanese baseball player, he expressed a desire to play on the West Coast. Not surprisingly, the Mariners, San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies reportedly were the teams most interested in his services. Tanishige eventually signed with the Chunichi Dragons.

The San Francisco Giants knew they would be getting a happy camper last month when they traded for Tsuyoshi Shinjo. The outfielder, who loved playing in the Big Apple and was shocked by the trade, is now "thrilled to be on the West Coast."

"If I had to choose another city other than New York, San Francisco would be my first choice," Shinjo said.

Shinjo's thinking is somewhat shortsighted. The Japanese media glare is much more intense on the West Coast than it is elsewhere. Shinjo may live for the spotlight, but he will have to endure a relentless paparazzi that drove Ichiro and Sasaki mad last summer.

Speaking of Ichiro, before last season began he said he was excited to be playing on the West Coast, where he could "easily go home." But after leaving for the majors in January, Ichiro didn't return to Japan for 11 months. Hasegawa, meanwhile, spends all but two to three weeks a year in the U.S.

Japanese ballplayers are allowed to have personal preferences, but recently they've been putting too much emphasis on geography. Playing for a winner is what matters most, not playing "close" to home. Dominican ballplayers realize this, and that's why few go out of their way to land with the Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The Japanese fans I have spoken to aren't happy with the West Coast trend. They believe Japanese players would have a greater impact on the game if they were open to playing in all corners of the majors. It's hard to disagree.

That's why So Taguchi should be commended for being the nail that sticks up. The free agent signed with the St. Louis Cardinals last week. While California has a large Japanese community and sunshine -- and, according to rapper 2Pac, "knows how to party" -- there isn't much happening along the Mississippi River these days. But location wasn't important to Taguchi, who signed with one of the classiest ballclubs in baseball.

Let's hope others follow in his footsteps.

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This, folks, is my sayonara Sports Scope. After six years in Japan, I've decided to head back to the U.S. So a heartfelt goodbye from me to all of you.

And just for the record, I'm not heading anywhere near the West Coast.