CHICAGO -- When the San Francisco Giants arrived at Wrigley Field on Tuesday for a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs, Tsuyoshi Shinjo was batting a depressing .168. Considering how much attention he was receiving from the Japanese media, you'd think he was batting 1.000.
"Another question about Shinjo?" Giants manager Dusty Baker shrugged during a pregame news conference. "OK, go ahead and ask it."
This season, Baker has been bombarded with queries about Shinjo from the 20 or so members of the Japanese media who cover -- with a magnifying glass larger than the Goodyear blimp -- the former Hanshin Tigers star.