Fukudome inspires Fukudomania in Cubs fans

Be it t-shirts, headbands or jerseys, Cubs fans wear their love of Japanese outfielder on their sleeves

The sidewalks surrounding Wrigley Field are always hopping on game days, as barking vendors and boisterous fans converge in an outdoor market filled with Cubs gear. This season, a new product line has been added, and it's taking Cubs Nation by storm. You can't walk a foot without seeing the evidence: Fans wearing spanking-new Kosuke Fukudome jerseys, T-shirts and headbands.

Fueled in part by his status as the Cubs' first Japanese player and in part by his torrid start at the plate, ''Fukudomania'' has taken root. Not since Kerry Wood's rookie season has a player caught on so quickly with Cubs fans.

''He's selling really good,'' said a man named Tony, who was working a vending booth last week at Waveland and Clifton. ''Jerseys, T-shirts, anything with his name on it. Right now, he's it. And if he keeps it up, we're going to sell a lot more.''

A couple of blocks away, a vendor is holding a T-shirt on a stick.

''Fukudome is my homie!'' he shouts.

Sure enough, that's what the T-shirt says. It can be yours for $15.

''It's Fukudome fever!'' said Howie, the vendor. ''Nothing is bigger than Fukudome right now.''

That's not to say fans are ignoring their other favorites. At the corner of Waveland and Sheffield, vendor Elio said Derrek Lee is his top seller, followed by Alfonso Soriano. But it's early, and Fukudome is coming on strong. Remember, the ''Kid K'' phenomenon didn't really get rolling in 1998 until May.

Outside a rooftop on Sheffield, Aries Paluero, 29, was wearing a Fukudome headband and jersey. The Downers Grove resident said he had planned ahead for his first Cubs game of the season, buying the jersey at Woodfield Mall. He spent about $200 on it.

''I just want to support him,'' Paluero said.

Many of the Fukudome shirts and headbands being peddled feature his name written in Japanese -- or so the vendors proclaim. The ''Fukudome is my Homie'' shirts, for example, have his name on the back in what appears to be Japanese. But is it really Japanese? And how do the vendors know that it's spelled correctly?

''I Googled it,'' said a young man named Dimitri, who was helping to sell the shirts. ''But some Japanese fans the other day told me it was spelled right.''

Those same fans, he said, told him that some of the headbands that purport to say ''Fukudome'' actually are written in Chinese. It's safe to assume no one ever made that mistake with the ''We Got Wood'' T-shirts.

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Fans are making a statement by donning their Fukudome gear, but jerseys and headbands can say only so much. The real action occurs in the right-field bleachers when Fukudome is playing. As he takes the field, many fans in the bleachers stand and perform a version of the ''we're-not-worthy'' bow that hasn't been seen at Wrigley Field since Sammy Sosa roamed right field. Some fans have brought homemade Fukudome signs, some have painted his name on their chests and others have waved Japanese flags. And Fukudome appreciates all of it. He might not acknowledge it the way Sosa did because he's not a chest-thumping, blowing-kisses kind of guy. But he has noticed the outpouring of affection and is enjoying it.

''It's nice to see more and more people wearing the T-shirts and the headbands,'' he said Thursday. ''But I do realize that many people are wearing the headbands upside down.''

He speaks through his translator, Ryuji Araki, making conversation difficult. But laughter translates in any language, and it was clear that Fukudome was amused by the upside-down headbands. The signs he has read also have amused him. For instance, one sign tried to say ''It's going to happen'' in both English and Japanese, but the Japanese translated to ''By coincidence.''

''Basically, all of the signs have mistakes in the translations, so they don't make much sense,'' Fukudome said.

Fortunately for the Cubs, the 30-year-old rookie has had little difficulty adjusting to the major leagues. A two-time batting champion and former most valuable player in Japan, he has been impressive in the early going with both his bat and his defense.

''So far, I haven't had anything too difficult to adjust to,'' he said. ''My teammates have all welcomed me and have been very helpful.''

While his wife and infant son are still in Japan -- they plan to join him in Chicago this summer -- Fukudome slowly is getting to know Chicago. Make that very slowly. He lives downtown, but he hasn't had a chance to take in any of the sights yet. He is, however, starting to feel at home at Wrigley.

''Coming back from the road trip, I feel more comfortable playing at home now,'' he said. ''Obviously, the support of the great fans helps.''

It can take some getting used to, though. When fans across the entire ballpark stood and chanted his name, demanding a curtain call after his game-tying home run on Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers, Fukudome felt uncomfortable.

''It's not customary to have curtain calls in Japan, and I'd never done that before,'' he said. ''I was a little bit embarrassed. But I hope there will be more chances to do it.''

With a Japanese media contingent, including a camera crew, following his every move and his translator by his side, Fukudome has little time to himself when he's at the ballpark. But he seems at ease with the situation.

''Having the Japanese media around doesn't bother me at all,'' he said. ''It's nice to be able to talk in Japanese to someone other than [my translator].''

In Japan, Fukudome isn't a star of the magnitude of Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox, Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees or Hideo Nomo of the Kansas City Royals. ''Fukudomania'' is still in its infancy, both here and abroad. But the four-year, $48 million contract Fukudome signed with the Cubs raised his profile in his home country. Earlier this month, Nippon Life Insurance Co. announced a marketing sponsorship with the Cubs that includes a Nippon backdrop display for Fukudome's media-room interviews.

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Back on the streets, a young man is selling two types of T-shirts: One features Fukudome; the other, Ernie Banks. Which is selling better?

''Fukudome,'' he said.

Out with the old, in with the new.

''The 'Sox Suck' T-shirts -- anything White Sox -- sell good,'' vendor Howie said. ''The 'Win or Lose, We Still Booze' T-shirts sell well. The 'Keep It Wrigley' shirts sell well. But nothing is bigger than Fukudome right now.''

When the bleacher gates open, Fukudome fans find their seats in right field. Angela Okrepky of Chicago and her 12-year-old nephew, Alex, sported Fukudome headbands.

''I like him because he runs kind of fast,'' Alex said.

Eddie Bailey and his wife, Jeanne, drove seven hours from Minnesota for the game. Both wore Fukudome jerseys.

''We like him because he's from Japan, we need a left-handed-hitting outfielder and we like the way he plays the games,'' said Eddie, a Cubs fan since 1948. ''His fundamentals are great. If a pitch is outside, he'll hit to left field instead of trying to pull the ball.''

Daisuke Tanaka, 33, a Chicagoan by way of Tokyo, wore a Fukudome T-shirt to the game.

''This is my first time to see him live in Chicago,'' said Tanaka, who has lived here for nine months. ''It's very exciting for Japanese guys in Chicago to have him playing.''

''Fukudomania'' also has spawned one controversial T-shirt, the Harry Caray parody that bears the racist slogan ''Horry Kow.'' But no fan -- indeed, no right-thinking person -- would wear such a shirt.

At a gift shop inside Wrigley Field, the Fukudome fans arrive in bunches.

''When he hits a home run, they come in and buy them,'' said a clerk, who declined to give her name. ''We sell a couple of the jerseys every day.''

At $179 a jersey, that's quite an investment. T-shirts are a cheaper alternative at $25, and those are selling very well, the clerk added.

In the clubhouse a couple of hours before the first pitch, Fukudome sat facing his locker, reading a novel. It was a rare moment of alone time for him. Soon, he would take the field and be welcomed by his ever-growing fan base.