Pacific League: Powell double booked

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Jan 31, 2008

Pacific League President Tadao Koike ruled Wednesday that both the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Orix Buffaloes have valid contracts with pitcher Jeremy Powell for the 2008 season.

A day after the Hawks announced they had signed Powell, Koike was unable to settle the issue in a meeting with representatives from both teams.

The Buffaloes announced Powell's acquisition on Jan. 11 but did not have a signed contract in their hands until Jan. 22. The club had expected to complete the formalities of the signing after Powell arrived in Japan.

In the meantime, the Hawks confirmed with the league that no team had a claim on the pitcher and quickly worked out a deal. The Buffaloes filed a protest with the league soon after learning the Hawks had stolen a march on them.

"The recognition that our contract is valid is a step forward," said Orix's director of baseball Katsuhiro Nakamura.

"Camp is beginning and we don't want to carry over any grudges, but we're not going to back down."

However, Hawks team representative Masashi Tsunoda was stunned.

"We confirmed he was unsigned and I believe we contracted with him according to the rules," said Tsunoda. "Our contract is an original, while Orix's is a fax. I am astonished that he was ruled to have two valid contracts."

(Jan. 31, 2008)