Do you remember when the Cubs signed Kosuke Fukudome last year? Then, do you remember how he hit that homer on Opening Day, and he was an instant fan favorite? How his name was chanted every time he came to the plate? Also: Do you remember how vendors made all the racist shirts about him? And how he said he sort of had a problem with them, but that really didn’t stop some of them from continuing to make the shirts? Do you think I can write this entire post as a string of questions? Do you dare me to try?

At some point last year, the Fukudome craze all came crashing down. Dude had trouble hitting, and he finished the year at a .257/.359 /.379 clip. Which really isn’t horrible, but it was a far cry from where he started out at the beginning of the season. (He hit .279 the first half of the year, a woeful .217 in the second.) Things got so bad at the end of the year, that Piniella decided to start benching Fukudome. When guys don’t produce, this is sometimes what you have to do.

However, Steve Phillips of ESPN fame seems to see it a different way. He doesn’t think Lou gave Kosuke enough time to assimilate to the majors. And I quote from the Chicago Tribune:

“My view is Lou doesn’t have a great deal of patience for assimilation into culture, assimilation into the team,” Phillips said. “He is just not the most patient guy around, and he tends to verbalize his frustrations in an angry way. I think that may have affected Fukudome a little bit.”

Lou’s response:

“I don’t have much respect for Steve Phillips,” Piniella said after hearing the comment Monday. “Let him be around a little more and see what transpires before he makes assumptions. I’ve lost total respect for this guy. If he had something to say, let him say it to me.”

Though Phillips’ comments are valid — there was certainly some cultural, as well as MLB assimilation Fukudome had to deal with — they aren’t entirely logical if we look at Fukudome’s season arc. One would expect this adjustment period to come at the beginning of the season, when things were new for Fukudome. But, he had no problem hitting .327 in April and .293 in May.

So, again, though valid: It really doesn’t line up in Fukudome’s case. We will score this one in favor of Piniella, with the Russian judge voting for Phillips.