Leo Gomez is happy to be back where he belongs, playing third base and batting cleanup for the Chunichi Dragons.
Gomez, the team's cleanup hitter for four seasons (1997-2000) rejoined the Nagoya club during Golden Week last month after having quit last November, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family, play one more year in North America, then retire and become a Christian minister.
He followed through with that plan up to a point, getting himself into the Pittsburgh Pirates spring training camp in Bradenton, Fla., but that's as far as he went. He was cut from the squad and went home to Endicott City, Md., thinking his active career was finished after the disappointing turn of events.