WHY?

UPDATE: Great work by Marc Carig from the Star Ledger reporting that Kei Igawa's family is safe in Japan after the Earthquake and Tsunami. Read it HERE.

"Igawa has informed the Yankees that he is going back to Japan today. He hails from Oarai town in the Ibaraki Prefecture, which was hit hard by the tragedy."

When my clock radio woke me up this morning, I was totally out of it. I heard all about the destruction in Japan due to the 8.9 earthquake and later tsunami and it sounded absolutely and there was immediate concern.

Sadly, because my mind is usually fuzzy and not awake, my first thought was Hideki Matsui and Kei Igawa. Yes. Pathetic. There were thousands of people killed, lost or injured and those guys for some reason are the first people I think of. I guess baseball's always on my mind.

Hideki Matsui is from Ishikawa, Japan. MLB interviewed him about the horrible situation.

"I haven't spoken to anybody yet in my family but they're not really close to the area...So I think they're OK."

But this is even more disturbing. Kei Igawa, who is still with the Yankees was excused so he could get in touch with his family. As of this moment, he is still unable to reach any of them. Igawa is from a part of the country that was one of the hardest hit, so the worry is amplified.

Brian Cashman said: “We told him to take whatever time he needs to make the calls and get in touch with people.’’

Look, this is a disaster right now in Japan. I sit here all day on my blog giving opinions on players abilities, cracking jokes and ranting. At this moment, none of that is important. Say what you will about Kei Igawa, the guys human and panic has set in for this poor guy.
I just wanted to make you guys aware. If you were at work all day, and never put on the radio or television and you're just reading about it now, know this... Japan needs our prayers right now. The Yankees have donated $100,000 as an organization. Many more donations will also come pouring in. Below will be 2 organizations that do a great job, Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, if you can donate something, do it. Help, any way you can.

From all of us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, we are praying for the victims and hopefully Japan will all be able to overcome this horrific tragedy.

Visit the American Red Cross or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone.

Make a donation to Doctors Without Borders

Make sure you check out this Associated Press story from today as well.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.