"Every morning Kosuke Fukudome wakes up and checks out the latest news from Japan, where the nuclear crisis continues on the heels of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

It's a helpless feeling, being so far from home and thinking about the daily nightmares his countrymen are experiencing.

Playing baseball seems like a trivial pursuit in the larger scheme of things, but Fukudome hopes he can succeed on the field and bring some joy back to Japan.

"There are only a few things I can do from here," he said Monday through his interpreter "There's not much. The only thing I can do is to just try to play the best I can to give them some good news from the United States — that I'm doing well."

Fukudome said his family is OK and that he can concentrate on his job. But whether he can really put the ongoing crisis completely out of his mind, as the news gets worse, is something no one really knows.

He's well-liked in the Cubs' clubhouse, but Fukudome remains one of the most reserved players on the team.

"It's hard to relate to, (when) something happens in your hometown that's that dramatic," center fielder Marlon Byrd said. "I'm glad his family is safe, but you never know what friends of his have been affected. Fookie is a very quiet guy. He doesn't say much, so you just hope everything is OK with him and it's not affecting him mentally."