Wanted: Swords To Fall On

I've been a fan of the New York Yankees for a long time. Here's part of the AP report on the injury suffered by Hideki Matsui, a Japanese citizen and one of the team's stars:

Immediately following surgery Friday to repair a broken wrist that will sideline him for at least three months, Hideki Matsui apologized for getting hurt.

"Due to this injury, I feel very sorry and, at the same time, very disappointed to have let my teammates down," Matsui said in a statement. "I will do my best to fully recover and return to the field to help my team once again."

Yankees manager Joe Torre spoke with Matsui, who was operated on at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Torre expects Matsui will return to the ballpark in the next few days and remain in the New York area while his wrist heals.

Torre wasn't surprised by the apology.

"It's all about responsibility - what he thinks his responsibility is to this team, this organization, because the Yankees committed to him and he feels it's a two-way street in that regard," Torre said. "He's done that before here, where he's made an error, he's come up and apologized to me."

Matsui's statement also praised his manager.

"I would like to thank Joe Torre from the bottom of my heart for having been considerate of my consecutive games played streak these past several years and for placing me in the lineup every day," he said.

From the same day, here's another story of accountability---what's becoming known as the American version:

Gov. Ernie Fletcher said he will complete his first term and seek a second one despite an indictment on misdemeanor charges that accuse him of illegally rewarding political supporters with state jobs.

The embattled GOP governor was charged Thursday with conspiracy, official misconduct and violating a prohibition against political discrimination. A conviction could lead to jail time and his removal from office, according to the attorney general's office.

Fletcher, the first Republican elected Kentucky governor since 1967, centered his 2003 campaign around a promise to "clean up the mess in Frankfort."

When asked if he would complete his first term, the governor said: "I am not going to let this dissuade me from continuing to serve the people of Kentucky and moving this state forward. In fact … it has just strengthened my resolve."

He also said he has not changed his plans to run for a second four-year term.

A tale of two cultures....