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Hi, I'm Sean "P-Diddy" Combs, and you're watching... STV!

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On today's MAKING A STAR...we profile JOSH PRESSLEY of the high-flying Tokyo Aeros.

Josh came up with the New York Mets and always thought he'd play there. "Man, it was always like the thing, to get up to the majors and play in New York. That would've been hot. I always wanted to do that."

Then one day, he got a call, early in 2004, that he was going to Oregon. "I was tripped out. All I knew about the club is that it was an expansion team and they had just come off a pretty bad year. So, I was a little concerned, but everyone was telling me "DC, is the bomb..you're gonna be glad you're out there", and boy, they werent' kidding."

Josh exploded onto the season during his first full season in Oregon in 2005. He hit .362 with 27 homers and 125 RBI to lead the AL in batting. "Man, it was a whirlwind after that. Everyone was calling and they thought "damn, this guy must be special"

Special he was indeed. That season was the first of nine straight appearances, (his tenth came this year, after a break last season when he was traded ) in the All-Star game.

In 2007, he was 2nd in batting, first in Homers and RBI, just missing out on the triple crown. But his sweetest achievement came in 2008, when the Ems won their first of three straight World Series titles, a feat never accomplished in the Modern Era. "We were just clicking man, everything came together" he said about those days. Pressley, lead baseball in RBI every year during that WS run, topping over 160+ RBI every year from 2007-2010, offensive production that was unheard in baseball history, before he came along.
He hit .364 with 13 HRs during the Ems WS playoff runs, earning WS MVP honors during both years.

That's because prior to the 2010 playoff run, Oregon let him go, not willing to pay the monster contract that he was surely coming to expect. "I was willing to sign for less money to stay there. But not to take a huge pay cut. I knew DC was on his way out and with Centurion not running the club, they weren't going to put themselves into a sling of a huge contract. So, I knew it was time to go someplace else."

Where else more fitting than Texas, home of the huge A-Rod contract, to sign Pressley to a seven year deal worth over $167 million a year - which finishes up next year - "I never thought in a million years I'd ever make that kind of money," said Pressley, who said he still considers himself a simple kind of guy, from Arkansas.

His first season in Texas, he faced off against his old club en route to their third straight World Series title in the playoffs. "It was hard going back to Oregon, but the fans were understanding and didn't boo or anything," indeed, Pressley will likely become the first Emeralds player to have his number retired, "I'll go into the Hall as an Emerald, no doubt about that." says the star, having no delusions about his future resting place in the baseball annals.

Last season, with DC back in baseball and his new club needing a bonafide leader, he pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal to acquire the star from Texas. "I was shocked when I heard about the trade. I wouldn't have accepted it, except for it was DC and I knew he was going to take good care of me. So far, he hasn't faileed me. Things here are awesome and fans in Japan are the best. Knowledgable and respectful" he said. He adds that his wife's parents are from Japan, so it was nice to be able tb bring her and their four children to Japan to live. "They're happy about it."

With him closing in on 400 homers, a career average over .340 and close to 2500 hits, 10 all-star games, 3 MVP awards (2008-10), and 3 World Series rings, what else could he possibly want? "Another ring, gotta have one for each of my kids. And maybe a Gold Glove, never got one of those."

That's all for MAKING A STAR for today. Got a star you want to see profiled? Contact us! PEACE!