For any American brought up on the sitcoms of the '70s, Fonzie was the super-cool character Arthur Fonzarelli, played by Henry Winkler in the hit series "Happy Days," which starred director Ron Howard during his acting days.

As Alfonzo begins his first season in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants, time will tell whether he can relive the happy days he had with the Mets, with whom he played the first eight of his 12 major league seasons that ended in 2006.

Having been out of the majors for over two years--he remained active in the independent Atlantic League and in Mexico--the 35-year-old Alfonzo had to pass a tryout before signing a one-year contract with the Giants for a reported 380,000 dollars, well below the career-high 8 million dollars he earned in his final big league season.

The staid Venezuelan had no qualms about having to prove himself to land a job in Japan.

"To me it's not really a difficult thing, the only difficult thing is the transition of coming from the States to here," Alfonzo said.

"I gotta understand the situation because the last two years, 2! years, I haven't played really pro Baseball. I went to Mexico and I played a little bit [in the] independent league, and I pretty much played winter ball.

"So if they want to see how I look in the tryout, I told my agent, no problem, I'm just glad they gave me the opportunity. So I come here and work with them, and it feels pretty good and they decided to sign me, so I'm happy."

In his prime, Alfonzo was among the top second basemen in the majors. His best year came in 2000, when he batted .324 with 25 home runs and 94 RBIs and made his first and only All-Star team.

That was also the year the Mets opened the season by playing the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome, and ended it by facing--and losing to--the New York Yankees in his lone World Series appearance.

While some players griped about the long trip to Japan, Alfonzo relished the chance to get a firsthand look at Baseball here, and was already thinking about the possibility of a future move.

"I would say I would like to, before I retire, play in either Mexico or Japan, because I want to experience how they play the game. That was my thinking," he recalled.

"When I got here, I saw the stadium, I saw the people, I said, 'Wow, this pretty nice.' But you know, I wasn't ready for that, yet. The opportunity will come at the right time and so just be ready for it, so that's what I did."

Alfonzo, who left the Mets as a free agent in 2002, spent three mediocre seasons with the San Francisco Giants before playing just 30 games in 2006 with the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels.

He twice signed minor league contracts after that but never got back to the majors, finishing up with a career batting average of .284 with 1,532 hits, 146 home runs and 744 RBIs.

"Yeah, I'm pleased," Alfonzo said when asked if he was satisfied with his career. "Every day I thank God for giving me the blessing to play in the big leagues. I was pretty much an everyday player and I kind of made my dreams come true.

"The only thing I missed was the Gold Glove. Other than that, I have a Silver Slugger [in 1999], an All-Star Game, a World Series."

Although he never won a Gold Glove, Alfonzo combined with shortstop Rey Ordonez, third baseman Robin Ventura and first baseman John Olerud to form what Sports Illustrated, in a cover story, dubbed "The Best Infield Ever."

"I remember when we played against opposing teams and they come to New York, they say, 'Well, we better hit a flyball, because everything on the ground you guys are gonna catch,'" he said. "So that made you feel pretty good."

Having a compatriot in veteran Alex Ramirez as a teammate has helped smooth out the transition to the game here, which Alfonzo said is a big step up from the Atlantic League, where bus travel and cramped clubhouses are the norm.

"It's kind of like Triple-A level where you travel by bus and you get to the clubhouse, you don't get hot tubs, you don't get the treatment you're supposed to get, so 'Welcome to the Atlantic League,'" he said with a smile.

"Here in Japan, it's kind of different. They have nice guys around, a good group of trainers, coaches and the facilities are tremendous, so it feels like a big league."

The turtleneck he wears under his uniform is embroidered with his nickname (although it is spelled "Fonzy"). However it is written, it brings back good memories for him despite the roundabout way in which he finally learned the meaning.

"One day, the trainer said, 'Do you really like that show?' I said, 'What show?' 'The [one that] Fonzie is in.' 'The Fonz? I don't even know the show.'

"And I started watching it and said, 'Oh, all right, now I know.' It was cool because in my days with the Mets, I used to hit a double or hit a home run, whatever, and they showed the Fonz."

Now it's time to perform in Japan's version of The Show.