Old men bowed when he walked into the hotel lobby. Young women in flowery kimonos asked for his autograph.

Bleary-eyed after an 18-hour trip from the Chicago Cubs' spring training camp in Mesa, Ariz., to Tokyo, the slugger still managed a smile after his team arrived Saturday afternoon.

"I'll wake up now," he said. "I feel happy here."

Sosa's already a huge star in Japan -- his picture is plastered all over television commercials, subway posters and convenience store signs. A customs agent at Narita airport struck the pose of a hitter at the mere mention of his name.

Sellout crowds are expected Wednesday night and Thursday night at the Tokyo Dome when the Cubs and New York Mets open Major League Baseball's 2000 season, and Slammin' Sammy is the main reason.

Sosa clearly was the No. 1 fan favorite as the Cubs and Mets worked out Sunday afternoon at the ballpark. Kids cheered his every swing, catch and throw, and he responded by throwing wristbands into the stands.

With left field only 317 feet away, Sosa took target practice.

"I don't worry about the park," he said. "I'm just trying to make contact."

Sosa was the MVP of an all-star team that toured Japan in 1998, right after his home-run race with Mark McGwire attracted worldwide attention.

It's because of McGwire, mostly, that Sosa will get to play in the majors' first regular-season games held outside North America.

The Cubs were picked to go after the St. Louis Cardinals, led by McGwire, turned down the trip last summer.

"The Japanese have their own brand of baseball over there," McGwire said. "I know Major League Baseball wants to do more internationally, but there's no purpose in it. I don't agree with it."

Cubs first baseman Mark Grace did not agree with McGwire.

"I have a lot of respect for Mark McGwire, but I want to thank him for saying no. Because if he'd said yes, then I wouldn't have had the opportunity to come over here," Grace said.

Grace, in fact, planned to be part of a Cubs and Mets contingent taking a helicopter to visit a U.S. Army base, Camp Zama, after Sunday's workout.

Said commissioner Bud Selig: "Mark McGwire and I have talked about this, and I know his feelings on the subject. I look at this much differently. This is the right thing to do."

The Mets and Cubs will take turns playing exhibition games against the Tokyo Giants and Seibu Lions -- they signed Tony Fernandez and Reggie Jefferson in the offseason -- on Monday and Tuesday.

Mets left-hander Mike Hampton will throw the first pitch of the 2000 season on Wednesday night (5:08 a.m. ET). Before then, he planned to see the shrines and perhaps go shopping in the famous Ginza district.

"I'm going to experience the city and culture, and embrace it," he said.

In the meantime, both teams were more concerned about overcoming the effects of the long trip.

The Mets traveled about 7,400 miles from their spring camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"I think all of us are used to dealing with jet lag," catcher Mike Piazza said. "I think going from the East coast to the West coast helps us be ready."

The Cubs took a bus early Friday morning from their camp to the airport in Phoenix, caught a connecting flight to San Francisco, switched to a United plane to Tokyo and finished up with a two-hour bus ride to their hotel.

Cubs trainer David Tumbas advised the players to nap for 3-4 hours on the flight, drink plenty of water and walk around the plane to stay loose. He also suggested they stay awake when they arrived, giving them a better chance of getting adjusted to the local time.

"We had some headaches on the flight. They'll be OK by the time we play Monday," Tumbas said.

Mets manager Bobby Valentine, who managed Chiba Lotte in Japan in 1995, sounded fresh and ready. Smiling, he answered his first question in Japanese.

"We're very happy and excited to be here, for the series against the Japanese teams and the Cubs," Valentine said.

Jon Lieber, who will pitch the opener for the Cubs, was eager to try the sushi. It was his first trip overseas and the Iowa native seemed surprised the scenery was not more unusual from the air.

"When we flew over Japan, it kind of looked like the Midwest. It looked like when you fly into Milwaukee," he said.