I saw Ogasawara in the WBC. I was very impressed by his last name. And I'm too lazy to look up any stats but I'm pretty sure he hit a few home runs. Maybe not...
I think it's a good move by the Yankees not so much because Igawa is such a gem, but because it keeps them on the back pages in Japan. Boston's winning bid in the Matsuzaka sweepstakes was probably an eyeopener for players and gms in Japan. The Yankees want to maintain their image as the top dollar player in the Japanese transfer market.
11 I doubt the Yankees need to stoop to conquer at this point, considering that their brand is already associated with the top-branded team in Japan and they have one of the top Japanese players of all time starring already. The bidding for Matsuzaka figures to be of the greatest interest because of the money involved and the precedent it could possibly establish if the deal is consummated (as well as the backlash it will create if not), but it could have just as easily been the Dodgers or White Sox who put in such a bid and the opinion is hardly going to change, whether he lives up to the top billing or not.
Nobody was scared of the Yankees when Irabu bombed in pinstripes, and even Matsuzaka said before the bidding that he preferred the Yanks. What matters most, I suspect, is which team will win or provide the best chance to win most consistently.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to have the back pages on the prevailing front for a little while, so I agree with you that much.
Of course, U.S. government intelligence also gave us those weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. I wouldn't take any of this too seriously until he's pitching in Fenway.
This really is going to just add to the "nobody cares about teams besides Yomiuri, Hanshin, Yankees, and Red Sox" fire, though. I was thinking that next year the MLB coverage on Japanese TV would basically end up being YANKS SOX YANKS SOX YANKS SOX (devil rays) YANKS SOX YANKS SOX YANKS SOX YANKS SOX YANKS (mariners) SOX YANKS SOX YANKS SOX etc... hmm, I suppose it won't be that different from ESPN.
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He did lead the Pacific League in home runs. Ogasawara's nickname is "Guts".
snerk
Hes the greatest since Koufax!
Nobody was scared of the Yankees when Irabu bombed in pinstripes, and even Matsuzaka said before the bidding that he preferred the Yanks. What matters most, I suspect, is which team will win or provide the best chance to win most consistently.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to have the back pages on the prevailing front for a little while, so I agree with you that much.
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.