Dead Ball (JPN Baseball Thread)

[Captain Japan]

This seems to be an oft-repeated misconception on this board.

No MLB team sees any extra money from international sales of merchandise or international broadcasts of games. All that money goes directly to MLB who then distributes it evenly among ALL teams.

So signing a Japanese player will not increase revenue for any MLB team through international sales or broadcasts.

I didn't mean to imply international sales. I think it is the Japanese tourist that people are counting on. I was in NY during Matsui's rookie year (2003). Near Yankee Stadium is a very cool place called Press Cafe. The sandwiches are very good, and they had Ebisu on tap. I asked the lady behind the counter why they were stocking such a beer. She said that it because all the Japanese tourists requested it (or something to that effect). I tend to think this was more hopeful than anything else since this place isn't in an area that would get a lot of tourists but my point is that there is an impression that Japanese players bring in a lot of revenue via tourism. A vendor in front of the stadiumn was selling an inflatable Godzilla doll. Then there were the jerseys, shirts, and pictures. They were selling shots of his first grand slam off Joe Mays of the Twins.
This story has got a bit on stateside jersey sales...

Doreen Arsenault, the Red Sox's merchandising manager, said Thursday that she made the mistake of ordering a mere 288 of each of the four Matsuzaka T-shirts that are for sale in the team gift shop in Fort Myers. A week after those shirts arrived, one style was sold out completely -- and if you wanted one of the others, you had to be a fan of double-extra-large. And remember, spring training hasn't started yet.
"Historically, we haven't done real well here with T-shirts with names and numbers," Arsenault said. "That's why I said, initially, 'I think I'll be a little bit conservative.' But if I'd known there would be this much excitement about him, I'd have ordered 1,000 to start with, of each one."

Well, those 1,000 of each ought to be arriving any day now. And there will be several trillion more Matsuzaka items where that came from.

[gaijinzilla]

As a 10 year veteran of Japanese baseball, Tuffy doesn't count in the gaijin roster spot sweepstakes. I would imagine that if there is still pop in his bat, Orix wouldn't mind penciling him in at DH.
I hope Kuwata makes the Pirates' roster.

[canman]

What is up with the new baseball caps? They all have a small color strip near the ears. At first when I looked at it, I thought somebody had a pencil behind his ear. I like the stripe on the bill of the cap, but I'm not so sure about the color on the side.

[Captain Japan]

As a 10 year veteran of Japanese baseball, Tuffy doesn't count in the gaijin roster spot sweepstakes. I would imagine that if there is still pop in his bat, Orix wouldn't mind penciling him in at DH.
I hope Kuwata makes the Pirates' roster.

And there you go. Yeah, he's exactly at 10.

[Gilligan]

What is up with the new baseball caps? They all have a small color strip near the ears. At first when I looked at it, I thought somebody had a pencil behind his ear. I like the stripe on the bill of the cap, but I'm not so sure about the color on the side.

The shop.MLB.comsite describes these hats as "improved with vapor management to eliminate moisture by wicking it away from the skin and drying it via the fabric, keeping the wearer cool and dry" and goes on to say that they will be "used during spring training, batting practice and for players to work out in." In other words, they're just another way to get fans to part with more money.

All cynicism aside, I do think they look pretty cool.

[Captain Japan]

All cynicism aside, I do think they look pretty cool.

And here you are:
MLB doffs wool caps, adopts new synthetic material
AP

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- One question facing baseball this season: Will cooler heads prevail?

On opening day, the sport will doff the traditional wool cap in favor of a new polyester blend model designed to wick away sweat before it can stream down a player's face.

The change is part of commissioner Bud Selig's focus on boosting player performance, a Major League Baseball official said, and follows a general trend toward moisture-managing "performance" materials in sports apparel.

"We started to think, 'How can those developments be applied to our headwear?"' said John DeWaal, vice president of brand communications at New Era Cap Co., the Buffalo-based manufacturer that holds the cap contract.

Among early supporters of the new cap is AL Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander, who got a preview while shooting a commercial for New Era during the offseason in New York.

"They look exactly the same, they breathe more and they won't shrink," Verlander said. "The best thing is, when it rains, the hats won't stink like the wool ones did."...more...

[Greji]

I hope Kuwata makes the Pirates' roster.

I hope he does too. But I can't see him going beyond the minors, at least as a starter. Although he hasn't said one way or another, he may just be doing this to add to his resume for when he returns to Japan. Being a Korean, he probably feels he needs as much backing as he can get for future baseball jobs in Japan. I can only think of three Asian FGs (maybe there are more) to make full manager, Kaneda and Oh and of course only briefly, Tabuchi.

Even though Kuwata had a better than average career with the Giants, he thinks this experience will help for his future.

[canman]

I'm already tired of the coverage of Matsuzaka, and we are only on the third day of training camp. I hope the other Boston players don't get pissed by all the media. I feel a bit sorry for some of the other Japanese players, especially Igawa, he seems to be the forgotten man in this deal. Hope he does well also.
But I was a little interested to see NHK last night. Already a few of the Japanese players have complained about the MLB style workouts. Matsuzaka has brought over his own personal trainer, who stated that the American work out is not enough for Daisuke, "he has to pitch to strenghthen his shoulders. " Or blow out his arm, if he keeps it up. It will be interesting to see how Boston will try to control the amount of pitching he does.

[dimwit]

Well if you are tried of Matsuzaka here is an interesting story I found on the Blue Jays' site.

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- It all was too overwhelming for Jo Matumoto. As he sat with reporters, answering questions about his improbable journey to Toronto's Major League camp, the pitcher wiped away a tear.
Matumoto turned to his wife, Maria Fernanda De Luca, and spoke softly in Portuguese. They smiled at each other, and De Luca translated his words for those in the room.

"I'm still dreaming," he said. "I never thought that I would be here."

There weren't many big-league clubs that knew Matumoto even existed until recently. The 36-year-old Brazilian, who is of Japanese descent, had slipped between the cracks until the Blue Jays signed him to a Minor League contract Friday

Rest of the story here

[Captain Japan]

Boston, Big Apple brace for baseball fan boom
Japan Times/Kyodo

NEW YORK (Kyodo) A strong rebound is expected this year in the number of Japanese tourists to post-9/11 New York -- and Boston -- thanks to three Japanese rookies in U.S. Major League Baseball, a New York official at Japan's biggest travel agency said.

Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima signed last year to play for the Boston Red Sox. Kei Igawa joined the New York Yankees, while veteran Yankees outfielder Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui has recovered from an injury sustained last year.

These players have now joined spring training.

Combined, "I expect an increase of 15,000 to 20,000 this year in the number of Japanese tourists to the two U.S. cities," said Seisuke Orikasa, New York office general manager of JTB International Inc.

"Last year, Japanese travel agencies saw a steep year-on-year decline of 25 (percent) to 30 percent, or a total of around 15,000 people," Orikasa said.

"The expected figure for this year, if achieved, would bring the number of Japanese tourists to New York and Boston back to the 2005 level."...more...

[Captain Japan]

Whole organization easing assimilation
ESPN

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Daisuke Matsuzaka's mind worked furiously. The camera clicks sounded like a thousand typewriters, his every twitch broadcast around the world, in at least two languages. There he was, in front of millions of people, momentarily stumped.

He was looking for the right word, and despite the interpreter sitting next to him, it wasn't coming. As his eyes searched the crowd, they locked with a familiar face: a fellow Japanese man, there covering the event.

Matsuzaka mouthed the word he was considering, the reporter nodded discreetly in affirmation and the news conference continued. His bearings secure, the new Red Sox pitching sensation answered the question, another cultural bridge crossed.

Off to the side, Red Sox official Dr. Charles Steinberg watched this unfold. As team president Larry Lucchino's right-hand man, he's been involved in many of their efforts to make sure Matsuzaka and fellow new Bostonian Hideki Okajima feel as comfortable as possible. They want him to be at home, even when there isn't a familiar face in the crowd.

"Did you see the body language differences when he was answering the questions that were directly asked in Japanese?" Steinberg said afterward. "All of this is based on empathy. I don't know if it's a cultural transition or a cultural unification. Let him learn that which he can learn. Let us learn that which we can learn."...more...

FG Robert Whiting gets in a few bits here:

"Japanese are really addicted to their own food," said author Robert Whiting, the English-speaking world's expert on Japanese baseball. "They get back so late that some of these restaurants are already closed and all that's left are the room service in the hotels, and they wind up eating cheeseburgers."...They are, almost to a man, petrified of the crime in the United States. Japan might be the safest country on the planet. If you leave your wallet in a taxi, the driver literally will chase you down until he gives it to you. When they come here, many Japanese players are convinced they will be robbed immediately. "They don't understand the American fixation with guns," Whiting said.

[Greji]

"....FG Robert Whiting gets in a few bits here: "Japanese are really addicted to their own food," ....

Hey remember the thread on the J-poll of why it was sooooo good to be born a Japanese? The number one poll response was "Nihonshoku"!

[GuyJean]

Scandal Adds Fuel to Hot Debate
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20070315TDY20002.htm

It was bound to happen. When the Seibu Lions announced they broke the rules by giving cash to amateurs, the calls for reform became louder than ever.

The current system, in which top players can sign with the team of their choice, has led to teams trying to lure top prospects with cash--which the amateur federations understandably frown upon.

The Lions were the fourth team to admit trying to buy an amateur's loyalty, but this revelation, 2-1/2 years after a similar scandal rocked Nippon Professional Baseball, left NPB with only one option: retreat.

On Tuesday, the 12 teams' representatives agreed to scrap the problematic entry system and devise a new one for this autumn's draft.

There have always been problems with the draft, because it is--like NPB itself--a contradiction. Although NPB's members insist their business is all about competition, it is essentially anticompetitive.

Because competition within NPB consists of a few cooperating organizations, every competitor is--to a large degree--a business partner. Thus the concept of unbridled competition at every level between the clubs is a pipe dream organizations indulge in when it suits them.

Teams compete on the field under rules that restrict, rather than encourage, competition. How many players can a team have in its organization? That number is fixed at 70. How much money can first-year players earn in salary and signing bonuses? That's limited to 15 million yen, and 100 million yen, respectively. Who can operate a team? Also restricted.

Apart from the games themselves, about the only thing that has ever been competitive about NPB is acquiring amateur talent, and that was severely restricted with the introduction of the draft in 1965.

While every business wants a free labor market and unimpeded access to the best available talent, it comes at a price: Job seekers have the disagreeable habit--from an employer's perspective--of asking market value for their services.

Players with extreme potential are prized both because of their scarcity and the fact a team can only use so many players at one time. Thus, someone with superstar potential has many times more value, as an amateur, than a player who looks unlikely to be more than a border-line regular.

The problem of not having a draft is that amateur prospects expect to be paid what they are worth. While many free market advocates within the baseball system have the money to engage in ruthless bidding wars, the system, as a whole, can save a lot by restricting amateurs' negotiating rights. For that purpose--and that purpose alone--NPB created its draft.

The draft worked, except for one problem: The big teams were no longer able to leverage their money and popularity into greater access to talent. Led by the biggest free market advocates among NPB's monopolists, the Yomiuri Giants, top amateurs already out of high school got the right to pick their clubs starting in 1993.

Other than payoffs to amateurs, the most common complaint has been under-the-table signing bonuses that exceed NPB's 100 million yen limit.

Last June, Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine spoke of his outrage of being informed by scouts that a particular pitcher would require 8 million dollars to sign. Valentine then met with reporters and lashed out. He started by reminding everyone that the 12 teams pledged to play by the rules, which Valentine praised.

"I am glad that they have cleaned up their act," Valentine said.

But by stating what everyone knew after 2004--that corrupt dealings had occurred in the past--Valentine was forced by his owner to apologize and say, he "was misinformed."

Valentine later asked The Hot Corner: "Does that mean I was misinformed when I said 'they had cleaned up the corruption?'"

Last Sunday, he said he wanted to retract the apology altogether...

Just saw a blurb on NHKKK about an 'amateur' who was being punished for 'accepting money' from the Seibu Rions; he can't play for a year.. So a high school kid gets punished for accepting money from the adults.. And what is the punishment for the adults?.. I guess that's a rhetorical question here in the land of make-believe..

GJ

[Mulboyne]

[Greji]

NYT: C.J. Nitkowski Checks in From Japan

The questions surrounding "Fight Money" have been around for some time. A large percentage of players will tell you it is practically non-existant and is just one of those "PR" gimics that management and sports writers use for topic, or imagine enhancements.

The reason for this is that the majority of frontline players already have bonuses written into their contract for such things as the number of homeruns, RBIs, average, or stolen bases for the batters; Wins, KOs and ERA, or Save stats for the pitchers.

Money for bonuses beyond this is usually not expended except possibly, for league or series championship teams.

But this does stop a good story in the news from being parlayed from year to year! To the Sports writers, it is the same tact as reporting of the salaries of the star players. What they report is in most cases, no where near what the player is, or will receive.

[Behan]

Just a question. What do you think about how that highschool baseball team will be disbanded. Seems like it is unfair to the players. Couldn't they punish the school more and the players less?

[GuyJean]

Just a question. What do you think about how that highschool baseball team will be disbanded. Seems like it is unfair to the players. Couldn't they punish the school more and the players less?

Fuckin' eh!.. That was my previous point]spit[/I] on their bowing apologies!

GJ

[Mulboyne]

Article here.

[Captain Japan]

The article refers to a new story in SI. I've quoted the ending.
Bobby V's Super Terrific Happy Hour
SI

So Valentine slips off into the night, neither harassed nor feted in his home country. All of the major league managerial openings have been filled. As a result Valentine will spend the 2007 season, which began on March 24, as the Marines' manager, an increasingly invisible figure to baseball fans in America. Perhaps it is the price he must pay for his nearly perfect life in Japan. Since Japanese baseball is not considered world-class, his accomplishments there do not carry much weight at home, and since the best Japanese players keep leaving for the States, he cannot make Japanese baseball world-class, no matter how many bridges he builds or box lunches he sells.

Thus Bobby Valentine remains stranded somewhere in the middle of his own bridge, a man caught between two worlds, a hero in the wrong country.

[Behan]

Interesting article.

I actually had about a five second conversation with him once when I was in the food court at Costco and he was riding the escalator up with what was probably his wife.

It looks like he's the kind of person people love or hate.

[Mulboyne]

Newsday: America, where Japan's stars shine

..."If the top [Japanese] players were developed in the USA and the American baseball system, they would not be the same players they are now," Okuda said. "They are good because they grew up in the Japanese system." Matsuzaka, for instance, probably wouldn't be able to control six different pitches if he hadn't thrown so often in Japan's more intense pitching programs. Suzuki probably wouldn't be as well-rounded a player if he wasn't subjected to the constant drilling of fundamentals that's typical in his country. Simply put, what sets most Japanese players apart in the big leagues is how they approach the game, and that's something intrinsic in their own baseball culture. That's something MLB, its millions and its worldwide fame can't take away...more...

[Captain Japan]

So far, Okajima has by far been the best of the bunch. I think Igawa has to be pretty intimidated at this point since absolutely everything he throws up there is getting hammered. Matsuzaka seems to be searching for the proper release. During the innings he struggles, he'll toss one in the dirt and then the next one will be way up high. It seems like he can't find a rhythm.

[Blah Pete]

On J-COM cable J-Sports channel they show the pre-game warm ups for The Y. Giants.
Today the Giants game starts at 6PM and the broadcast from Tokyo Dome was on at 3PM. Not really exiting, guys stretching, a few tossing a ball around and coaches getting ready for batting practice. The announcers were talking full time too which takes some creativity.
Have to be a serious baseball junky to watch this.

[Greji]

Have to be a serious baseball junky to watch this.

Or a Japanese baseball fan! Just the announcers alone, drive most FGs to distraction.

It's an unfortunate fact that the kaisetsu guy, who is probably the only person affiliated with the broadcast that has the slightest bit of knowledge about the game, is only given a couple of straight lines to comment on during the entire program. But then again, what should we expect? TIJ dazouuu!

[Captain Japan]

On J-COM cable J-Sports channel they show the pre-game warm ups for The Y. Giants.
Today the Giants game starts at 6PM and the broadcast from Tokyo Dome was on at 3PM. Not really exiting, guys stretching, a few tossing a ball around and coaches getting ready for batting practice. The announcers were talking full time too which takes some creativity.
Have to be a serious baseball junky to watch this.

Last night my local yakitoriya had the Giants-Tigers game on. It was 3-2 in the eighth. The Tigers FG closer (Williams) was nearly unhittable in the top of the inning, nobody could touch him. Then the Tigers went down in the bottom, still up 3-2. The next shot showed Williams grabbing the ball and striding towards the mound to start the ninth. Then the broadcast ended. They showed about 20 commercials and then switched to something else. Japanese baseball completely deserves the slow death it is getting.

[Greji]

Japanese baseball completely deserves the slow death it is getting.

But they won the WBC, which I have been told makes them the best in the world!

[Uhhuh35]

Last night my local yakitoriya had the Giants-Tigers game on. It was 3-2 in the eighth. The Tigers FG closer (Williams) was nearly unhittable in the top of the inning, nobody could touch him. Then the Tigers went down in the bottom, still up 3-2. The next shot showed Williams grabbing the ball and striding towards the mound to start the ninth. Then the broadcast ended. They showed about 20 commercials and then switched to something else. Japanese baseball completely deserves the slow death it is getting.

They still end the games at around 9:23 PM right? I saw the same thing during a close Giants/Carp game some 12 years ago!

[Captain Japan]

They still end the games at around 9:23 PM right? I saw the same thing during a close Giants/Carp game some 12 years ago!

9:23 was when I thought they did that. But this time it was well before then. I don't think it was even 9 p.m. yet.

[dimwit]

This cutting off sports programming is something I don't understand. My assumption is that it has something to do with the way in which advertising is sold in Japan. So what is the difference between the US and Japan with regard to this?

[Greji]

This cutting off sports programming is something I don't understand. My assumption is that it has something to do with the way in which advertising is sold in Japan. So what is the difference between the US and Japan with regard to this?

If you cut off the end of a sports broadcast in the US, you are in serious danger of having your TV station overrun and distroyed.

They cut off a major sports event a few years back in the states to bring in a breaking news broadcast and the fans apparently went wild. The company eventually had to appologize publicly and I believe, said that the director would be repremanded, or was fired(?).

Japan has regular broadcasting set times and when they hit that, sorry you're done with sports and into the CMs. It is so regular that when they don't cut off the broadcast and continue the game, they make as many announcements about extending broadcasting time as the CMs.

It is usually the weekday games that get cut off and it is reall a pain if you are into the game.