MLB vs NPB Exhibition Thread

[Gilligan]

Like a typical Canadian. Just like his countrymate Patick Roy and his son Jonathan.

Patrick Roy? Probably 1 of the top 5 goalies ever.

Jonathan Roy? Was that meant as sarcasm canman? The guy's a back up goalie for the junior hockey team that his father owns, and he acts like he's the goalie-incarnation of Ogie Ogilthorpe? I've seen better saves by a diaphragm.

[Bucky]

Not to spoil the mood or anything, but thanks for Adam Jones and friends. How's Erik Bedard working out for you so far this spring? ]
Bedard? Who's he?

SEATTLE -- Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his left hip.
The move Tuesday is retroactive to April 9, but the left-hander isn't sure when he might pitch again for his new team. He said the discomfort in his hip is getting better but hasn't gone away.
Seattle traded five players to the Baltimore Orioles in February for the 28-year-old Bedard, boosting hopes of a playoff berth this season. He was scratched from a scheduled start Sunday for the second time in eight days.
Bedard is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts this season after going 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts for Baltimore last year.

Enjoy those FIVE players the M's gave up to get this "hip cat":wall:

[Gilligan]

Bedard? Who's he?


Enjoy those FIVE players the M's gave up to get this "hip cat":wall:

I know I enjoyed listening to Adam Jones hit his first HR as an Oriole last night

[canman]

I wonder if the Mariners really checked Bedard out before the trade. And I wonder if they have any right to go back to the Orioles and demand some kind of compensation. If they can prove that his injury was pre-existing. I think they got caught up with the hype, young left handed pitcher who can throw strikes.

[Gilligan]

I wonder if the Mariners really checked Bedard out before the trade. And I wonder if they have any right to go back to the Orioles and demand some kind of compensation. If they can prove that his injury was pre-existing. I think they got caught up with the hype, young left handed pitcher who can throw strikes.

When making trades teams ALWAYS have their own doctors give the major players involved physicals. And this trade was so heavily anticipated in Baltimore (for a number of reasons) that there was quite a bit of press coverage of Bedard's 3 day trip to Seattle to get his physical.

Also, Bedard has had injury issues in almost every single season he's been in the majors, so if the Mariners didn't do their homework, I don't think anyone's going to be feeling sorry for them.

[Bucky]

And I wonder if they have any right to go back to the Orioles and demand some kind of compensation.

There is no talk of getting damaged goods. The Mariners did their due diligence, just maybe not as well as they should have. Knuckle-baller R A Dickey is taking Bedard's place in the rotation.

It was interesting to note Hideo Nomo's line in yesterday's game against the M's : One inning pitched -- Four earned runs. I fear the Tornado may be at the end of his run.

[Captain Japan]

It was interesting to note Hideo Nomo's line in yesterday's game against the M's : One inning pitched -- Four earned runs. I fear the Tornado may be at the end of his run.

One of his three outs was a strikeout of Ichiro.

[Greji]

One of his three outs was a strikeout of Ichiro.

And a horrible pitch at that! It was a fork that shot down and away and bounced once, if not twice. Ichiro's swing was a mere foot and a half over and away from the ball.

I wonder if he was feeling a little sorry for his country man senpai?

It was interesting that all the J-news that I saw, merely led with the Ichiro K to include the videos of it from more angles than one could believe possible during the game, but little mention about the rest of the trouncing he got.

Yet, it might be a bit early to give Old Hideo his obituary notice. He's playing ball because he wants to and not for the contract dust. He said at the first of the year, he'll play anywhere at any level to just keep playing the game while he still can.

Nomo was never the great dominating pitcher. At his best, he only had a mid-range fast ball, but it was delivered from an ungodly motion which hid it from the batter until the moment of release. His sales point and strike out pitch was that nasty folk ball that defies the law of physics. He did on rare occasions, throw a slider type curve, but he is basically a two pitch thumber and had long stretches of not being able to throw either of them over the plate. He's got a lot of heart so as I said, he's only playing ball because he likes to and wants to play. So, I think it is a tad early to count him totally out.

[Bucky]

[Captain Japan]

[Bucky]

Hey Gilligan,

they were just showing Jeremy Guthrie on the tube. He sure looks like he might half Asian, do you know?

Oh, and they just pulled him as M's scored 2 in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead.

[ttjereth]

Hey Gilligan,

they were just showing Jeremy Guthrie on the tube. He sure looks like he might half Asian, do you know?

Oh, and they just pulled him as M's scored 2 in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_Jeremy_Guthrie_part_Asian

Dunno how accurate it is, but this post seems to say he is as well:
http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60764

I'd say the information that he's a mormon is pretty accurate though, if you're interested in religious background:

Guthrie was born in Roseburg, Oregon and grew up in Ashland, Oregon, attending Ashland High School. Then he attended Brigham Young University before transferring to Stanford University, where he was a starting pitcher. Guthrie served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Spain.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Guthrie

Never really thought about it before, but I've met a ton of mormons here in Japan, but I don't think I've ever met a non-white mormon.

[Bucky]

Guthrie was born in Roseburg, Oregon and grew up in Ashland, Oregon, attending Ashland High School. Then he attended Brigham Young University before transferring to Stanford University, where he was a starting pitcher. Guthrie served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Spain.[1]

Ann Curry of NBC's Today Show is also half Japanese and attended Ashland High School in Oregon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Curry

[ttjereth]

Ann Curry of NBC's Today Show is also half Japanese and attended Ashland High School in Oregon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Curry

Holy crap, you should post a warning about that photo on the wiki page.

[Bucky]

Holy crap, you should post a warning about that photo on the wiki page.

Sorry. I think that photo was taken during an assignment to the South Pole earlier this year. Here is this better?

[ttjereth]

Sorry. I think that photo was taken during an assignment to the South Pole earlier this year. Here is this better?

Seriously, whoever picked that wiki picture must not like her

[Greji]

Holy crap, you should post a warning about that photo on the wiki page.

She looks like she fell out of the ugly tree and didn't miss a branch. At least the other pic puts her in the "paperbag not required" category of doability...

[canman]

About the Mariners on ESPN's site by Jim Caple. I knew that Kenji Jojima was hitting crap, but this line surprised me.
"Catcher Kenji Johjima is batting .224, and not one of the pitchers wants him behind the plate (though none of that stopped Seattle from giving him a three-year contract extension)."
Here is the link to the complete article.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=caple_jim&id=3453039

[Greji]

but this line surprised me.
"Catcher Kenji Johjima is batting .224, and not one of the pitchers wants him behind the plate (though none of that stopped Seattle from giving him a three-year contract extension)."

The probablw reason that the pitchers don't like him is that he is for shit as a catcher and has to take most of his signals from the bench. This is because with only two years he still doesn't know the his own pitchers and the opposing batters. His needs to go to the bench for signals in tight positions take away from the game plan and throws the pitchers out of sync. He wasn't a very good catcher in Japan, but in Japan, catchers are gods and get credit for controling the game whether their are really calling the game or not. Plus that he could hit the long ball more frequently with the Japanese pitching and that's all one needs to maintain his god image.

As for his contract extension, that was made by the part owners of Seattle who wanted him over in the states in the first place. Just as a hint, they are the part owners that have difficulty pronouncing R's and L's. No one else wanted a catcher who had not come up through the system and not gotten the background training and play against the guys he would eventually face in the majors.