WasWatching.com

Hey Steve,

If you leave the rest of the quote intact, it doesn't sound so bad:

"Matsuzaka still struggles with control early. But those early battles that used to spell disaster are now little more than speed bumps."

"His lack of control, his fatal attraction to his fastball and his childish off-field demeanor all used to mark Matsuzaka as someone who needed to grow up in order to realize his supreme potential.

But those days are long gone."

I thought the more interesting part of the article was that the posting bid by the Red Sox is roughly equal to THREE TIMES the Seibu Lions current payroll. Wow, that really puts in into perspective.

Yeah the "but..." clauses are more than a little important there.

Yeah, c'mon, Steve, you're better than that.

Otherwise you're coming off as a disappointed Yankee fan determined to warp any story about Matsuzaka into something negative.

For shame!

I'm friends with a Japanese woman who dislikes Matsuzaka because he's cocky. But she loves Matsui. She's not a baseball fan btw...

Not that this means lot. I thought when I mentioned Matsuzaka to her she would light up but she sure didn't (unlike when we talk about Matsui).

Well, according to an article just up at ESPN, Hideki Matsui is the one who's "popular" with the fans in Japan, but Matsuzaka considers Ichiro Suzuki to be the one in MLB who'll be a true test of his -- Matsuzaka's -- pitching skill as an MLB pitcher.

Another Yankee fan likened Matsui to having "rock star" status while Matsuzaka was regarded merely as the best pitcher in Japan.

Whatever.

I've been reading more than a few message boards over the past couple of days, and I've noticed some fans comment on how they wish Matsuzaka the best, despite his new affiliation.

How does this noble well-wishing make any sense from a Yankee fan's perspective? Honestly, I hope he tanks, just like I hope any other Red Sox acquisition tanks. He's young, rich beyond his wildest dreams, and healthy. Great for him. It's nothing personal, but I hope he fails miserably in a Red Sox uniform because they're our most hated rivals.

No need to be the first to "bash" the newest Red Sox on the block in order to maintain your street cred.

If it is a slow news day & you don't have anything to blog that is okay. Your fans can wait it out.

Or we'll settle for a link to a story embedded in a sentence like "Here is a story on Matsuzaka for you."

If the Red Sox want to replicate what the Yankees and Mariners have in their Japanese stars and are willing to spend big bucks I have a suggestion. They ought to spend their money on a position player who is able to generate buzz on a daily basis rather than a player whose turn only comes once every five days.

zgveritas, Steve was against signing Matsuzaka when everyone thought the bidding fee was going to be 30 million. Any anti-Matsuzaka-ism now on Steve's part is not phony; he's felt this way the whole time, and undoubtedly the 50-million-plus bidding fee just makes him even more glad the Yanks didn't get him.

When I first heard the pricetag, I was shocked. And I thought the Red Sox overspent. But did they? If you think about it, Matsuzaka will basically cost them two-point-two Pavanos. Or one and a half Randy Johnsons.

The Yankees spent seventeen million for a handful of starts from Wright and Pavano in '05. Is it that big of a deal to pay Matsuzaka twenty-plus million?

The Yankees paid Kevin Brown fifteen million for a lost year. Randy makes sixteen million (and even more in '07, I believe). Moose made 19 million in '06.

I think Matsuzaka is an ace. And if you think about it, if he pitches to THAT degree, then he's worth the money.

I'm not saying I wanted the Yankees to bid 50-plus million to get him. But maybe -- if they feel they can still operate the team normally -- it wasn't crazy.

~~~Any anti-Matsuzaka-ism now on Steve's part is not phony; he's felt this way the whole time, and undoubtedly the 50-million-plus bidding fee just makes him even more glad the Yanks didn't get him.~~~

Nice to know someone is paying attention! [wink]

Going to take a world series ring to justify 20 mill a yr total