I'm not a big World Baseball Tournament guy (I believe that nothing that's been around for less than ten years should be called a "Classic"). But I did get to see a wee little bit of the replay of the first game between China and Japan on Thursday.I'm also not a guy who gets excited about throwing a ton of money at a guy on the basis of what he did in the Japanese league ... between Kaz Matsui and Satoru Komiyama, I've pretty much been scarred for life. I generally like to see how a player coming from another league ... any other league ... does in the majors before I get excited about him. Remember, for every Ichiro, there's a Fukudome. (And for every Kaz Matsui, there's a Mets scout drooling over him and ready to let him wear a World Series ring.)
But pitching for Japan was a guy that has been whispered about in the inner circles for the better part of the last nine months. So I figured I'd get a small look at him. It was easy to temper my enthusiasm for him considering he was going against the Chinese national team, not exactly one of the favorites in this tournament.
I'll say this about Yu Darvish, if the reason that the Mets are saving their money now is that they're saving it for the posting process for this cat, I'll apologize on this blog for every bad thing I've ever said about the Wilpons. I sincerely doubt that is the reason the Mets are saving their money, so I'll follow with this:
If you're going to throw silly money at a guy playing in the Japanese league, this ... is ... the ... guy. He threw nothing but live fastballs and sliders and shut out China for four innings, meanwhile the kid has about fourteen pitches* in his arsenal. And in his spare time, he saves kittens from tall trees without ladders. With all the kittens displaced from the Shea Stadium demolition, they're going to need a friend to help them down.
And he fights ham.
This is your guy, Omar ... this is your guy. Open Bernie Madoff's vault and let him have what he wants.
*Slight exaggeration. He only has like ... twelve pitches.
6 comments:
I watched him for this reason also and I also loved him. What's not to love, he's 22, already better than Dice-K, 6"6, and is a great fielder. Oh ya, he's also got a 95 MPH fastball, a crazy sinker, a loopy curve, a tight slide and a great forkball.
he has consistently said he has no interest in leaving Japan. who knows, that can always change, but i agree, he'd be a great signing.
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He does look good on the mound. In fact, I think there may be something special going on there. I'm suspicious that he draws strength from the mound like Antaeus did from Mother Earth every time Hercules threw him to the ground. There may be a heretofore unrecognized Mound Goddess (MoGo) who on rare occasions gives powers to certain chosen pitchers.
Anyway that's my theory.
Poor Duaner. He'll only get 5/6th of the money he was promised. Do you think Filthy goes to sleep at night cursing that cab driver?
Where's the obligatory "another one bites the dust" posting about Filthy, or rather "Used-To-Be-Filthy-Now-Just-Fat-and-Unhygenic?
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