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Japanese Baseball Players are Overrated

Dice-K was supposed to be the next great thing since sliced bread with his "Gyro". NOT. He has been mediocre at best. $50 Million signing fee out the window.

"Godzilla" Hideki Matsui has been very good but hasn't hit nowhere the 50 Home runs that he did in the 2002 season in Japan.

Hidecki Irabu was supposed to be the next coming of Nolan Ryan. A huge NOT.

Kei Igawa led the Japanse Central League in strikeouts in 2002, 2004, and 2006. WHAT the Hell?!?! How he do that?

The one exception: Ichiro
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"The answer was in the Patriots eyes. Gone were the swagger and c0ck sure smirks, replaced by downcast eyes and heads in hands. For his poise and leadership Eli Manning was named the game's MVP. The 2007 Giants were never perfect nor meant to be. They were fighters, scrappers....now they could be called something else, World Champions."

Comments

  • ctsoxfanctsoxfan Posts: 6,246 ✭✭
    You might have a point - one thing is for certain, it's obvious how much better the level of competition is in MLB versus Japan. The great player over there is really turning out to be just a very good one here, and in some cases not even that.

    Matsuzaka will be the exception to that, and of course, Ichiro would be a great player on the moon - but I more or less agree with you.
    image
  • <<Matsuzaka will be the exception to that>>

    I am glad you are so confident. image
    image

    "The answer was in the Patriots eyes. Gone were the swagger and c0ck sure smirks, replaced by downcast eyes and heads in hands. For his poise and leadership Eli Manning was named the game's MVP. The 2007 Giants were never perfect nor meant to be. They were fighters, scrappers....now they could be called something else, World Champions."
  • <<Matsuzaka will be the exception to that>>

    By the way, back in 1996 Irabu was the best pitcher in Japan and was hyped as the "next Nolan Ryan". We all saw what happened with that.
    image

    "The answer was in the Patriots eyes. Gone were the swagger and c0ck sure smirks, replaced by downcast eyes and heads in hands. For his poise and leadership Eli Manning was named the game's MVP. The 2007 Giants were never perfect nor meant to be. They were fighters, scrappers....now they could be called something else, World Champions."
  • markj111markj111 Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭
    Please give a citation re his being hyped as the "next Nolan Ryan".
  • Linky There are several others.
    image

    "The answer was in the Patriots eyes. Gone were the swagger and c0ck sure smirks, replaced by downcast eyes and heads in hands. For his poise and leadership Eli Manning was named the game's MVP. The 2007 Giants were never perfect nor meant to be. They were fighters, scrappers....now they could be called something else, World Champions."
  • Dice K is a very solid pitcher, but no ace, and not worth 100 million bucks.
  • Matsuzaka has been a better value than many high priced free agent pitchers from last year: Clemens, Zito, Schmidt, Mussina, Weaver, Wolf. 190 innings pitched with an ERA better than league average is most certainly helpful to the Red Sox (And half of his cost does not count against the luxury tax)

    Igawa and Irabu are the only complete busts; Ichiro, Johjima, Okijima, Iguchi, Nomo and others have all been productive, sometimes doing better than expected, sometimes doing a little worse

    Japanese produces far less baseball talent than the US. Since no one has ever thought differently and since they exceed expectations and fall short at about the same rate as Americans, as a group they are most certainly not overrated
    Tom
  • Tom, Seatedcoin just wanted a chance to bash a red sox player. Rice-k has 14 wins, you Kei Igawa was FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET. How could you even compare the two? Oh yeah cause they are Japanese. You are hanging around Axtell too much


  • << <i>Tom, Seatedcoin just wanted a chance to bash a red sox player. Rice-k has 14 wins, you Kei Igawa was FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET. How could you even compare the two? Oh yeah cause they are Japanese. You are hanging around Axtell too much >>



    What does that mean, hanging around Axtell too much?

    And Japanese baseball players are overrated? Dice K not worth the money spent? How do you figure? What possible objective analysis did you do to come up with that insight boba, or were you just talking without thinking again. Perhaps you can point out a free agent pitcher available this off season who performed better for less money.

  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    markj111 please give mr. coin much credit for doing his homework and providing you the information which you assumed didn't exist. Maybe you should have researched it before posting.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • What 'source' is that? Some random (and unnamed) author uses the term 'so-called' Nolan Ryan of Japan?

    No mainstream media is mentioned, no national source, just some oddball article that runs a two sentence article?

    Hardly solid proof, hardly a 'source'.

  • metalmikemetalmike Posts: 2,152 ✭✭
    Hopefully there will be a real world series someday.....Oh is the real hr king with HM for Josh Gibson.....
    USN 1977-1987 * ALL cards are commons unless auto'd. Buying Britneycards. NWO for life.
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    Hey ax its the Los Angeles Daily News. Please give your criteria for a source as this is an independent news paper that seems to be pretty credible. I think you just want to not believe this for some reason. If he comes up with 2 or 3 more sources will that satisfy you? Pretty lame you won't budge even when confronted with evidence.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • Pretty soft use of the word 'evidence'.

    There surely must be evidence out there that calls him the 'japanese nolan ryan' prior to the season starting, and in more than just a blurb recapping the game. Hell he was in contract negotiations forever, there surely must be something out there listing him as such, and not just a simplistic 2 sentence game recap.
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    More Links

    Yeah I am pretty sure these are reputable sources as well. So now that's five links. How many more do you want?
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • "Nolan Ryan of Japan" does not equal the "next coming of Nolan Ryan"

    Significant difference between what was written originally and the implications in the sources you provided

    Buzz Arlett has been called the Babe Ruth of the Minor Leagues
    Tom
  • I too remember very distinctly the hyped phrase "The Nolan Ryan of Japan" with IrobbedU. Whatever, he was a bust. What are we arguing about now?
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    I disagree I think to compare one to to another is to assume they are equal for comparisons sake. The implications are Irabu=Ryan.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set


  • << <i>Dice K not worth the money spent? How do you figure? >>




    This is another glaring example of Axtroll's bias. $100 million for a pitcher who is 14-12 with a ERA of 4.41, and is tiring badly down the stretch and he defends it. His cost nearly equals the entire Marinated's payroll for a year, and he's ok with it. If this was a Yankee pitcher Axtroll would have set up a website devoted to this being the worst money spent in MLB history.
  • You hit the nail on the head.
    image

    "The answer was in the Patriots eyes. Gone were the swagger and c0ck sure smirks, replaced by downcast eyes and heads in hands. For his poise and leadership Eli Manning was named the game's MVP. The 2007 Giants were never perfect nor meant to be. They were fighters, scrappers....now they could be called something else, World Champions."
  • Overrated?

    It's his first year...how about we actually see the guy pitch more than a full season in the majors before we make that determination.

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