Comments on: WBC Semifinal: USA v. Japan

By: cult of basebaal

cult of basebaal — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:12:02 +0000

Injuries have been a problem, but not having another capable 1B on the provisional roster strikes me as short sighted.

you mean like Derek Lee?

oh, he is on the provisional roster, he’s just out with an … injury.

the US team got clobbered by injuries this time

not that that excuses Davey for playing Jeter over Rollins …

By: RIYank

RIYank — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:46:28 +0000

Mean while, in CC Sabathia’s start against minor leaguers, Posada threw out three of four attempts at stealing second. That could be the most important news of the pre-season.

By: Cliff Corcoran

Cliff Corcoran — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:28:17 +0000

Like I’ve said before, I think Wang’s a goner. Meanwhile, pitchers who threw 30 or more pitchers were ineligible for the final, you could use that as an excuse for Johnson limiting Thornton to an inning, though I generally agree with you, especially about Jeter.

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:52:42 +0000

[55] That depends on their plans for Wang. Do they sign him long term, or does his low K/9 concern them enough to trade him while he is still an outlier?

By: tsengsational

tsengsational — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:50:10 +0000

If Hughes develops into our fifth starter by next year, would the Yankees even need to compete for Yu Darvish if he was posted? We’ve got Burnett for 5, CC for 3, possibly 7, Joba and Hughes for the foreseeable future (if they can pitch out their innings this year and avoid injuries… not a sure thing). Is Wang going to be dropped?

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:40:36 +0000

[51] They can afford it, but all things considered, I think Dice-K hasn’t lived up to his billing. If Darvish is going to command a higher posting fee, then he’d have to meet an even greater standard, which I don’t think is likely.

[52] Ultimately, Japan and Korea both play to win in international competition. Neither team would dream about starting a Jeter over Rollins or remove a Thorton from the game just to get other guys work. In other words, they treat the game with a great deal of respect…I think it’s kind of shameful that the United States didn’t do the same.

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:37:13 +0000

Jap-Kor final preview already on tv here, with accompanying Opera soundtrack and Voice of God narrator..now on to “Seperate ways” by Journey as the bgm..that’s my cue to split…

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:31:24 +0000

[50] A lot of the best Korean players play in the Japan league though, much higher quality of compettition..also, maybe I have been in Asia too long and now buy into the stereotype but..their training and practice sessions are intense and their fundamentals are flawless..that does count for something in a short series.

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:29:05 +0000

[48] Common mistake, the owner’s are “Nippon Ham, Inc.”..so their team name is just “Fighters”..of course, all foreigners here lovingly call them the “Ham Fighters”..

[49] Yanks can afford it don’t you think? They can’t let the BoSox dominate the Japanese market..

By: Eirias

Eirias — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:26:59 +0000

How is South Korea so very, very good at international baseball? They placed third in 2006, won the Olympics, and are in the finals this year. Despite that, I can name maybe three Korean MLB players, though that may be just me.

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:24:44 +0000

In this economy, I don’t think the posting fee would surpass Dice-K’s level.

The more interesting upcoming contract will be Steven Strasburg…if the reports of him are true, he could get some serious money.

By: Eirias

Eirias — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:23:31 +0000

Btw, Tokyo, how did the Ham Fighters get the name Ham? Is it a Japanese word or does it refer to pigs?

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:21:57 +0000

[44] I saw it, but he hasn’t looked as good as advertised in this Classic. He doesn’t seem to have great command. I could see him being a five and fly guy like Dice-K.

By: Eirias

Eirias — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:21:39 +0000

[41] Apparently this may not be true. I read the same thing… records… MVPs… etc, but I read somewhere that he was having his agent send out feelers (not that this should be taken as anything resembling truth). The Ham Fighters may need to post him anyways, for the absurd amount of money they would get.

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:20:45 +0000

[43] If they keep the same format and the U.S. doesn’t change it’s attitude, they really should play the final in Japan or Korea, because those are the two teams who will regularly be playing in it.

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:20:29 +0000

[41] Darvish has said some awkward things in the past so I think his advisors have told him to clam up..he’ll be in the US within the next 3 years for sure. You see Keith Law’s write-up on him?

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:19:10 +0000

[39] He’ll easily exceed Matsuzaka’s posting fee though..$75million? Nippon Ham say they don’t want to post him but must be salivating at the fee..

With the large Korean population in LA tomorrow’s game should have a great atmosphere..WBC is so cool even with the scheduling flaws. Hope they host the finals here next time!

By: Eirias

Eirias — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:19:00 +0000

[37] Like Joba, we can get Darvish to close!

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:18:02 +0000

[27] He says he has no interesting coming to the U.S.

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:17:31 +0000

Jeter swinging 3-1 down 5 runs??

Sorry…just warming up for the season (but that was an un-captain like thing to do).