May
03

How do you spend a $51.1 million posting fee?

By Benjamin Kabak

When the Red Sox landed themselves the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka, they had to pay over $50 million to the Seibu Lions. In today’s Times, David Waldstein traveled to Saitama, Japan, to check out how the team spent the money. The answer? More bathrooms with electronically warmed toilet seats. The team also used some of the money to resurface their playing field, install a video scoreboard and add more concession stands and seating to the Seibu Dome. The bathrooms, though, are apparently quite an honor.

Posted on Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 at 10:00 pm in Asides, Whimsy.

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40 Comments »

Mike HC says:

The idea of sitting on a warm toilet seat does not sound appealing. I don’t know about you guys, but when I sit on a public toilet, I prefer them to be on the cool side. haha

whozat says:

We have these at work. They…are AWESOME.

Mike HC says:

Maybe I should not judge until I have the “honor” to try one.

 
 
RCK says:

I have to say that I used a Japanese toilet with seat warmer and built in spray for the first time recently (at Sakugura on 43rd St.), and it was quite the revelation. Our toilets are positively barbaric by comparison.

Manimal says:

Bidet’s are amazing. Don’t knock it till you try it.

Drew says:

If there is one thing I feel comfortable knocking without trying, it’s a bidet.

whozat says:

No way, man…think about it. What if you had poop all over your hand? Would you just wipe it off and call it good? No way. You’d wash it.

steve (different one) says:

while i agree with your larger point 100%, i will play devil’s advocate and ask you if you’ve ever handled food with your a$$hole?

Hehehe, gross.

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A.D. says:

IETC

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whozat says:

Ok. Change it to your shin. You wouldn’t wash crap off your shin?

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Drew says:

Why on earth would I have poop all over my hand!!??

whozat says:

You wouldn’t. The point is that you’d wash your hand, why don’t you wash your ass?

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Drew says:

I take showers son!! haha, I don’t like where this thread has taken me.

 

this was amusing to read.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Manimal says:

Its good to know that Japanese men and women can go to a public restroom with a little confidence knowing that they will have a heated toilet seat.

 

Take it from one that, uh, has a chronic condition:

warm toilet seats would be so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so worth it.

 
Mike HC says:

The Boston Red Sox … Keeping the Japanese asses warm since 2007.

Drew says:

In more ways than one, they wax that ish son.

 

That’s Pedroia’s job.

Zing.

 
 
Drew says:

Heated toilet seats remind me of that time I was sitting in my car with heated seats and accidentally s… wait, I’ll stop there. haha

 
Manimal says:

Wait, so your saying that they didn’t try to use any of the money to try and get better players?

steve (different one) says:

what money? according to most people in the media, this money never existed…

 
A.D. says:

$5 million was used to sign players who helped the Lions win the 2008 Japan Series.

Either way they’re putting it back into the fan experience and not pocketing it.

 
 
Accent Shallow says:

All sort of hilarity in this thread.

Topical: I was wondering how the Lions spent that money. Good to see they got a Japan Series victory out of it.

 
A.D. says:

If the bathrooms are nice and convenient, then you do not hesitate to buy another cup of beer

I like their thinking

Kevin G. says:

Or some stadium food when you come back to the bathroom after eating it.

Kevin G. says:

Although it’s probably different in Japan.

 
 
 
radnom says:

Japanese people LOVE their toilets.

As Homer Simpson said….they are YEARS ahead of us.

 
UWS says:

This thread is full of win.

Considering how utterly stressed I am over this test I have in 10 hours, I completely agree with UWS’ comment. This thread is amazing.

pat says:

Your stress is evident in that you gave the exact amount of hours until your test as opposed to just saying you have a test tomorrow. Good luck kid.

 
Mike HC says:

I’m in the same boat as you. 20 page paper due monday at 5. Three hour test on Tuesday. Four hour test on Wed. Four hour test on thurday and another one next week. I take solace in the fact that if an NYU law student can keep up and write RAB, a New York Law Student can at least make some comments without feeling guilty. Good Luck to you and everyone else here who have tests coming up this week.

 

Finals take years of peoples lives. I think its a proven fact.

 
 
 
Ace says:

You have to respect the love the Japanese have for pooping.

 
Slugger27 says:

how do you spend a $51.1 million posting fee?

the best way i know how… make kei igawa a yankee for 5 years

 
Matt M. says:

My advice: store all of that excrement up Seibu…you never know when we might shell out another 46 million dollars for your country’s crap

 
Mike Plugh says:

The real way Seibu used the money:

1. To float their floundering conglomerate of transportation businesses and department stores.

2. To pay their entire Lions’ payroll for 2-3 years

3. The things you mentioned in the post, plus executive bonuses

Oh, and they won the Japan Series last season without Matsuzaka. They might do it again this year too. Didn’t have to splash any of that money in FA either. In fact, they lost slugger Alex Cabrera in addition to Matsuzaka and still beat up opponents. That’s building from within, baby.

 
 
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