Open Thread: It’s all about the Fukuzawa Yukichis
ByPlayer contracts are only one source of income for the biggest sports stars on the planet, in fact most of them rake in more cash via endorsements than they do from their teams. Nike gave LeBron James a $90M deal before he even graduated high school. Buick put more money into Tiger Woods’ pockets than he could ever possibly spend. Heck, even Derek Jeter is out pimping panoramic vista sunroofs.
Hideki Matsui, International Superstar, surely has a few endorsement deals back in Japan, but it turns out his marketability increased tremendously after winning World Series MVP. Here’s a bit from the crew at NPB Tracker:
According to reports, since the MVP performance in the World Series he has had eight offers to appear in commercials (three from existing sponsors and five additional prospective sponsors). Matsui’s price tag for each commercial appearance is estimated in the same range as Ichiro Suzuki, and his MVP performance could bring in up $10 million in earnings this off-season.
Media demand has also rocketed for Matsui, as he has received an estimated 100 requests for television and event appearances in his home country. Even though his home for next season has yet to be determined, it’s not an understatement to say his new team (if the Yankees does not re-sign him) will have an opportunity to develop a big presence in the Land of the Rising Sun.
You’d have to think that playing in New York only increases a player’s exposure, leading to more endorsements and more dollars. Obviously Matsui’s cashing in on it, but what about Chien-Ming Wang?
The guy’s literally a national hero in Taiwan, so you know he’s making some pretty sweet coin on the side. There’s a chance the Yanks will non-tender the righthander, and it’s hard to imagine him landing a large guaranteed contract coming off his shoulder injury. Assuming that, maybe Wanger would be willing to come back to the Yanks on a (relatively) cheap deal in order to keep those big endorsement bucks coming in. I mean, really, how marketable is a Kansas City Royal internationally? Or a San Diego Padre? Not very, or at least not as much as a New York Yankee.
Anywho, here’s your open thread for the night. The friggin’ Browns and Ravens are you MNF game (yippee), plus the Isles and Devils are also in action. Talk about whatever you want, just make sure you follow the guidelines.
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Fun fact: The Yankees have more wins in November than the Giants, Jets, Nets, and Knicks have combined.
Hells yeah.
Maybe somebody offers Matsui more $ and years because it is a way for them to tap into a market they can not now. Matsui could also turn that down because there is more money to be made in Japan if he stays in NY.
Wang, has turned Taiwan (and even parts of Mainland China) into Yankees fans. I have family, and business acquaintances in Taiwan and they say that the fervor for Wang out there is out of sight
“I mean, really, how marketable is a Kansas City Royal internationally? Or a San Diego Padre? Not very, or at least not as much as a New York Yankee.”
I think CMW is popular in Taiwan because he’s from Taiwan, not because he’s from Taiwan AND plays for the Yankees. If he had played for the Royals, I think he would be just as popular.
I’ve never been to Taiwan, so I’m just speculating.
You are half right. He would be famous still but most people in Taiwan have only heard of Yankees and maybe the Red Sox before Wang was playing MLB.
Probably.
So now the most recognizable Taiwanese teams are:
Yankees (big gap) Red Sox (small gap) Other 28 teams
If Wang had played for the Royals, I suspect it would be:
Royals (big gap) Yanks (small gap) Sox (small gap) Other 28 teams.
You know this how? Baseball has been very popular in Taiwan for a very long time. The vast majority of Taiwanese baseball fans are as knowledgeable about U.S. baseball as a good number of U.S. baseball fans.
while that is true, what is also true is that there are very few players from Taiwan actually in the majors. so it really matters less what team he’s on.
then again , I think i heard the local broadcasting channal say that they extended a 2 year deal with YES, so I guess they’re praying that he stays lol
Yea, my neighbors are huge CMW fans because they’re Taiwanese, but now they’ve become Yankees fans too. I think that it’s more about heritage than the team.
Devils can break the recrod for consecutive wins on the road to start the season!
What a start they’ve had.
I DVR’d that WWII in HD thing and I’m watching it now. Pretty cool/intense stuff.
I was watching some of that last night.
Why is it that up until a few years ago, all the WW2 footage I saw was in black and white. And now there seems to be tons of film in color.
Weird.
They colorize it, I’m guessing.
They said that all the stuff they’re showing in here was shot in color. I have a coffee table book from a few years ago that was all WW2 photos in color.
All right, I’ve got nothing.
As per usual.
At least I’m man enough to admit it.
/Not implying anything at all
I can’t wait until the WWI colored photos come out.
http://www.worldwaronecolorpho....._h_33.html
Shit.
The Lumière brothers were French, so naturally the majority of color WWI photos are of France and the French military.
I know, I just had no clue there were any color photos at all.
The Lumiere brothers were fuckin’ geniuses. Everything they made was so simple, yet so brilliant and enthralling.
Agreed. Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat is over 110 years old. That is mind-blowing.
Awesome.
It depends on the branch of the military being displayed. There is a lot more color footage from the Navy and Air Force then the rest of the military.
I am pretty depressed right now. Took me 5 weeks to get ripped.
Failure.
Damn, that sucks. It took me 4 weeks and a day.
(But now thanks to college, I’m out of shape again a bit. Starting next week, I have 6 weeks to get ripped again.)
I can manage it in an evening. Or do you mean something different?
On a whim I just youtubed Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. Billy Joel is fucking awesome.
I hear Piano Man on the radio a lot. Great, great song.
I just listened to Only the Good Die Young and now for some reason I thought of American Pie (by Don McLean, not any of the movies).
Vincent is a work of genius.
Matsui’s media / endorsement appeal certainly plays better in a big market like NYC, and playing for the Yankees is a terrific validation of his talent, but he’ll be a draw wherever he plays. His success in NYC has played a big role in getting him to this point though.
I don’t know much about Taiwan, but I think playing for the Yankees means more in terms of marketability for Wang. Matsui was already an established start when he came to NY, while Wang made a name for himself in MLB. Putting up a couple of 19-win seasons in NYC will get a little more attention than doing so in, say, Minnesota, not that it’s any less of an accomplishment.
Curb your Enthusiasm and Californication were both great last night. I just watched on the dvr. Anybody else see them?
1 paper down. 4 more to go (these are harder) by Friday night.
What year are you and what is your major?
1st year (but have enough AP credits to technically be 2nd year) and Economics
Wow, I don’t remember having to do that much work first year. Although, I avoided liberal art classes purposely to avoid writing essays.
Yea, I didnt expect this either. But considering 4 of 5 are for the same class, I got screwed with a horrible professor. What sucks is that I have to study for other classes too.
NERD
FYI, everybody here is posting on a Yankees blog…you and me included.
Good luck.
What are the next four on?
Rather, on what are the next four papers?
/English degree’d
That is the type of correction up with which I cannot put.
/Churchill’d
Yeah, fuck archaic Latin syntax Willy!
Haha, at my job, they have a quote like that at the beginning of one of the SAT manuals.
Well, I finished one on the book “GloboChrist.” I have to do one how Sikhism in the US has changed because of globalization (kinda easy now that I have my research done but this is the longest). One is on for my Intl Childrens Literature class (I had to chose like one of the 100+ fairytales we’ve read and have to compare to similar stories by two different authors. I could have chosen Cinderella as there are many versions but I didnt read them all. So, I chose these stories that involve incest and have to write on the differences in the perception of incest in each story. Stories like “Tebaldo.” I know this is wierd but its a pretty easy class) My topic for the other 2:
“What do we mean by “globalization” in an economic, social, and political as well as a religious sense? In answering this part of the question, make sure you refer to the material (as well as any class lectures) in the book GLOBALIZATION AND ITS ENEMIES. Finally, how is “globalized religion” a function and significant factor in the process of globalization as a whole? ”
and
” How does Islam compare/contrast with Christianity as a “globalized religion?” What are some of the main cultural, historical, socio-economic, and/or political factors that have made these two particular faiths so effective in spreading their message or influence in the age of globalization? Give evidence for your answer, drawn from the assigned readings or other research. If you use other sources for research beside the assigned readings, you will need to give them proper document citation.”
(Damn, thats a super long post)
With all this globalism talk, I’m assuming you’re a Poli Sci or IR major?
Nope, its for my Globalized Religion class, which I thought was about world religions but its not and is basically about globalization. And in the description, it said that the class is based on groupwork and we’ve done one assignment all semester involving groupwork
And 4 of the 5 were for the same freaking class, a class which is supposed to be the easiest. We have done one essay each week and read 5 books. My friends who have other professors havent read anything or written anything all year. Their final is writing a short story or short essays. My professor sucks ass.
That’s annoying as fuck.
Yea it is
That’s the worst part about being in your first year – you don’t know which professors to avoid.
After 6 years (including grad school), I knew who to take for the slam-dunk “A”, social science class; who and what to avoid within my major; and which classes I should just altogether take at the local community college because the university’s professor’s were awful.
Just gotta stick the first couple of years out, and you’ll be in good shape.
Also, don’t be afraid to change your major. Of the 100 or so students who started 1st year in my major, I graduated with about 15 of them.
Ratemyprofessor.com should become your best friend when making your schedule for next semester
Yep, its great. I used that to register for classes next semester. If only I had looked at that while registering this summer…
Player contracts are only one source of income for the biggest sports stars on the planet, in fact most of them rake in more cash via endorsements than they do from their teams.
I think that’s only true for two classes of players:
1) Superstars that are popular far beyond normal levels for their sport. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordon, Jeter, Ichiro, those types of guys.
2) Popular players making minimum salaries. I could believe that Joba made more from Dunkin Donuts and what not than from the Yankees at the start of his career.
Cheap free agents are rarely going to be popular enough to do much endorsements. Otherwise, while endorsements are good, they’re not that good. Jorge Posada doing ads for a car dealership isn’t going to be anywhere near his Yankees salary.
Chrome can go to hell. it’s been crashing like 5-8 times a day for like a month and a half now, especially when I use flash. Now I downloaded Firefox, its hasnt crashed a single time in 3 days.
Firefox is teh awesomeness.
Yea, its great. But I switched from Firefox to Chrome because Firefox was giving me problems at times too.
Really? I’ve been using Chrome for months and I haven’t had any problems.
same
Yea, I had no problems before. I’m pretty it crashes whenever I open anything involving a Flash player in a new tab.
Huh, that’s weird/unfortunate.
I love FF. No complaints.
Mike A. posed a very interesting question as a Tweet today, which was linked at MLBTR. He said this:
Why do people think the price for a star in a trade will drop if you attach a guy with a bad contract to him? When is the last time that actually happened?
My first guess was Dontrelle Willis in the Miguel Cabrera deal, but Dombrowski inexplicably EXTENDED Dontrelle (along w/Cabrera) as part of that deal. So that one doesn’t hold up. If he was thought of as dead weight then as he is now, that wouldn’t have happened.
After that, I’m stumped. Can anyone think of one? Not headache for headache deals, but good player + bad player with a bad deal.
As I was typing, I thought of one. Mike Lowell was thought of as dead weight by the Marlins when they added him to the Beckett deal. I seem to remember they made taking Lowell a prerequisite to the deal. So that’s one, but I’d still like to see if anyone can come up with another, because Mike’s overall point still stands that it’s exceedingly rare.
There has to be some… but Lowell is the only guy that comes to mind.
I think alot of the perception of it is being driven by the recession. While the writers can speculate all they want, you’re right, historically it hasn’t come to fruition. Usually it’s bad contract for bad contract, or straight up salary dump, not piggybacked by trading a talented player (with the bad contract) for less due to the finances.
My favorite one is where you attach Vernon Wells to a Halladay deal and give up nothing for Halladay. Plus give Roy an extension, of course.
Given that Wells produces at replacement level nowadays and Halladay would probably get 4 years at around 80-90 mil, that means that you are effectively paying Halladay about $40 mil per year for his services. Oh, and just in case nobody’s noticed, pitchers get hurt. Roy spent some time on the DL just last year.
(TSJC ALERT) It reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer discovers he has a long lost brother who owns a huge Car company, and tells Homer he wants him to design a car for him. The result is one of the biggest monstrosities you’ve ever seen, and his brother goes bankrupt.
I want one of those psychedelic mindbending chairs that Danny Devito gave Homer.
Nice THT piece giving Granderson’s positives.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/m...../#comments
We all know the negatives, but I think his game plays better at Yankee Stadium and he’s a good fit.
In honor of tonight’s MNF game being the end of the 10th week of the NFL season, a little past the halfway point (where all teams have already had their bye week and we’re gearing up for the 7 week sprint to the finish), here’s my first mock draft of the year.
I have forecasted the rest of the season with my best guesses based on actual remaining schedules, so this mock is potentially record-accurate. And, I’ve included all currently traded picks (the Jets traded a 3rd and a 5th to the Browns in the Braylon Edwards trade, but I’ll assume it escalates to a 2nd based on PT.)
Two rounds. Enjoy.
Round 1
1 Browns 1-15 : DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
2 Rams 2-14 : S Eric Berry, Tennessee
3 Lions 2-14 : DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma
4 Buccaneers 3-13 : CB Joe Haden, Florida
5 Raiders 3-13 : QB Jake Locker, Washington
6 Chiefs 4-12 : DE Carlos Dunlap, Florida
7 Bills 4-12 : T Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
8 Seahawks 5-11 : QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame
9 Redskins 6-10 : QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
10 Dolphins 6-10 : WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
11 Titans 7-9 : DE Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech
12 49′ers 7-9 : T Trent Williams, Oklahoma (from CAR)
13 Texans 7-9 : RB Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
14 49′ers 8-8 : ILB Rolando McClain, Alabama
15 Jets 8-8 : DE Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida
16 Falcons 8-8 : S Taylor Mays, USC
17 Jaguars 9-7 : RB C.J. Spiller, Clemson
18 Broncos 9-7 : OLB Navorro Bowman, Penn State (from CHI)
19 Giants 9-7 : OLB Sergio Kindle, Texas
20 Ravens 9-7 : WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois
21 Packers 9-7 : T Charles Brown, USC
22 Cowboys 10-6 : DT Arthur Jones, Syracuse
23 Seahawks 11-5 : T Bryan Bulaga, Iowa (from DEN)
24 Chargers 11-5 : DT Terrence Cody, Alabama
25 Cardinals 10-6 : TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
26 Eagles 10-6 : ILB Brandon Spikes, Florida
27 Patriots 12-4 : RB Jahvid Best, California
28 Bengals 13-3 : DT Marvin Austin, North Carolina
29 Vikings 11-5 : QB Colt McCoy, Texas
30 Steelers 13-3 : CB Patrick Robinson, Florida State
31 Colts 14-2 : T Anthony Davis, Rutgers
32 Saints 14-2 : DE Greg Hardy, Mississippi
Round 2
33 Browns 1-15 : RB Evan Royster, Penn State
34 Lions 2-14 : CB Javier Arenas, Alabama
35 Rams 2-14 : DE Brandon Graham, Michigan
36 Raiders 3-13 : S Earl Thomas, Texas
37 Buccaneers 3-13 : OLB Bruce Carter, North Carolina
38 Bills 4-12 : OLB Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
39 Chiefs 4-12 : WR Brandon LaFell, LSU
40 Seahawks 5-11 : S Nate Allen, South Florida
41 Dolphins 6-10 : G Jon Asamoah, Illinois
42 Redskins 6-10 : RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno State
43 Panthers 7-9 : QB Tim Tebow, Florida
44 Texans 7-9 : CB Donovan Warren, Michigan
45 Patriots 7-9 : DE/LB Ricky Sapp, Clemson (from TEN)
46 Browns 8-8 : WR Eric Decker, Minnesota (from NYJ)
47 Chiefs 8-8 : ILB Sean Lee, Penn State (from ATL)
48 49′ers 8-8 : DE Everson Griffen, USC
49 Buccaneers 9-7 : WR Damian Williams, USC (from CHI)
50 Giants 9-7 : T Tony Washington, Abilene Christian
51 Ravens 9-7 : CB Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State
52 Patriots 9-7 : DT Jared Odrick, Penn State (from JAX)
53 Packers 9-7 : RB Joe McKnight, USC
54 Cowboys 10-6 : G Mike Johnson, Alabama
55 Chargers 11-5 : OLB Eric Norwood, South Carolina
56 Broncos 11-5 : CB Syd’Quan Thompson, California
57 Eagles 10-6 : DE Corey Wooton, Northwestern
58 Cardinals 10-6 : OLB Rod Muckelroy, Texas
59 Patriots 12-4 : TE Anthony McCoy, USC
60 Bengals 13-3 : DE/LB Jerry Hughes, TCU
61 Vikings 11-5 : DT Vince Oghobaase, Duke
62 Steelers 13-3 : T Selvish Capers, West Virginia
63 Colts 14-2 : DT Geno Atkins, Georgia
64 Saints 14-2 : OLB Brandon Lang, Troy
I just like seeing all of those Pats picks in the 2nd round.
Even though the Pats have no 3rd or 5th rounder (surrendered for Derrick Burgess), they still have 8 picks in this draft, and the Raiders first rounder in 2011 (thanks to Richard Seymour).
Theo Epstein is constantly fellated as the uber-genius GM of the city, but Scott Pioli was probably the single best GM of any sports team in either New York or Boston during the past two decades. He set that team up very nicely in talent acquisition year after year.
It will be interesting to see how the Pats fare without him now that he’s in KC.
Yeah, it’ll really be interesting to see who was really the brains in the player acquisition dept. between Belichick and Pioli. I think they were both pretty involved, though I’m guessing Belichick had final say. This was the Pats first draft without Pioli, and it looks like the best draft they’ve had in years, with 3 2nd rounders already paying big dividends (Vollmer=BEAST). I loved the Seymour trade, we might get a cost controlled top 10 pick for a guy who only had 1 year left, and was clearly on the decline.
I thought you predicted Giants with 10 wins?
Also I don’t see the Steelers with 13 wins. 12, maybe.
Colts AND Saints have a legitimate chance to go undefeated.
I revised my predictions.
Based on what w/the Giants? They didn’t play.
You just going on the “The falcons aren’t going to lose three in a row” theory?
Actually, I have you beating the Falcons next week. I think the Falcons are ripe for collapse.
I have you losing to the Skins on the road, though. Their defense is decent. Week by week:
11 ATL: win
12 @DEN: loss
13 DAL: win
14 PHI: loss
15 @WAS: loss
16 CAR: win
17 @MIN: win
I see. I predicted 8-8, but after a week some optimism has returned after seeing the Eagles and ‘Boys falter a bit.
I think we have a shot to beat Denver, and I still don’t see them losing to Washington.
We’re still in good shape.
But, I think we lose to Minny. Even if they have nothing to play for.
Eh, if Orton keeps playing the way he has lately and if the defense worsens, they might beat the Broncos. But I think the Broncos have regressed to the mean already so they will beat them.
Most definitely. Atlanta’s vulnerability gives all three NFC East teams a legit shot at the playoffs.
I think you just barely come up short, though. JMHO.
That’s cool.
The NFC, w/the exception of NO and Minny, sucks this yr.
Orton is hurt.
Even if he plays the Giants, he’ll have had a week off from injury. He could still be affected.
So the Saints are winning the Superbowl?
Eh, at this point, I just predicted the records out and then had the higher seeds beating the lower seeds. I’m not going that specific with it, too far out to really know what’s going to happen with one specific game in January.
Don’t play with my heart tsjc… Sam Bradford would be awesome. I really don’t think he’ll drop that far though.
Oh, he’ll most frickin’ definitely fall that far. The question is, will he go that high? That’s the absolute highest he’ll go.
Dude is coming off back-to-back shoulder injuries. And he had questions before those injuries. He’s a gamble.
(FWIW, I think whomever takes him will regret it. He’s not as solid of a pro prospect as Locker/Clausen. He doesn’t play in a pro-style offense, and that’s the single biggest determinant of NFL success.)
#9 does seem pretty high. Unless he comes back healthy and shows the necessary strength (both arm and body) at the combine/pro day, he could be in for a huge drop. Quinn and Rodgers didn’t have nearly the question marks on them heading into their drafts, and they both fell into the 20′s.
Yeah, Bradford at #9 is most definitely an overdraft. But, Dan Snyder is the new Al Davis. He’s taking a QB with his first rounder, torpedoes be damned.
Yup. I just wish Dan Snyder (or Al Davis) were in the AFC East.
Snyder is young enough that he can learn from his mistakes. Eventually he’ll hire a top notch guy to take the reigns and get the Skins in the right direction. Once he does that, which may be soon, things will be good in Skins Land.
…I pray. lol
Raiders fans were telling themselves that… back during the Reagan administration.
The one major difference I see, Al Davis was extremely successful in the first 20-25 years of his reign. He won early and often.
79-90. That’s Snyder’s record since he took over in 99. It’s a far cry from the body of work Davis built in his early coaching/ownership career.
The only true similarities I see is that they are two rich men with big ego’s that like to spend money and really want to win.
I’m not a big fan of Clausen and I haven’t seen Locker play. I have got to believe that after missing out on Sanchez, the Skins will go hard on a QB.
So you have it:
Locker
Claus
Bradford
Mccoy
None of them really have top-ten talent, IMO, but their QB’s, they get elevated due to scarcity.
I think all four have serious flaws for different reasons (Locker is kinda short and not overly accurate; Clausen is just average physically; Bradford has the injury issues and only has spread experience; McCoy is the most limited physically and also plays in a gimmicky offense).
Locker and Clausen have far fewer flaws than Bradford, though. Even if Bradford were healthy, he should be ranked #3 behind Locker and Clausen.
Where would Mark Sanchez rank in this class?
Better than Claussen?
Yes, easily. I’d say if you combine the 2009 and 2010 QB draft classes into one:
1 Bradford
2 Sanchez
(gap)
3 Locker
4 Clausen
5 Bradford
(gap)
6 Freeman
7 McCoy
ugh, “they’re QB’s”. My bad.
The one thing I like about Clausen is that he has grown physically from year to year. That tells me he’s working hard in the gym, eating right, etc.. Imo he needs to put on another 15 lbs(at least) on that frame.
I’m a big Clausen fan. I really like what I see from him.
I’m not a fan of ND football. I’m a Hurricane!!
However, Claussen is no Ron Powlus. He may not have won 4 heismans like Powlus, but hey … heismans dont mean much in the NFL.
BTW, Charlie Weiss is really bad.
C-L-A-U-S-E-N
W-E-I-S
What kind of contract do you guys think Nick Johnson will get?
From the Yankees? Zilch.
From somebody else, 1-2 years around 5-10 mil.
You really think it would be that far fetched for the Yankees to sign him? I am not saying the Yankees will but I think he is someone to consider as a DH. He had the third highest OBP in all of baseball last year
They just don’t need a full-time DH or a 1B. Nick’s a wonderful player when healthy, but he’s just not a fit for the Yanks.
So you think they are not going to go into next year with a full time DH? I seriously doubt that whether it is Hideki Matsui or someone else
I’d guess Matsui or Damon (with Cameron in CF). That way you can still get Jorge quite a few games at DH and have Damon play left, while benching Gardbrera.
Damon and Cameron are probably the best option for a combination of production and flexibility. I was just throwing Nick Johnson’s name out there b/c having two guys with 400+ OBP hitting in front of Tex and Arod sounds very nice to me.
They’ve made that pretty clear. If you read any of the beat writers (Fiensand, Sherman, etc) the indications are from the Yankee brass that they don’t want a full time DH next year. They want Posada to DH more ( around 60 games) and mix in Alex, Jeter and Damon if he re-signs. That doesn’t leave many ABs for a DH.
So do you see them signing Cameron?
That’s my favorite option.
I really do not buy that rotating DH and I think from reading this board most people on here do not buy it either. With a rotating DH you basically never have an A lineup. Who is your DH on opening day? I just can not see that happening. The offense would take a huge step down without a regular DH.
I agree Hey ZZ.
I’d rather resign Damon and Matsui. But my favorite second option is to sign Cameron.
If you sign Cameron though, you’d usually have an A lineup. The only time you wouldn’t would be if Posada wasn’t catching, which is bound to happpen a ton anyway.
Yeah. If you sign 2 out of Cameron, Damon, Matsui you HAVE an A-lineup. With a rotating DH you really do not have an A lineup. I just can not imagine someone like Shelley Duncan or Juan Miranda slotted into DH on opening day. If that is the case I am willing to bet come the trade deadline the Yankees will be looking for a bat.
Yeah, I was making the assumption that Damon was resigned as well, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out with Boras wanting to shop around, and Damon clearly wanting to stay.
Since there are basically only two players from Taiwan in the majors right now, it doesn’t seem to be a real problem for Wang where he plays, the question lies more on IF he plays.
FWIW, Taiwan also broadcast plenty of Rockies games in 2003 when the first player to actually play in the majors for a significant time from Taiwan (Chin Hui Tsao) actually made it.
I have read comments from quite a few experts believe Wang will be willing to accept any kind of deal to stay with Yankees in order to get his big endorsement deals. As a Taiwanese who loves Yankees for a long time, I can tell you this belief is totally wrong. This belief definitely comes from an American’ point of view. I can’t blame many experts from U.S have that thought when you consider how big franchise Yankees is in the United States. I realize this when I was in the United States few years ago.
In Taiwan, we have quite a few successful people in all kinds of fields who are very famous around the world, such as Ang Lee, etc. Among them, we also have few other very successful athletes as well. But, I believe Wang means so much to Taiwanese than anyone else because his personality, his work ethics, his charity works, etc.
As long as he keeps fighting and pitching at least at average level in the major league. No matter which team he goes, most Taiwanese will follow him around and support him as usual. In fact, Wang just get a new big sponsorship deal from one of his biggest sponsors, Acer, few days ago. Acer not only pays Wang the same amount of dollars as previous years but also promise to let him leave earlier for rehab without making ads for them. In the past two seasons, Wang still gets quite few endorsement deals even though he was injured most of time.
Furthermore, more and more Taiwanese hopes Wang chooses to leave Yankees. Most of Taiwanese understand baseball and the business side of baseball. Believe me, most Taiwanese expect much more out of Wang than any Yankee fan. Many Taiwanese just feel Yankees front office don’t show enough respect to Wang. many of them hopes Wang not to keep saying how much he wants to stay with Yankees because that may decrease his leverage.
For me, I have mixed feeling regard of Wang’s situation. I know many pitchers can not come back from shoulder surgery. However, I hope he stays because you never have enough pitching. Any pitching staff can be looked terrible when they suffer one or two injuries. Even if Wang comes back at 50% of his 2006-2007 form, he can be a good enough no.4 or no.5 starter.
But, I don’t think Wang will be back. First of all, at this moment, Wang needs playing time to reestablish his value. Small market teams can fill that bill. Secondly, I think one of 30 clubs will give Wang a major league deal and is willing to gamble on him. Thirdly, Wang may have some hard feeling toward to Yankees front office because the way they treat him even though most Asian don’t express their feeling much. Fourthly, Wang once says he like the life style of Seattle, LA, etc. Fifthly, Brian Cashman and his front office staff express more than once how much they like to have power and strikeout pitchers on Yankees staff. Lastly, I believe Wang can accumulate service time if he gets a major league deal somewhere. At the end of 2009 season, it sounds Wang knows Yankees don’t want to have him back when he was interviewed by Taiwanese reporters.
It’s interesting to see how the things turn out. Hopefully, Yankees can work out a deal with Wang because Wang wants to stays. Wang once says Yankees is a great team and the only team he has played for.
As a Taiwanese who loves Yankees for a long time…
(fighting the urge to make the obvious joke)
Wang is just a lazy Dominican. He doesn’t care about rehabbing and working up to the level where Dominicanese wish to live vicariously through him.
Now, the important stuff: I know a really easy way for you to become a citizen of the U.S., where you can closely follow the happenings of Wang. Fair warning, it will involve hair dolls—bring a good brush.
Whether Wang feels slighted or not I’m sure you know better than me, as you’ve heard interviews etc., & I don’t understand your language, BUT I don’t feel like Wang has necessarily been “mistreated.”
Are you referring to more than the Yankees choice of going year-to-year with his contracts, rather than signing him to a long term deal? Or the arbitration issue? If there’s more than this, share it with us if you like.
He has shown an injury history throughout his young career, as much as he’s shown promise. You can’t really blame the Yanks for not committing themselves, long-term, to someone who may or may not play intermittently during that time.
Personally, I think he’s great, and I hope he stays with the Yankees. Also, if he does recover and proves he can stay healthy for the latter half of next year and 2011, I’m sure he will get the contract he deserves from the Yankees.
Your concerns about playing time I think are unfounded. This team had him as their ace for two full seasons, and went into last year with him in that role. The Yankees know full well what they have in Wang, and why he’s so valuable. If he does indeed recover, and is healthy enough to pitch in the major leagues, he will be the Yankees #3.
Also, while the Yankees do prefer power pitchers, and are leaning that way, a hard groundball specialist is just as valuable in Yankee Stadium.
Anyway, I hope you’re wrong about him not coming back.
Based on my experience of being in another countries, I realize how hard to understand other cultures. Most Taiwanese feel Wang has been showed enough respect that doesn’t result from business side of baseball.
For example, Yankees sent out a celebration letter after the victory of arbitration. When Wang was an ACE of pitching staff no matter you agree with or not, Yankees front office and players should not speak out loud how much they need an ACE to lead the pitching staff. I believe some of misunderstanding may result from different cultures.
Based on the current economy and the injuries has suffered the past two seasons, I understand the concern Yankees have. I agree with the move of not making long-term commitment.
I think money is not the an issue in Wang’s case. But, I don’t think Wang will stay with Yankees if Yankees is only willing to give him minor league deal.
As for playing time, Yankees fans demand victory more than fans of another teams. Basically, Wang won’t have the chance to recovery from injuries slowly. When Wang pitch poorly for the first time of 2010 season, he may not get another chance to start. You can just take a look at what happened to Wang after three terrible starts of 2009 season. In my opinion, Wang was not healthy the whole 2009 season.
1.IF Yankees non-tender CMW and I were his agent,i wiil suggest my client go to NL. Brewers would be very good place to land.
2.Be a Brewers, CMW would raise Service Time for qualifications of FA, money not concern issue.
3.IF CMW has good performance @ Milwaukee,Taiwanese fans will focus at Brewers not Yankees anymore.
If I were Wanger’s agent I’d never want to see him on the bases again.