Story Meeting Notes:
There’s more evidence of no evidence of Voter Fraud.
Weather here is brutal.
Imus is looking more and more like toast. We’re gonna owe Chris a beer.
I’m distracted by this quote I read in the New York Times today:
“I hope he arouses the fire that’s dormant in the innermost recesses of my soul. I plan to face him with the zeal of a challenger.”
Ichiro Suzuki, as quoted by Jack Curry, Matsuzaka Comes Home to a Far East Reunion, The New York Times, April 12, 2007.
That’s Seattle Mariner phenom Ichiro Suzuki on facing new Boston Red Sox superstar pitcher Daisuke (Dice K) Matsuzaka last night at Fenway Park. My son Sam and I were at the game. Alas, Dice was sliced by the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez who threw a near no hitter. Sox lost 3-0.
I couldn’t find an appropriate place to put this taunt last night (Pitch Thread? no), so thanks for mentioning the single best moment so far of the young baseball season. Suck on it Boston! Long Live King Felix!
That said, last night was a great example of baseball economics. While most of the attention was paid to the most significant millionaire Japanese import (Ichiro) vs. the most recent (Matsuzaka), the young underpaid pitcher from Venezuela stole the show only to have his no-no broken up by the most quintessential of the overpaid, over hyped and under performing American born outfielder.
Hey Emmett, you talk like someone who just won the World Series. But of course you do, last night was the World Series for you guys! I’m sure they were pouring sake over each other in the locker room.
Did Ichiro plan to face Dice K with zeal or with an eel? It sure looked like he was swinging a limp eel to me.
Let’s see who is the more overpaid American at the end, Drew or Sexson. I’ll buy you a sake if it’s Drew.
Just having fun!
I was getting worried that “s**k on it” may have been over the top. God, how Seattle of me.
Nother: are we assuming that all things are equal, or should we weight this according to their salaries? Drew’s contract averages at $14 million and Sexson’s is $12.5. Lets say the extra $1.5 million buys the Red Sox an outfielder as compared to a first baseman, so then we can judge their hitting as being equally paid for.
In the words of King George 43…”that there is some fuzzy math.”
Too bad about Imus I say, he said something stupid and people lost their minds. Free speech takes another hit.
So, Mary, what I want to know is whether EACH of you owes Chris the beer, or do you all chip in for a pint?
josephmoyer — it’s not too bad. Remarks like that poison this culture and there’s no shortage of them; in fact, quite the opposite. Some of us are weighed down every day by racist, sexist comments. And despite free speech, I’m not going to say everything I’m thinking right now.
emmett-
the good news is: you’re half-right. king felix is an incandescent talent, and his arrival (like those of nolan ryan, doc gooden, vida blue and roger clemens) is a welcome development for baseball fans everywhere (not just at safeco). and i’m not the least bit surprised that he took home the b.m.o.c at dice-k’s debutante ball (i said wednesday afternoon that i’d put ten bucks on felix throwing a no-no if i were in vegas). boston will be one of the many teams that “sucks on it” this year (and for years to come); long live king felix indeed. but…..
what un-confronted truth were you trying to bring to light in the second half of your missive? why this knee-jerk rush to defend the guest workers? over-paid american? japanese millionaire? underpaid venezuelan? here’s the facts: felix hernandez will have earned enough service time to become a free agent after the 2011 season (he’ll be 24). at that point, he’ll sign the biggest contract in baseball (if not world sport) history- and presently three of the largest five belong to latinos. japanese ballplayers are able to sign big contracts only as a result of baseball’s posting system, designed to keep america’s robber barons from hollowing out Japan’s well-established professional leagues. for he team, the posting fee gives them some return on their investment in developing talent, and though the player is a “free agent,” he is one whose rights belong to only one team (think of this as stalinist free agency). and as for j.d. drew: over-hyped? certainly out of college. overpaid? probably..though if adrian beltre and richie sexson merit 25 million a year between him, drew’s compensation is more palatable. but his riches have nothing to do with him being an american, and everything to do with the amount of time he’s spent in the majors.
thanks to jackie robinson, larry doby, pumpsie green, esteban bellan, chief bender et al, baseball is now the ultimate meritocracy, completely color blind (except for pitches on the black, a good game called by blue, and of course, a love of the green).
Kate -
He gets as many as he wants. I’m kind of amazed by this story. I was chilled by Gwen Ifil’s op ed in the New York Times earlier this week and by Bob Herbert’s this morning, but still I thought he’d get away with it. Does XM or Sirius hire him now and is there a post Imus effect on talk radio fron now on?
Mary — I don’t even know what to say. I wasn’t surprised by any of it. I figured he’d be fired, because of the potential advertising losses, but, yes, I think he’ll be hired by XM or Sirius. There are plenty of pigs out there who will pay to listen to him. I don’t think anything will change. So, in essence, you were right: he’ll get away with it. I see all these imbeciles walking around, saying, I can say anything I want — it’s a free country.
kate,
Freedom of speech also means that we have the right to say… “Shut Up!”
will cook for food: I guess I was describing the different ways Ichiro, Matsuzaka, King Felix and Drew came into the majors. Ichiro and Matsuzaka the typical Japanses e way with a huge dowry paid to their home club, Felix relatively cheaply through the Latin baseball system, and Drew, through a huge signing bonus even before he took a minor league at bat.
I was trying to point out the difference especially between Drew and Felix, that JD Drew was a rich man even before he made it to the majors, and for Felix to begin to earn as much as Drew did, he’d have to cash in at free agency. Economically there is a different path of a Latin phenom than an American phenom, and it benefits the American players. Latin baseball talent, for at least the first few years, is cheap.