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12/22/2002 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Nakamura: Bad Etiquette Caused Me to Reject Mets"
Slugger Received Angry Phone Call from Hanshin's Hoshino
I'm going to change the format around a little bit today so that I can insert some of my own comments to stories in the U.S. media about the Norihiro Nakamura matter. So here we go:
See story at: NY Times Article
There's a little more to it than what the Times lets on, if Nakamura can be believed. The third baseman thought that they had violated etiquette and made him look bad. When Hanshin manager Senichi Hoshino heard the report emanating out of New York, he phoned Nakamura up and reportedly said, "what the hell is that?" Nakamura averred to reporters that "I'm someone who respects manners and right thinking. I can't sign with a team that breaks a rule [of etiquette]." He further went on to say that he doesn't know if it was the "incompetence of the Mets or what, but I had indeed set my heart on playing with the Mets." However, the report getting out into the media, including NHK, before he could inform both Hanshin and Kintetsu that he was going to New York, deeply disturbed Nakamura and that's when he opted to remain in Osaka with Kintetsu.
Nakamura then phoned both Hanshin and Mets GM Steve Phillips to let them know he chose Kintetsu. Phillips, according to Sports Nippon, offered to go to Japan and apologize to all the aggrieved parties for their lapse in judgement, but that plea was rebuffed by Nakamura.
For his wife Hiroko, the end result seems to come as something of a relief, as both her and her husband were concerned about how their three small daughters would adapt to big bad NYC. "He loves Kintetsu a lot," she offered. She also revealed that she had steeled herself for the move overseas, but from her comments it is evident that she wanted to stay home.
MLB.com Whitewashes Their Possible Culpability in Nakamura's Abandoning Mets
Among Bud Selig's myriad bad ideas was to take all the individual team websites and put them under the umbrella of MLB.com, assuring a uniform party line for the big leagues, but also hindering each club's ability to market itself to its fan base and making their sites more fan friendly. Not to mention that MLB.com itself is an eyesore and hard to use after Selig decided to make changes to what was once a simpler, more efficient and easier to navigate layout.
Now Selig may have the blood on his hands in the Nakamura refusal of the Mets offer, since they had reported that the slugger was about to sign with the NY ballclub, something that was quickly picked up by the sports media both in the U.S. and Japan. Now MLB.com is trying to backtrack (see link below), insisting that it had only reported progress in talks between the two. What they are implying is that Nakamura is being at the very least disingenuous about this and stops just short of calling him a liar.
However, MLB.com reported on the 19th that "the Mets appear to have reached an agreement with Japanese star Norihiro Nakamura and are expected to announce his signing sometime Friday." Now how is the rest of the media supposed to take that? They even use the word "signing." Consequently, it is MLB.com that is dissembling here regardless of whether or not Nakamura did just get a case of cold feet. And this was before Nakamura could talk to Hanshin and Kintetsu. Once again, the fans and media are victimized by the Selig administration's inherent dishonesty.
See story at: NY Mets.com Article
Nakamura Dumps "Toxic Waste" in Mets Party
Now let's talk about this little item. Regular Baseball Guru.com readers already know about what happened between Yomiuri owner Tsuneo Watanabe and Nakamura over the hair issue, but for you newbies, I'll recount it here: when the Giants were courting Nakamura, Watanabe said that for the sake of the team's image, he would like Nakamura to turn his hair back to its natural black. Nakamura did that for a day, setting off speculation that he was going to throw in his lot with the kyojin. But then the following day, he got it cut in a kind of modified mohawk and colored it orange, which caused Watanabe to go ballistic, accusing Nakamura (and by inference, Nakamura's parents) of showing his "lack of education and good breeding." That was pretty much the end of the dance between Nakamura and the uptight Yomiuri management.
See story at: Staten Island Advance Article
Nakamura Buffaloes Mets
See story at: Japan Times Article
Did Nakamura Do Mets a Favor?
The Nakamura naysayers are largely right, though sometimes for the wrong reasons. Here is a quote from a terrific Ken Rosenthal column at the Sporting News that touches briefly on the Osaka native:
"Two scouts say that the Mets didn't miss out on much by failing to sign Japanese 3B Norihiro Nakamura. 'I really liked him five or six years ago, but he's gotten soft and heavy,' one says. 'He wears a real baggy uniform. To me, that's hiding something.'"
My comment: This is despite the fact that Nakamura is a better hitter than he was five years ago. And the baggy uniform? Well, what is Manny Ramirez hiding? What nonsense. For a better look at the truth, see story at: NY Daily News Article
Rosenthal column is Here
Hot Shots....
Okay, so after the storm of controversy over Nakamura, lets talk dollars. Kintetsu upped their offer to six years at around $32 million total. Furthermore, they may allow Nakamura to ask to be posted in the future and will contemplate making him the team's manager when he retires....But on the adverse of that, Kintetsu will post a $13 million loss for this past season....Hoshino is saying that because Nakamura agonized over his decision, he isn't angry that he ignored Hanshin's proposal in favor of Kintetsu....Meanwhile, George Arias has agreed to a new deal with the Tigers that will earn him approximately $1.4 million, a hike of $550,000 or thereabouts.... Peter Gammons says that Hideki Matsui will be fine "if he stays back and doesn't try to be Roger Maris." Peter is spot on about that, but given the ESPN talking head's record for being wrong, look for all of Matsui's homers to be to rightcenter or right. And moving the Expos to San Antonio? Are you out of your mind?...A writer for the Oakland Tribune believes that Matsui will hit ".247 [with] 19 homers." I think that's optimistic....Red Sox still considering shipping Benny Agbayani off to Japan, according to the Boston Globe. Still trying to figure out, though, why the Bosox are going to let Daubach go and are going to keep non-entity Lou Merloni. Daubach could also be Japan bound....The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that the only reason Tampa Bay will be able to make any moves at all this offseason was their sale of Andy Sheets and Steve Cox to Japanese clubs....Some major media outlets are reporting the threat of Pudge Rodriguez to go to Japan as if it's credible. Amazing....Pitcher Chris Seelbach and outfielder D.T. Cromer have been re-signed by Nippon Ham, says the Kyodo News Service....Lotte closer Masahide Kobayashi signed a new contract for $1.3 million, which makes him the highest paid man on the team....Chunichi Dragons reliever Marc Valdes says that he wants to chance at a rotation spot. He also remarked that the team has a good bullpen, so if he can hold the opposition to two runs over seven innings, his side should win....Yokohama manager Daisuke Yamashita told the Japanese press that he might hold some practice sessions in the rain next spring since with a new artificial turf being installed at their home ballpark will enable quicker drainage and thus means that fewer games will be ended by the umpiring crew due to the weather. Also, the Stars expressed interest in lefthander Daisuke Mori of Mitsubishi Fusso Kawasaki's industrial league nine, who once struckout 23 in a no hitter he pitched against Wajima Jitsugyou High School while still at Nanao High School in Ishikawa Prefecture. The 5'10" 182 pounder is a fan of Yokohama's and can run it up to the plate at a maximum of 92mph....Seibu Lions boss Haruki Ihara thinks that with all the fuss he created this offseason, Norihiro Nakamura is going to be looking to wreck the Pacific League's pitching staffs, so his hurlers will have to work their tails off to keep him in check....Former Mets interpreter Kenichi Iwamoto will work as Trey Hillman's Japanese mouthpiece next season. He is from Hokkaido, where Nippon Ham will be moving to in 2004....According to Sankei Sports, contrary to previous reports, Hideki Matsui won't be going to New York until the middle of January at the earliest. The same paper is also reiterating that Hanshin may make a run at Dodgers infielder Tyler Houston.
Quote of the Day
The golden utterance of the day comes from the aforesaid Gammons, who remarked: "It's too bad Oliver North isn't still doing international brokering, because it might be that the only way Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd could rid himself of Neagle is in some four-way deal involving arms, cash, Iran and the Contras."
Did AP Writer Plagiarize Asahi Shimbun Article on Matsui's Batmaker?
You can make that determination for yourself, but boy, if this isn't plagiarism, it sure walks right up to it and smacks it in the head, in my opinion : Associated Press Article
The thing that gets me is that AP has done very nice work reporting on Japanese baseball. Therefore, I don't see the point of them feeling the need to do what looks to me like the replication of the work of another media outlet and claim it as their own. Fwiw.
Matsui Signing Reported in Australia
See story at: Sunday Mail Article
Canadian Women Baseballers Advance Toward Finals
See story at: Canadian Press Article
