Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Daisuke Bulletin #1

I've decided to offer a little current news on Matsuzaka from time to time to make this blog more active. From now on you'll be able to check back for the latest talk on Daisuke Matsuzaka from around the web and mainstream press. Something to keep you and I busy between starts. With no further ado, a little appetizer from around the world....

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports has been on the Matsuzaka trail since the WBC, and has contributed to the understanding of the mythical "Gyroball". In a recent column rating the 2006-2007 free agents, Passan ranks Matsuzaka as the #1 prospect, likely to command about $50 million over 4 years. That's in addition to the $10 million+ that teams will need to bid just to talk.

The New York Daily News offered this information regarding the Yankees' popularity overseas, and the impact of players like Matsui and Matsuzaka on the "brand":

"Both teams [Mets and Yanks] have worldwide plans, too, and pursue players beyond their borders, from Latin America to Asia. The Yankees have enhanced their brand internationally by signing Japanese star Hideki Matsui, though he's recovering from injury. They could add pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka this winter. They've had so many fans from Japan inquire about tours of the Stadium that they now offer them in Japanese as well as English and Spanish, Trost said."

Finally, I thought I'd give you a peek at what his arsenal looks like by offering this tidbit from You Tube. This is the WBC Final against Cuba. Most of the pitches are straight heat, delivered with Mariano-esque easy motion. The second strikeout in this sequence features an almost freakish pitch that defies description. I'd be hard pressed to imagine a single Major League player being able to either lay off or hit that pitch. Vlad Guerrero included. Enjoy.

1 Comments:

At 11:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Filthy.

 

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