Someone let TR know that I'll throw in another 50 if it will help.

I can chip in $5...

I just think Bert would like saying that. But not quite as much as Shigitoshi Hasigawa.

So if we pick up these stakes, all we're getting is expensive jerky?

How much would fish glue for Cicso be, in comparision?

I like to make predictions on Japanese players since I live in Japan. Daisuke-san (DICE-kay) can bring it, and he has a nasty "shuto"...ya know the pitch that Tom Selleck couldn't hit in Mr. Baseball.

He is another Japanese player with a last name that starts with an "m"...at least from an American perspective. Matsuzaka can be tricky to handle. "Matsu" means pine and "zaka" means sloping. I guess his nickname should be "Sloping Pine." His first name is much tickier because his second Chinese character doesn't really have any meaning except as a name.

That's my 2 yens worth :-0

Zito a 'mediocre' pitcher? What?

I'll commit ten dollars!

I like the pony; nice touch.

When do pitchers and catchers report? I keep turning on the tv expecting to see some sports, but all they have are robots bashing into each other. Some of them have purple helmets with white horns on them.

I have one name to offer up to all y'all who think you'd like to see this guy in a Twins uniform: Hideki Irabu.

Let the other guys fight for Matsuzaka. I'd rather see TR spend his $50 on the per diem for the scouts who keep finding guys like Nathan and Santana...

I like the Irabu idea - plus at 5'9" and 170 lbs, he'd fit right in with the rest of the lineup!

As much as I like LNP, TR needs to think seriously about what he's going to do for starting pitching, and to get some offense out of LF, 3B and DH.

Twins played great for June-September, but it's only going to get tougher next year. AL Central may already be the toughest division in MLB, and Cleveland and KC are on track for significant improvement. Any team that takes the first two months off, or wastes them trying to turn lead (read: T-Phat and Fidel) into gold likely won't be around to make a run at the end of the year.

yeah, these are the days when I feel like I have no clue what's going on... no baseball to watch, discussion about players and leagues that are too foreign to me - literally - to understand, and the only thing to look forward to is various award announcements that are deliberately stretched out to tease and torture the faithful fans.

This is the baseball dead zone. *SIGH*

That being said, if any team acquires this new player, I'll be interested in seeing how he plays but really... how much more could these guys want? We sent them Joe Nathan and Joe Mauer for photo ops!!

Considering how the Evil Empire and Mets submitted their "offers", I'm more than a little nervous about the Chairman's time in Japan. I can only imagine the look on his face when TR asks him to deliver the "message".

A jillion dollars is a lot of money, so there is no need for a pony.You have to draw the line somewhere.

I think our offer should be "If your guy pitches for us, you could pick up the entire Twins broadcasts you can see Johan Santana pitch once every five days."

Who could resist THAT offer?

ok, theory question regarding Japanese players in general for those who know way more about it than I:

If the basics of the Japanese League's version of baseball is concentration on the fundamentals and less pursuit of power hitters, a) isn't that basically what the Twins are so does that provide an attraction to our team? and b) if that's what we already have, are we really pursuing more players like that or are we looking for a power player or two?

Just curious...

I like addidasman's idea if for no other reasin than Irabu is much easier to pronounce (then again, Batista wasn't difficult either).

Babs, I'm not sure what to make of you feeling teased and tortured by MLB drawing out the awards announcements over several days. I mean, you don't think what the Twins did to all of us over a 6 month period constituted far more torture and teasing? One can only wonder whether your tolerance for teasing and torture has become quite low. Of course, we could also ponder whether a low tolerance is good or bad... but that might take the discussion down an altogether different (and perhaps inappropriate) path.

And yes, I believe the Twins would do well in the Japanese league... all except the part where they have like a 6 man starting rotation so pitchers only start once a week. No idea WHERE we'd find yet another starter.

there is torture DURING the baseball season when one has actual baseball games to ease the cravings.. and then there is torture in the Offseason... which sucks.

Apparently, Texas has won the "race" (according to my Internet radio home WGN) for Matsuzaka negotiation rights. I thought I heard the number $30 mil. batted around.

*My* television shows robots with tiger stripes, red birds, and blue cat paws. :-)

Although I'm deep in "pituitary ball" country (as some of my hockey friends call basketball) I do my best to follow Gopher hockey in the baseball offseason. There's only a slight overlap in the spring with spring training and WCHA/NCAA playoffs. So with Batgirl tidbits keeping me up on all things baseball, I manage to get through the winter.

Gary Sheffield just entered our division.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/11/10/sheffield.tigers/index.html

i'm not scared of chef

I concur with the silver slugger awards, unlike the gold gloves. DJ may have not deserved to win a gold glove but he was the best offensive SS this year so no complaints. Congrats to Joe and Justin! (& Zambrano)

I wish I was not scared of Chef.

He is mean and nasty and hates pitchers and now he will waggle his bat at the Twins even more.

I predict he will hit 7 homers and 15 doubles against the Twins in 2007, if he stays healthy.

He is 38, though.

Is 30 million less than a jillion? Did the Tigers offer Gooden's uncle a jillion? Is it ironic that Dwight was released from his facility the same day unca went to Detroit? The Tigers need some hitters; now the 10th place hitter will have 25 homers.

...and also a pony. Shetland, I hope. Or is that Sheffield? I don't think I'm happy about this. I can't decide. If you've ever been a Yankee I pretty much hate you unless you play for the Twins.

It's not all bunts and basics in Japan, although the Twins certainly seemed to forget about basics when it came time for the playoffs (AGAIN!!).

Akinori Iwamura from the Yakult Swallows has declared that he will also try his hand at the major leagues. Last year he hit 32 homers (30 the year before and 44 the year before that) and won the gold glove at third. And, his Japanese name when converted to English ends up being much cooler than Matsuzaka's. Iwamura means ROCK TOWN. He'd be great for the Twins and they could play that Stray Cats song every time he came to the plate.

For those interested in the menutia. Matsuzaka's team is the Seibu Lions; Seibu is a giant department store. Yakult makes drinks. They are famous for yoghurt drinks.

I think we should start a campaign to bring ROCK TOWN to the Twins. I think that he be worth at least a couple of ponies to the Twins and maybe some sushified walleye. What do ya think?

$4000, and a pony for the Japanese guy with the pre-appoved nick name, as long as he never played with Tony Batista.Will Shef play 1st base, or dh, or both?

Shef wanted to leave the Yankees because he didn't want to play first base. I read (either on FoxSports or MLB, can't remember) that he will DH primarily and spend a little time in the outfield.

Off subject.. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are your 2006 Silver Slugger Award winners!

I am a pine book ...

Rock Town to the Twins sounds like a plan to me ;)

I've got $21. Maybe I could pitch in, too? (No pun intended). I love it when you spoof on real articles, BG. It's hilarious. Erin, I agree. I pretty much hate every ex-Yankee (and current one) unless they became/become a Twin. I'm REALLY not looking forward to watching Metronome play for the Tigers...just when I was starting to like them, too!

Maybe Shef could be a designated thrower for their pitchers: hang around the mound and relay throws to the various bases he does not want to play at. Comparing lineups- Twins vs Bengals is scary, then there is the White Sox with 4 30 homer guys. At least we have Silva signed. He can show the young guys how to suck. Call Krivisky,NOW!

I like the sound of this, and coming from MLB.com too!

Thursday: AL Cy Young
Johan Santana of the Twins completed an overall Major League pitching Triple Crown, leading both leagues in wins (19, tying Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees), strikeouts (245) and ERA (2.77). It would be his second Cy Young Award in three years if the baseball writers voted accordingly.

Other AL pitchers probably were good enough this year that they would win this award in the other league, but also factoring in how Santana helped Minnesota to a division title, no other BBWAA award seems more obvious.

And remember to vote.
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/awards/y2006/tyib/index.jsp

If he can make sushi-fine. But if he can't, don't sign him because he'll throw his arm out in 14 months.

It's Derrek, not Derrik, Lee ... and considering that his father and uncle both played in Japan, it'd be wiser to sell him to a JLeague team than indiscriminately auction him off on ebay.

No, no, no...JC and others, you missed my point here. I wasn't suggesting we sign Irabu; I was trying to say that a "sure thing" Japanese prospect isn't necessarily a sure thing. Gads, I do not have any desire to see the "fat toad" in a Twins jersey...