Comments on: So who is it that won this game of chicken? http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/ Media, Baseball, Boston, the Red Sox, Music, Literature, and Mnookins Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:16:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: chris http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3786 chris Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:22:08 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3786 nd how about Theo’s story about taking off for the airport ready to leave w/o Boras and Dice-K? Maybe there was something lost in translation. I missed that part, I'd given up after some ten minutes. nd how about Theo’s story about taking off for the airport ready to leave w/o Boras and Dice-K? Maybe there was something lost in translation.

I missed that part, I’d given up after some ten minutes.

]]> By: V06 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3776 V06 Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:25:56 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3776 Glad to see I'm not the only one who was scatching my head over the incompetent translation. Where'd Dice-K get this guy to interpret for him anyways? He must be a brother-in-law or a cousin to get this gig. He looked a little like a japanese Charlie Sheen too. Even always tactful Theo made a comment after the press conference to Tina Cervasio about the translator. I thought from the japanese media chuckling when DMat was giving his answers that he was saying some funny shit... and then Sheen-san gives this dry broken english brief response. If this guy was "helping" during negotiations, then the Sox were lucky Dice-K even understood their proposed contract Christ, I hope the Red Sox will be hiring him a new translator before spring training! The season may hinge upon it. And how about Theo's story about taking off for the airport ready to leave w/o Boras and Dice-K? Maybe there was something lost in translation. Glad to see I’m not the only one who was scatching my head over the incompetent translation. Where’d Dice-K get this guy to interpret for him anyways? He must be a brother-in-law or a cousin to get this gig. He looked a little like a japanese Charlie Sheen too.

Even always tactful Theo made a comment after the press conference to Tina Cervasio about the translator. I thought from the japanese media chuckling when DMat was giving his answers that he was saying some funny shit… and then Sheen-san gives this dry broken english brief response.

If this guy was “helping” during negotiations, then the Sox were lucky Dice-K even understood their proposed contract Christ, I hope the Red Sox will be hiring him a new translator before spring training! The season may hinge upon it.

And how about Theo’s story about taking off for the airport ready to leave w/o Boras and Dice-K? Maybe there was something lost in translation.

]]> By: vapodge http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3769 vapodge Thu, 14 Dec 2006 22:44:36 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3769 Listening to Dan Patrick on the ESPN radio today, he asked Francona about the "for 2 mil more than the posting you coulda had Damon" debate. Tito danced around it and said there was a lot more that wasn't reported, it was up to Damon to spill the beans if he chose to, and there were gross inaccuracies in what has been widely reported. Sounds like your book might be an excellent gift for Patrick, since after Tito went off the air, Patrick was saying how he'd really love to know what happened. He acted like it was the first he'd ever heard of the whole negotiation being more than a case of the Sox not willing to give Damon what the Yanks would. Rhought you should know. And PCs do suck, unless they're Hodgeman. Listening to Dan Patrick on the ESPN radio today, he asked Francona about the “for 2 mil more than the posting you coulda had Damon” debate. Tito danced around it and said there was a lot more that wasn’t reported, it was up to Damon to spill the beans if he chose to, and there were gross inaccuracies in what has been widely reported. Sounds like your book might be an excellent gift for Patrick, since after Tito went off the air, Patrick was saying how he’d really love to know what happened. He acted like it was the first he’d ever heard of the whole negotiation being more than a case of the Sox not willing to give Damon what the Yanks would. Rhought you should know.
And PCs do suck, unless they’re Hodgeman.

]]> By: chris http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3767 chris Thu, 14 Dec 2006 22:34:10 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3767 Press conference... man is this awful. 1) How many times will the media ask him what he thinks of the media? It reminds me of some old ad campaign about self-centered people where one woman says "enough about me, what do you think of my dress?" 2) This translator very badly needs to be fired. 3) He's barely getting one part of an answer translated... so why do people keep asking him four-part questions? 4) Finally, fans have to accept that this sort of thing comes with the territory. Japanese athletes aren't trained to give answers with even a modicum of entertainment value. It'll be fun when he pitches; that's it. Press conference… man is this awful.

1) How many times will the media ask him what he thinks of the media? It reminds me of some old ad campaign about self-centered people where one woman says “enough about me, what do you think of my dress?”

2) This translator very badly needs to be fired.

3) He’s barely getting one part of an answer translated… so why do people keep asking him four-part questions?

4) Finally, fans have to accept that this sort of thing comes with the territory. Japanese athletes aren’t trained to give answers with even a modicum of entertainment value. It’ll be fun when he pitches; that’s it.

]]> By: Bill Pratt http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3758 Bill Pratt Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:54:38 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3758 Let the record state that the open letter to Mr. Matsuzaka written by Dan Shaughnessy was literally the first column I read of his that did not leave me feeling like this: http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/24/ironys-a-bitch/ (comment #6) I got a strange and funny feeling while getting into the sentimentally hopeful spirit of his writing that was somehow void of the usual glib sarcasm. Like the moment you find yourself thinking Boras is saying something truthful. Kind of a good but uncomfortable feeling. The hot stove has not been stoking like this since 2003. Let the record state that the open letter to Mr. Matsuzaka written by Dan Shaughnessy was literally the first column I read of his that did not leave me feeling like this:

http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/08/24/ironys-a-bitch/ (comment #6)

I got a strange and funny feeling while getting into the sentimentally hopeful spirit of his writing that was somehow void of the usual glib sarcasm. Like the moment you find yourself thinking Boras is saying something truthful. Kind of a good but uncomfortable feeling.

The hot stove has not been stoking like this since 2003.

]]> By: cursemyreverse http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3756 cursemyreverse Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:30:09 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3756 From Time... hilarious: Japan is proud of his success, if a bit worried that expectations in Boston might be running too high. (Japanese fans may be a little fuzzy on Beantown's traditions, though. Toshiyuki Nagao, a lifelong fan, expressed concern that "there are many academic and white-collar people in Boston, who might not appreciate baseball's earthy passion." There is NO way the drew deal had anything to do with Dice-K, and vice versa. From Time… hilarious: Japan is proud of his success, if a bit worried that expectations in Boston might be running too high. (Japanese fans may be a little fuzzy on Beantown’s traditions, though. Toshiyuki Nagao, a lifelong fan, expressed concern that “there are many academic and white-collar people in Boston, who might not appreciate baseball’s earthy passion.”

There is NO way the drew deal had anything to do with Dice-K, and vice versa.

]]> By: ConsiderThis http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3731 ConsiderThis Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:53:58 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2006/12/14/434/#comment-3731 Nobody knows the inside details, but it's clear that the Sox brass knew for a fact they had Boras over a barrel: the Sox could walk away from this deal, but Boras had nowhere to go. After puffing up real big and stonewalling for weeks, Boras found himself obliged to blink. I am impressed again with the business acumen of the Sox FO. They are good at assessing talent, good at pricing the market, and good at sticking to their decisions. They are thorough enough in their preparations that they need not fear Boras, as some teams show by refusing to deal with him. And no, their decision to sign JDD was a completely independent event based on concrete market conditions. These guys are consistent, too. Nobody knows the inside details, but it’s clear that the Sox brass knew for a fact they had Boras over a barrel: the Sox could walk away from this deal, but Boras had nowhere to go. After puffing up real big and stonewalling for weeks, Boras found himself obliged to blink.

I am impressed again with the business acumen of the Sox FO. They are good at assessing talent, good at pricing the market, and good at sticking to their decisions.

They are thorough enough in their preparations that they need not fear Boras, as some teams show by refusing to deal with him. And no, their decision to sign JDD was a completely independent event based on concrete market conditions. These guys are consistent, too.

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