Junichi Tazawa - AP Photo/Kyodo News
Well, I suppose I should write “Welcome to Portland” since that’s where he’ll be starting.
Did anyone see the clips from the press conference? Theo looked really uncomfortable. He usually does at pressers. I don’t think anyone told him that he’d have to make public appearances an awful lot of the time when he initially took the GM job. He seems to absolutely hate it.
I haven’t seen a clip of this, but Ian Browne quotes Theo as saying (among other things):
“He’s only 22 years of age. He has a relatively fresh arm and he’s getting better. He’s trending upwards. We think he will be a good match for our development system.”
“22 years of age”? Did Theo really say that? Who talks like that? Is “22 years old” so tough to get out? I call shenanigans on Ian Browne until I see a video clip of Theo saying this.
I’m always happy to see the team pick up another pitcher, so this pleases me. I’m going to have to try and get up to Portland, at some point in 2009, to see him pitch. It’ll be quite different than seeing Matsuzaka pitch in his first season with the Red Sox. I wonder if the media will follow Tazawa around the way they did Daisuke? And, man, what kind of culture shock do you go through coming from Japan and going to Maine?
Comments 5
I think I’ll just call him J.T.
Posted 05 Dec 2008 at 3:23 pm ¶We’ll be happy to have him in Portland! I don’t know about the media circus. I’m not sure one can survive up here. It’d be a strange thing. . .
That said, games will probably sell out faster than usual. It’s so great to have the AA Red Sox team here. It’s been much more fun to go to games than when the Sea Dogs were affiliated with the Marlins. Josh Beckett did pass through here, true, but it was for such a brief time. He was too good to hang out for too long!
I hope Tazawa is here long enough for me to be able to see him at least once!
Posted 05 Dec 2008 at 3:27 pm ¶LOL, I’ll call him Taz which is far cooler than Dice K in my humble opinion. I was never a fan of that name….
I don’t think he’ll be as much of a media draw because he’s certainly not the caliber of what Dice K was hyped up to be. Japanese media will flock no doubt – but our local yokels, eh, not so much I don’t think.
Posted 05 Dec 2008 at 3:37 pm ¶//what kind of culture shock do you go through coming from Japan and going to Maine?//
Hey, Cyn, you make Maine sound like another planet!
Portland will give Taz (I think that nickname could stick) a tremendous welcome. It’s a great city with devoted sports fans.
Posted 06 Dec 2008 at 8:12 am ¶I think there are real questions about the ethics of this signing with regard to historical precedent. Maybe that’s why Theo seemed nervous to you. Some of the Japanese teams aren’t too thrilled about this from what I have read.
Posted 07 Dec 2008 at 4:51 pm ¶