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Domo Arigato

Edgy DC Jun 09 2006 04:11 PM

The Post has been reporting for two hours that the Mets are on the brink of trading Kaz and noboody's posted it here. http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/67241.htm You stupid soccer fans.

HahnSolo Jun 09 2006 04:13 PM

Wouldn't Sayonara be the more appropriate, albeit cliched, thread title?

metirish Jun 09 2006 04:17 PM

WOW....Kaz gets eight round-trip business class plane tickets to Tokyo , anyway soyonara Kaz.

OlerudOwned Jun 09 2006 04:19 PM

I heard it as a mere rumor before and didn't feel like rumor mongering. So I guess Eli heads to Norfolk eventually, since there's a guy named Nady who can also play 1st base and the outfield.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 09 2006 04:22 PM

]The Rockies are willing to take this risk because their scouts had loved Matsui as a player in Japan, also valuing him at about the same level as Hideki Matsui. They are hoping outside of the stressful environment of New York that Kaz Matsui can regain some of those skills and help, particularly, as a lefty bat off the bench. That's exactly why the Mets signed him! (I'm referring to the first quoted sentence, of course.)

metirish Jun 09 2006 04:25 PM

Just to open the can of worms again, did the Mets actually have scouts look at Kaz or did they take the word of Fred Wilpons son who lives in Japan.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 09 2006 04:28 PM

Domo arigato gozaimasu, Matsui-san, demo anata wa jouzu ja arimasen.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 04:37 PM

metirish wrote: Just to open the can of worms again, did the Mets actually have scouts look at Kaz or did they take the word of Fred Wilpons son who lives in Japan. Plenty of teams wanted Kaz. Surely you remember Bobby V's comments too.

metirish Jun 09 2006 04:38 PM

Yeah you are right Elster, I have selective memory it seems.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 04:38 PM

What's the point of this trade? To get him off the 25-man? If we're paying the difference anyways... I guess getting him off the 25-man is reason enough.

Centerfield Jun 09 2006 04:41 PM

Does Marrero offer anything that Matsui doesn't? If we're going to be paying him anyway, it seems like we're only trading away upside...no matter how improbable or remote that upside may be. I guess at least it gets the negative energy away from the team. His struggles aside, I felt bad for Kaz...and it was really nice to see him smiling when he was producing earlier this year. I liked the guy...I wish he didn't suck. I hope he finds his swing in Colorado. Because if it ain't there, it ain't anywhere.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 04:44 PM

Yeah that's what I was trying to say too. I feel pretty much exactly the same. 'Course, maybe he will be happier away from the assho boo-birds. Would he rather play on a playoff team and endure for the next few months, or go live a happier life in Colorado.

KC Jun 09 2006 04:47 PM

>>>(Eli) is not Matsui, whose Met career would end as an expensive, emotionally draining disappointment<<< True enough, now the rags can concentrate on Milledge's character flaws. >>>the Mets had expected Kaz Matsui to be their answer to the Yanks' signing the previous year of Hideki Matsui<<< Same last name ... other than that, I say horse shit. Horse shit. >>>he was brutal on defense at short to the point where he had to be moved to second base<<< THAT'S why they moved him? I was always wondering. >>>The Rockies are willing to take this risk because their scouts had loved Matsui as a player in Japan, also valuing him at about the same level as Hideki Matsui<<< Did the Rockies hire all those scouts the Mets fired? >>>They are hoping outside of the stressful environment of New York that Kaz Matsui can regain some of those skills<<< That and the rarified air? They should check his contact prescription too, maybe feed him more carrots.

Centerfield Jun 09 2006 04:51 PM

For what it's worth, Colorado isn't out of it by any means. Only 4.5 back starting play today. Trades like this make me think of worst-case playoff scenarios. So far, I've got: 1. Rockies beat Mets in NLCS behind Kaz's HR in Game 7. 2. Julio throws 4 perfect innings as DBacks eliminate Mets in 13 innings. 3. Benson wins Games 1, 4 and 7 of World Series to lead O's past Mets.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 09 2006 04:54 PM

At least we know all three won't happen! (At least, not all in one year.) One thing Eli can provides that Kaz doesn't is that he can catch. It would be nice to have a third catcher on the team; it would allow Willie to use Castro (or Lo Duca) as a pinch hitter when or if needed.

Centerfield Jun 09 2006 04:55 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jun 09 2006 04:59 PM

="KC"]That and the rarified air? They should check his contact prescription too, maybe feed him more carrots. I can't believe no one has ever looked into this. You watch him for 5 minutes and he looks like a guy who is having trouble with his vision. It would suck if, during his flight to Colorado, Matsui discovers that the root of his problems was that he accidentally switched his right and left contact lenses three years ago. (There is a joke about Asians mixing up there R's and L's in there somewhere).

A Boy Named Seo Jun 09 2006 04:56 PM

Eli Marrerro would be the third Cuban-born Met on the 25. Will he stick or head to Norfolk? Will Milledge be around a while?

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 04:57 PM

I just sprayed Coke all over my monitor. Thanks, CF.

Frayed Knot Jun 09 2006 04:59 PM

They did look into (no pun intended) his vision problems in his first year here. I think what Marrero would provide is a decent bench presence that they don't think Kaz will be. One problem with giving Valentin the full-time (or mostly FT) job is that he was your primary threat to hit a long-ball off the bench and now he's not there. Not that Eli is any great threat these days - his best season came 2 years back with (of course) Atlanta - but he does provide some versatility.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 05:04 PM

]>>>the Mets had expected Kaz Matsui to be their answer to the Yanks' signing the previous year of Hideki Matsui<<< Same last name ... other than that, I say horse shit. Horse shit. Actually I think the Mets had the same level of intere$t in Mat$ui as the Yank$ Mat$ui -- that is, as a can-opener to lucrative A$ian TV Market$.

KC Jun 09 2006 05:08 PM

JD: >>>Actually I think the Mets had the same level of intere$t in Mat$ui as the Yank$ Mat$ui -- that is, as a can-opener to lucrative A$ian TV Market$.<<< Sure. Shinjo too. I was more reacting to Joel trying to make it sound (and maybe I'm wrong and he means what you mean, although I doubt it) that the Mets were once again trying to keep up with the Yankees.

ScarletKnight41 Jun 09 2006 05:12 PM

Again, I remember how high Bobby V was on KazMat. Sure, we had high expectations from him. But we had reason to believe that he'd live up to a larger percentage of them. I'll miss those Opening Day home runs, but not much else.

Zvon Jun 09 2006 05:15 PM

]The Rockies are willing to take this risk because their scouts had loved Matsui as a player in Japan, also valuing him at about the same level as Hideki Matsui. .......and they are willing to admit this? Yikes. Good luck to Kaz.

martin Jun 09 2006 05:23 PM

it seems like kaz's weird eye-bulging and jaw/throat shenanigans got worse over time. i dont really understand what is going on with that fellow. i still like him and wish him the best though. kaz matsui, don't ever change.

SteveJRogers Jun 09 2006 05:23 PM

Kazuo Matsui. You were a hideous shortstop, you couldn't hit a lick. You ARE the weakest link! GOOD BYE!

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 05:24 PM

I hope Kazoo kicks ass in Denver.

ScarletKnight41 Jun 09 2006 05:25 PM

Steve - ROFL!

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 05:27 PM

Have some class, you haters.

ScarletKnight41 Jun 09 2006 05:29 PM

I don't think of myself as a hater. I've never booed the man, and I've always rooted for him as a Met. But damn, he's been a disappointment.

KC Jun 09 2006 05:35 PM

I rooted for him, picked on him a bit too. At the beginning of the season I'm sure I posted something like, "give him 45-50 days and if he still stinks to cut bait." I got my wish. The man's AB's sometimes were just painful to watch. You can't hit a base- ball effectively when both feet are off the ground (except maybe in Colorado).

ScarletKnight41 Jun 09 2006 05:43 PM

Lou Piniella likening KazMat to Ichiro convinced me that Piniella is a moron.

Centerfield Jun 09 2006 05:51 PM

Well, other than the fact that Ichiro is hitting 160 points higher, is among the league leaders in steals, and plays gold glove defense, they are practically identical.

GYC Jun 09 2006 06:04 PM

Matsui was instantly optioned to AAA by the Rockies.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 09 2006 06:23 PM

Has the deal already been approved?

Nymr83 Jun 09 2006 06:26 PM

Centerfield wrote: Does Marrero offer anything that Matsui doesn't? The ability to play Right and Left field where we are banged up as opposed to 2B where we have Valentin and Woodward. great trade? no. better than sitting on our hands? i think so. ]Most important to the Mets is that he is not Matsui and that says it all.

Gwreck Jun 09 2006 06:27 PM

I too wish Matsui well. He was treated pretty horribly by the Mets fans at times and was the fans' scapegoat for management decisions, which he didn't deserve and weren't his fault. I always got the sense that he played hard and while he didn't meet expectations, that was pretty much a surprise to everyone, including the scouting staffs of multiple major league teams. I like the addtional roster flexibility Marerro gives -- ie. being able to catch. I would like to see LoDuca readily available as a top PH-option during Castro's starts.

Gwreck Jun 09 2006 06:27 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Has the deal already been approved? It's on the Mets official site...so I would think yes.

Nymr83 Jun 09 2006 06:28 PM

LMAO @ "the weakest link" picture.

sharpie Jun 09 2006 07:39 PM

He seemed to be a good guy. Sorry it didn't work out but he will go down as one of the bigger Met disappointments of recent years. He replaced another second baseman who we had high hopes for.

The Big O Jun 09 2006 07:55 PM

In 2004, when I went to my first Shea game in 15+ years (the game of Ty's great throw that resulted in Juan Pierre spraining Mikey's wrist, BTW; The David would debut the next day), I bought a Kaz mousepad. (I wanted Jose; they were out.) But once I got home, I never took it out of the package. It's still sitting in a drawer in my desk. I feel kinda bad about that now.

MFS62 Jun 09 2006 08:08 PM

Trade update from WFAN. The Mets will be paying about $4.5 million of the remaining $5+ due on his contract this year. Later

metsmarathon Jun 09 2006 08:08 PM

lousy cheapass organization...

MFS62 Jun 09 2006 08:21 PM

Its been said that the two happiest days in a boat owner's life are the day he gets it and the day he gets rid of it. When I heard of the Matsui trade, I can understand that. Later

Gwreck Jun 09 2006 09:10 PM

From the AP article on the trade: ] Though he became a target of fan ire, Matsui said he bore no ill will toward Mets fans. "Obviously, this is a game of results and they will react accordingly," Matsui said through an interpreter. "The fact that I couldn't produce for Willie is probably one of the most disappointing things to look back on." Still classy, even on the way out. Makes it tougher I guess that he wasn't good, as he was clearly trying hard and seems to have been a nice, stand-up guy.

Nymr83 Jun 09 2006 10:55 PM

]Gwreck 392) Mel Rojas RP, 1997-1998 i'd be in a hurry to spam 10 posts if i had that designation.

ScarletKnight41 Jun 10 2006 12:03 AM

[url=http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/6/9/2021171.html]Greg's thoughts on KazMat[/url]

Elster88 Jun 10 2006 12:25 AM

No spamming.

smg58 Jun 10 2006 12:46 AM

I remember thinking that his bad K/BB ratio in Japan was a huge red flag, as it would be for any minor league prospect, and that his dropping SB numbers indicated he had slowed down which probably also affected his range. The thing that angers me about the scouting reports is his throwing arm. Unless there was an arm injury we don't know about, I just don't see how a scout could have missed that he didn't have the arm of a major league shortstop, and that moving the kid with a great arm to second base to accommodate him was idiotic. As for the power, keep in mind that Hideki only had 16 HR's the first year. But the huge, huge difference in plate discipline between the two suggested that Hideki would have the better time adjusting.

Edgy DC Jun 10 2006 12:50 AM

Well, the advance reports were that he had a poor arm, but made up for it with a quick release. Obviously the second half of that report is exaggerated, though you may feel the first half is understated. His main problem at short seemed to be bad positioning. He also wore a damn small glove. And like his potential vision problems, this seems to be something the Mets might've helped him solve if they had a better plan briding communication issues. Moving Reyes was a bad move from the day the decision was made.

Nymr83 Jun 10 2006 12:53 AM

]He also wore a damn small glove. with a weak arm you arguably need a smaller glove so that you can get the ball out of it as quickly as humanly possible as part of a "quick release"

ScarletKnight41 Jun 10 2006 08:19 AM

Elster88 wrote: No spamming. Greg's a Crane Pooler - it's not spam :p

MFS62 Jun 10 2006 08:46 AM

Nymr83 wrote: ]He also wore a damn small glove. with a weak arm you arguably need a smaller glove so that you can get the ball out of it as quickly as humanly possible as part of a "quick release" I just write about my own experiences with that yesterday, but I don't remember what thread it was. Edit. It was here: http://cybermessageboard.ehost.com/getalife/viewtopic.php?t=3521&start=220 Later

old original jb Jun 10 2006 09:43 AM

Centerfield wrote: For what it's worth, Colorado isn't out of it by any means. Only 4.5 back starting play today. Trades like this make me think of worst-case playoff scenarios. So far, I've got: 1. Rockies beat Mets in NLCS behind Kaz's HR in Game 7. 2. Julio throws 4 perfect innings as DBacks eliminate Mets in 13 innings. 3. Benson wins Games 1, 4 and 7 of World Series to lead O's past Mets. You forgot the one where Mike Piazza and Mike Cameron alternate hitting walk off homeruns in each game to lead the rampaging Padres past the Mets in an NLCS sweep--with the lead in the last game being blown due to a Nady error, a Lo Duca past ball, and Beltran being caught stealing by Piazza.

OlerudOwned Jun 10 2006 10:09 AM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4679470/ It seemed too good to be true...

ABG Jun 10 2006 10:20 AM

Can we just subcontract him to hit for us in only his first AB every season?

Elster88 Jun 10 2006 11:41 AM

]“It’s not anything that can be printed in a newspaper,” [Glavine] said. “I just gave myself a timeout and told myself to get back to being aggressive. Do what you’ve been doing that has been successful over my career.” I added the bold.

Elster88 Jun 10 2006 11:47 AM

The lineup that day was Matsui Gutierrez Floyd Piazza Cameron Phillips Garcia Wigginton Glavine I had forgotten the Garcia/Stanton duo.

Hillbilly Jun 10 2006 03:16 PM

Elster88 wrote: The lineup that day was Matsui Gutierrez Floyd Piazza Cameron Phillips Garcia Wigginton Glavine I had forgotten the Garcia/Stanton duo. You're thinking of that mean drunk, Shane Spencer. I felt sorry for Kaz too, but I expect nothing from him in Colorado. He never adjusted to playing MLB. I’m happy for him to be away from the Shea boo-birds. This closes the book on an awful FA signing.

Elster88 Jun 10 2006 04:18 PM

Hillbilly wrote: You're thinking of that mean drunk, Shane Spencer. Oops. Yup.

Willets Point Jun 12 2006 06:55 PM

Holy shit! Now this is the kind of stuff I need to brought up to speed on.