Wow, ten million seems like a lot for some guy winding down his career.Is the guy being signed for his reputation? Too much is made of which rotation spot a person pitches in once the season gets going.I'd rather have Hendrickson as the #2 starting out because it's righty,lefty,righty. It always seems crazy to me where the O's spend money. They'll reject paying for a legit player but always overpay for a marginal talent at the end of the day.Wouldn't surprise me if they sign IRod for 7 mill a year.

Though concerned with making this team more competetive now, I am a supporter of any of MacPhails decisions to build (not rebuild) the farm system and the infrastruture of the oranization.

My confusion though does continue with the signing yesterday of Uehara. Not that we signed him but the amount the contract can amount to. Up to $16 mil for 2 years. Many of the free agents out there are costing less than this. For a TAD more we could get some seriously better talent. I do not understnd the methodolgy used to decide who we will be signing. Certainly Redding will not cost this much. So offer what is necessary. Garland or Perez would be a great additon to anchor with Guthrie.Yes they cost more but the talent is there.Uehara according to several writeup states he is not a great addtion to Alteams withHRsproobably coming in large numbers. more suited to NL. Garland is a ground ball pitcher. He is more suited to small park of O's.

It is not necessary to bring many of the youth to the majors this year. Gives them a year more to develop. If we need to buy the time with 2 -3 year contracts it seems part of the investment.This does not seem to rocket science either. If the youth develop early than at the mid year trade deadline we have peices the contenders want.

I know I do not have all the info. But can someone show me how we are deciding which players to sign and what we will spend. It is a conundrum I cannot answer to.

With all the conversations heating up on Roberts, it at least in appearance, is decided he is to be traded. Such a shame. I am a beleiver in talent and character. More of my confusion on decisions and direction.

Why not give the Japanese pitcher a shot? The Orioles need pitching and perhaps this guy will be a surprise.
Remember the O's finished last last year. Let's do something. The status quo just won't get it.

Leo

I think the signing is a good one for the O's in general. Whether or not he is a #2 or #5. It has opened the door to other younger Japanese players who may thinking of making the jump. Other teams have done it for years and although the O's are a bit behind they have to start somewhere and getting a guy like this is a solid start. I'm sure most Giant fans aren't upset about signing Randy Johnson and he is over 40. McPhail is doing a lot for the organization and impatient O's fans need to give him more than 18 months before they want him axed. This organization was in total disarray, from low A to the Majors.
They had a Bowie team that was dominant at times last year with pitching and the Triple Crown Winner who was with the O's the last month of the season. He's not even a starter for the O's this year!! Give the man credit, signing Uehara is another HUGE step towards thinking outside of the box.

Pass me some sushi, california roll please! And a cup of saki. Good job moving the topic today. We can discuss that certain football game later this week.

I'm with Leo, I like it.....we need to develop some foreign talent as well as minor league talent. If this guy takes off, we could end up with a Japanese version of Fernando-mania. You might need to stock up on some Japanese beer.

Ed, thanks for stopping by. Let me try to answer some things for you this early morning. Grab a coffee. 1. Uehara's base salary is $5M per year or $10M total. A guy like Garland is going to get three or more years worth probably twice that annually. Perez will get a bigger deal than Garland. What the Orioles are trying to do is avoid the bulky long-term contract while plugging holes until the kids are ready. Honestly, the next two years are probably washed out here, so buying a medium-to-expensive pitcher may not be wise. 2. If Uehara gets to $16 million it's because he has hit most of his performance incentives and escalators. And if he does that, no one will complain about how much he is paid. 3. Just because the Orioles offer the money doesn't mean the players will come here. Because there are other suitors from winning teams, it's likely they'd have to really overpay for a Garland or a Perez. Since Uehara has to prove himself here, he didn't command huge dollars, and that allowed the Orioles to get him. 4. Redding, who was released by the Nats, will be cheaper than Uehara and the Orioles are looking at him, though my gut says he'll go elsewhere. But he's a good fit, Ed. 5. What Uehara gives you that a Redding doesn't is a profile in a place the Orioles have never done business before. If Uehara has success and enjoys Baltimore, it could help the O's Far East pursuit in the future. 6. Brian Roberts trade discussions are not heating up. Not right now.

Horrible. Why waste money on a 34 year old pitcher who was sent down to the minors in the Japanese league? We think he can really pitch to the AL East? He has never seen hitters like this before. The Yankees sign Texiera and the O's sign a guy who will be his batting practice pitcher. It's going to be a looooong summer once again in Baltimore.

Love the signing, but not for anything specific to Uehara.

There are two components to team building that have been sorely lacking in the last decade or so. We already know that MacPhail has set his sights on rebuilding the farm system. That's going to take a while and is very much a work in progress. The other component that we've been without is foreign scouting and development. For the Orioles to be signing their first Japanese player in 2009 is appalling (not for any racial angle, obviously, but because great players come from Japan on a routine basis).

Having a former all-star wear "Baltimore" on his chest 81 times a year can only increase our presence abroad. That value alone makes this 34-year-old pitcher more valuable than some other stop gap pitcher who, like Uehara, isn't going to change our win total in 2009.

This is a good signing because of the door it opens for the next Japanese player. This is the first step in getting our offer on the table for the next Ichiro.

I like the signing for the reason that has been stated a few times already...it opens up the Orioles to the far-east market. I am a little concerned about Uehara given his performance the last couple of years (or lack there-of) but since we signed him to an incentive ladened contract, this might be okay.

I would really like to have Kawakami sign also...though by signing Uehara, I suspect we will drop out of the Kawakami chase.

Interestingly both these guy has similar career numbers...just Kawakami still seems to have a little more left in his arm.

How about Ben Sheets?? Couldn't have thrown some of that money his way??

I suspect there is an "office politics" aspect to this trade, which I haven't seen mentioned in the press. The O's front office has invested in Asia, sending a well respected scout to work there. As the head of the office, MacPhail would want this investment to pay off. The scout would want to sign somebody, too. If they don't sign anybody, they have lost 'face' and wasted the bosses' money.

None of this has anything to do with whether this signing will make a difference on the field in '09. I figure the odds are 50/50. And considering the starting pitching status quo, I'll take those odds.

After watching the debacle of the (insert prematurely promoted, possible overrated minor league pitcher here) I'm just happy to have a guy who seemingly can take the ball every fifth day and actually throw strikes. It's not a big financial investment, gets the O's on the international radar, and doesn't take up a rotation spot long term for one of the young studs. Great call!

From your earlier comments with Roberts trade discussions, do you think the Chicago rumored trade idea for Floyd for Roberts has zero chance of happening? Also, do you think the O's are looking to trade Scott for pitching or Olson for hitting?

Man, I cannot wait for the hoopla at the yard. This is great. If anything, it opens us up to a greater talent pool.

I'm glad the O's are finally signing some bodies, but.....
A 34-year-old who throws lots of strikes, tops out at 91 MPH, and last pitched in Japan to an ERA of almost 4.00 is probably going to get KILLED facing the AL East.
The key word in the phrase "...former Japanese all-star..." is FORMER.
Does anyone know if they use a DH in the Japanese leagues?

Well I don't know a lot about the guy but they did need starting pitching so I'm gonna stay neutral on it, hopefully he works out. I still think they should try and go after Ben Sheets, throw some money his way and try to get him to come here, he would be a great addition to the pitching staff.

First time here..nice place. I'll have the Sapporo on special. I think this is a great signing. I feel that MacPhail is doing a great job here. Sure fans are upset and hate the warm body signings, but we're doing the right thing here. This will open some doors far east and in other markets. It'll be nice to see the youngsters progress with guys like Koki here holding down the rotation. That way we wont have to rush them before they are ready like so many in the past. Mmm...that's a good beer!

I like it. It represents organizational progress beyond the value of the specific player involved. Even if the Orioles don't sign the next Ichiro as a result, it's still a step that needs to be taken in the growth and development of the organization.

The biggest thing to remember is that MacPhail was not hired to make a quick fix to get the major league club competitive in the short term. He was hired to implement a comprehensive, long term plan to make the organization from top to bottom better able to compete year after year in the very competitive AL East. The first step was the acknowledgement that the team wasn't just one or two free agent signings away from a return to the glory days. The way to evaluate the plan and any possible progress is to ask if the organization as a whole is in better shape at the end of the year than it was at the beginning of it. On the whole, I'd say yes. Not that I would mind seeing more positive signs on the field at the major league level sooner rather than later, but the quick fix approach was what got the team where it is in the first place.

The signing makes sense. According to reports he was injured last year (hamstring) which led to him going to the minors but did a good job in relief.

The guy has control and that will save us from having to endure those who don't as frequently as we did last year. He does open the door to Japan. He also will make next year more interesting and will likley give us lot's to talk about over drinks!

And to the guy who joined this signing with the failure to get Teixiera, please open your eyes! The O's made a very resepectible openning offer for Tex and made it clear they'd go higher and longer. Teixiera just didn't want to play here. Get over it!

How could you not like the signing? Anyone with a functioning arm that throws 90 mph is better than Cabrera.

Also, kudos to Tavon Austin in making the Right choice!

Is this the best we can do?

John, Did I actually hear Hendrickson and #2 starter in the same sentence?

Besides being very successful for a long time pitching for the Yomiuri Giants, Japan's version of the Yankees, Uehara pitched pretty well against the U.S. in the WBC last time around, too:

http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/stats/boxscore.jsp?gid=2006_03_12_jpnint_usaint_1

I think he's worth taking a chance on at 5 million a year for 2 years. In fact, he's probably the best option the O's are going to have this offseason. Since it doesn't look like any decent veteran pitcher is going to take the O's money unless they absolutely have no other option, this is the kind of signing we'll have to be content with until some of the current pitching prospects are ready to come up.

This is a terrific move for the reasons you mention. It will also add an interesting story line to the 2009 Orioles and that is badly needed.

I Think It's A Good Signing.I Still Would Like Them To Sign Sheets And Give Ritchie Sexson A Shot.He Might Find His Power Stroke At Camden Yards.We Need A Right Handed Power Hitter.I Think Giambi Would Have Been A Good Pickup.While Were Waiting For Our Young Pitchers To Develope While Not Wait For Our Young Hitters To Develope.

Good call on the Sapporo (though the Sapporo that is sold here in the States is actually brewed under license in Canada, of all places)!

I not sure about putting "Turning Japanese" on the jukebox, though. You might want to ask Aubrey Huff to explain to you what the song is really about...

Potential problem: if this pitcher gets the same shabby treatment that most other players get here, we'll never get another Asian player again.

Getting "known" in new places overseas can be a double-edged sword.

He will be only the second pitcher in the entire organization who can throw the ball over the plate. That has to count for something. Guthrie is a workhorse and knows how to pitch, by throwing strikes and trusting his defense. NOBODY in the O's system at any other level appears to be able to do that... So I like the signing. This guy has like 1200 SO to 250 BB ratio. The O's entire system needs to stress that, or none of the young guns will amount to anything more than another MLB bust. Hard to get guys out when you won't throw it over the plate. Especially 1st pitch strikes. Ask Ray Miller...

This is good for the O's. The two year wait needs filled by guys like him. There is not a pitcher in the majors that can or will give you solid innings for this price. Anyone who talks about the amount of money had no clue, if he gets the incentives nobody will give a darn about his contract. Personally my eyes got sore with the sight of walk after walk after walk. I will take a solo home run night after night just not to see walks. And there will be a win or two more becasue of this. I PROMISE!!!

Frankly? Who gives a poop? The hire is basically a guy to get them through the season. I think its a waste of money. And there is no way it gets me to the yard this year to watch this team. What a sad state of affairs baseball has become in Baltimore.

Seems to me its a great acquisition, why spend the money on someone like Garland for two years, when we are atleast 3 away from competing, hopefully, Uehera can eat some innings and give time for players to develop, we still need one more signing in the pitching though. I suspect Penn will luck his way onto the MLB roster this spring just to avoid the O's giving him up, so now we have 3 pitchers

The door is not open to the next Japanese player! We got him because no one else wanted him! Hence we overpaid for a pitcher we aren't even sure can eat any innings in the AL East! We are bottom feeding again!

To me, there's no way to look at this but as a good signing. Yes, the guy is about to turn 34, and he spent some time in the minors (recovering from an INJURY!!!), but he throws strikes, something O's pitchers generally find more foreign than his homeland. It seems that O's fans continually look for ways to vent their frustrations than look for what is actually happening. A concerted effort is being produced to make the O's a better team, not for a year or so with quick fix high priced free agents, but with building throughout the system and acquiring players only to fill needs until the kids coma a' knocking. Oh, and on the reliever front, there is talk that he was punished by the Giants (he prefers starting), because he made his desire to go to MLB known. Great Move Andy!

Go O's!

It's an o.k signing probably better than guys like liz, buress or olson. But wouldn't it made sence to go after the one year deals that pavano and penny got?

Are you guys serious. Penciled in as the #2 starter. That's how low our expectations are in Baltimore. People are just glad to see someone being signed. The guy is in the twilight of his career. There are guys out there in the FA market who can pitch. They could have given that money plus a little more to Sheets. At least we know he can pitch on this level. Another pitcher picked up off of the scrap heap by the O's. This time it's Japanese baseball scrap. This isn't a Matsui or Dice K signing. It's just a signing to fill a roster spot so that we can get to watch this pitiful franchise flounder again. Hello last place.

I'm not crazy about signing a 34-year-old pitcher, but he can't be any worse than Danys Baez (or Steve Trachsel, for that matter)

speaking of talent, Japanese ladies are fine! I hope they follow Koji to Camden Yards in droves!
Baseball wise, still like the signing-----Guthrie plus 4 days of rain is too much to ask for.

Uehara is not being seen for what his greatest value to the team will be, attendance. He seems to be a player held in high esteem by asians. With attendance faltering, he could be a serious draw at the gate. If I were in Japan and say Greg Maddox was pitching I would gladly pay to see him. Besides 5 million in todays market is not that great of a risk. The only way the Orioles lose in this deal is if he is a total bust (which I do not see happening)

Uehara Watch Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Welcome to Uehara Watch. This is yet another spinoff of the Yankees blog Canyon of Heroes. Perhaps you've come here from COH, or the wildly popular Matsuzaka Watch. It's possible that you've found me via the lesser known, and extremely neglected Darvish Watch or Baseball Japan. However you've come to find Uehara Watch, you're joining the chronicles of the next big name Japanese player to cross the Pacific to the Major Leagues.

Unlike the madness surrounding the posting of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Koji Uehara will be able to select the team for which he wishes to play. Like his Yomiuri Giants teammate of many years ago, Hideki Matsui, Uehara will be entering the market as a free agent in the offseason of 2007. He has repeatedly asked to be posted, but the Giants are clinging desperately to their fanbase and could not afford to let him walk. It is our aim to bring you the best of this fine pitcher before he is on the international radar. As with Matsuzaka Watch, I expect this blog to begin slowly. By the end of the posting process, Matsuzaka Watch entertained more than 10,000 visitors a day and was the subject of more than one piece in major media outlets. The same may be said of Uehara Watch come October and November of 2007, so get on the bandwagon now. Amaze your friends and family with your knowledge of this stellar starting pitcher from the Far East. He's not the once in a lifetime talent that is Daisuke Matsuzaka, but he is a big game pitcher with Major League star quality. Where Matsuzaka is overpowering and throws lighting bolts, Uehara is accurate and throws darts. Let's begin things today with a look at his background and the major points of emphasis to focus on going forward.

The vitals: Uehara is a right handed pitcher, standing 6 foot 2 inches and weighing in at 190 pounds. He features a 88-90 mph fastball, a nice cutter, two kinds of forkball, and an outstanding slider. His pitches are all thrown with tremendous accuracy, and he is rarely behind in the count. His motion is nice and easy.

Koji Uehara was born in Osaka, Japan in 1975. Osaka is a hotbed for baseball in Japan and is home to the wildly popular Hanshin Tigers. Baseball was an important part of young Koji's life as he participated in youth baseball in his hometown and was managed by his father Ryuichi. He was unable to play in Junior High School as his school did not field a baseball club, and he took up track and field instead. This is a rare circumstance in Japan, as baseball is as essential a part of school life as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Upon entering Tokaidai Gyosei High School, Uehara was able to participate in baseball as an outfielder and reliever, while another future professional baseball player, Yoshinori Tateyama of Nippon Ham, played the role of starting pitcher. His was virtually unknown at the time, as he was overshadowed by his teammate, and fellow Osakan Kazuo Matsui, who was the talk of the town.

Uehara decided to forgo the allure of professional baseball to play at Osaka Taiiku University, where he went 36-4 and was the top pitcher in his league all four seasons. Uehara initially failed the entrance examination for Osaka Taiiku, and sat out a year to work on his game and his test scores. He wears the #19 to commemorate that difficult year of his life. His university years also saw the dawning of an international powerhouse. Koji has been Japan's #1 choice for big game starts since his college years and he began with a bang by ending Cuba's 10 year, 134 game unbeaten streak in major international baseball competition at the 1997 Intercontinental Cup. That competition is little known to the average baseball fan in the United States, but represented the most important international tournament play in the sport, prior to the World Baseball Classic.

As his amateur career wound down, Uehara found himself the target of Major League scouts from the Anaheim Angels organization. The Angels made an aggressive pitch to the young Japanese righty, only to find him more interested in joining the famed Yomiuri Giants as their #1 pick. He cites the extraordinary pressure by people around him to join the prestigious club, as the reason he went in that direction. I turn to the Baseball Reference wiki listing for Uehara for the description of his rookie season:

"It was a grand year(1999) for rookie pitchers in Nippon Pro Baseball - Daisuke Matsuzaka led the Pacific League in wins, while Uehara led the Central League. Both were named Rookies of the Year in their respective circuits. Koji was 20-4 and won 15 games in a row at one point. Uehara edged Matsuzaka as the Sawamura Award winner, made the Central's Best Nine, won a Gold Glove and was an All-Star. He led the Central League in ERA (2.09, .56 lower than runner-up Shigeki Noguchi and strikeouts (179) in one of the best debuts in NPB history. He walked only 24 batters in 197 2/3 innings."

Uehara has had some very nice moments for the Giants in his career. During their most competitive years, Koji helped lead the legendary club to two titles in three years, capturing the 2000 and 2002 Japan Series crown. The Giants have finished no higher than 3rd place since their last title, and the franchise is sinking into mediocrity to the dismay of their loyal fan base. Uehara's performance has been somewhat inconsistent during that period, but a lack of run support can be attributed to his low win totals. His ERA isn't among the most outstanding in the league during that same stretch, although still quite good, but the telling statistic is his uncanny K/BB ratio. He is not a strikeout pitcher, despite averaging about 8 strikeouts per 9 innings over his career. He simply does not walk batters, in the mold of David Wells or Brad Radke. Get ready for this number.....

Koji Uehara's CAREER K/BB ratio is 6.66

I put that on a separate line to highlight it's importance. There are only a handful of guys in the Major Leagues that are able to put up a number like that in a single year, let alone over a 10 year period. In 2006, Uehara put up a 7.19 K/BB!!! To give you some perspective on that number, I'll list the top 10 MLB K/BB career numbers for comparison.

1. Tommy Bond (4.439)
2. Curt Schilling (4.382)
3. Pedro Martinez (4.277)
4. Ben Sheets (4.114)
5. Roy Oswalt (3.863)
6. Jim Whitney (3.822)
7. Jon Lieber (3.736)
8. Doug Jones (3.680)
9. Johan Santana (3.673)
10. Bret Saberhagen (3.641)

Now, I know that you are going to say, "Those are Major Leaguers. You can't compare Major Leaguers with Japanese pitchers." You're right. The thing is, if you scour the best pitchers in Japan over the last several decades, there's no one even close to the consistent excellence in this ratio. Uehara is almost freakish with his control. It doesn't tell the whole story, but I like this stat to give a sense of the accuracy and power that a guy works with. It also indirectly shows a player's mound smarts. It shows that he won't give in when he's down in counts, and more often than not gets the batter to swing at something close, or put the ball in play. Combined with some nice ERA figures and other more precise metrics, Uehara is an assasin. His 2003 K/BB ratio of 8.435 would rank him 10th in the history of Major League baseball, behind Schilling, Maddux, and Pedro among others.

Koji attracted the attention of more Major League scouts when he struck out Barry Bonds 3 times in an exhibition game at the 2002 MLB/Japan All-Star Series. He also struck up a friendship with Roger Clemens at the same competition in 2004, and shared a meal and a few offseason training sessions with the future Hall of Famer. The World Baseball Classic was the latest showcase for Major League people, and while Matsuzaka got the press and the MVP award, Uehara matched his numbers and deserved just as much credit for the title. If not for a Bob Davidson blown call in the Japan/US contest, Uehara may have walked away with 3 wins, and the MVP award. A lone Chipper Jones home run was the only blemish against Uehara's line over 5 strong innings.

In the coming weeks and months, I'll attempt to paint a pitcure of this great talent by performing various statistical analysis, recaps of his international competitions, and projecting his numbers to a Major League team. In 2007, I'll follow his start by start performances, counting down to his free agency and Major League move in the offseason. In the meantime, let's keep an eye open for the success of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kei Igawa in the Majors next season. It will give you an idea of Uehara's translation to the Bigs, as he is somewhere between the two in ability. Look for a 2006 season recap in a few days, including a game log, and World Baseball Classic review. Let the Watch begin.

posted by Mike Plugh @ 3:58 AM

4 Comments:
At 11:18 AM, Jeffrey Hainey said...
I own fantasy teams in an A.L. only and N.L. only Chicago area ultra rotisserie league that allows for a seventeen player reserve roster. I was able to secure Hideki Matsui and Kaz Matsui by reading up on articles referring to stars in Japan that were contemplating free agency in the States. While Kaz was a bit of a train wreck, Hideki proved to be a bargain for years until the unfortunate broken wrist in 2006.
I decided to use my final reserve spot at the start of last season to acquire Koji Uehara in only the American League. Reading this blog has me quite excited about his decision for 2008! I'm glad my previous scouting again will have the most sought after Japanese player secured in at least one of my ultra leagues...but I'm afraid my secret is out! I may have trouble adding him this late to my National League reserve squad for this year's upcoming draft.

At 11:38 AM, Kattobase Barnetto said...
Great post... If you'd ever be interested in putting together a video on this, let me know... I'm fascinated with international baseball, puro yakyu in particular... I produce the web-show MLB Roundup, which can be found at doubleplaytv.com

At 9:13 PM, Johnny said...
So what happened to Uehara? Is he coming to the US in 2008?

At 11:11 PM, Mike said...
Looks like Uehara will be an Oriole next year. 2 years for $10M might be quite a steal for Baltimore.

Read my post on him at
http://www.examiner.com/x-739-AsianAmerican-Sports-Examiner~y2009m1d6-Kamado-Report-Koji-Uehara

Post a Comment

Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]

Previous Posts

Search this blog:
» Blogs that link here
» View my profile

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The one thing I haven't seen mentioned about this signing is that it will not cost us a second round draft choice. A team that is trying to rebuild its farm system needs to guard those choices. That's what you build with.

Same thing every year - optimistic in early April, mathematically eliminated by Memorial Day.

I hear Trachsel is still available.

I was excited until I heard he was demote to the minors in Japan last year. The Orioles are surely going for bottom of the barrel types. How many 34 year old pitchers does a rebuilding team need?

This has to be the strangest way of rebuilding I have ever seen. So we got two old guys signed through the 2010 season. One day we will see some younger players on the team.

I guess Mcphail doesn't have to worry about results. At this rate we won't see any prospects on the roster until after he is retired.

Wow, you people are nuts. Do you not see what MacPhail is trying to do? He is building this team the right way, by getting players via draft and building them in the minors. I'm sick of this crying by all you whiners saying you have no faith in this guy. MacPhail is a baseball genius and will have this club back on track. Lets look at the Rays, shall we. Crawford, Baldelli, Price, Upton, Howell, Shields, and Longoria all came by draft. Plus they had god enough scouting to trade a good young player like Delmon Young to the Twins for a stud pitcher in Garza and still get a savvy vet like Bartlett. Thats how he is doing it and we will be just fine. Oh and for the signing, i am completely content with it. It gives guys like Tillman, Arrieta, and the next David Price(Matusz), time to get some innings under their belt. When 2010 rolls around we will have the team to beat and guys like Teixeira will think wow I'm with the oldest team in the league and the Yanks have no farm system. Just wait and show some patience. Its hard enough living in Colorado and having to hear this whining.

Like the move not only b/c this guy was star in Japan, but most of all b/c it opens up our door to more players from there who may want to come to the O's! Even if he is a poor man's Dice-K it's worth the risk! Plus, MLB batters haven't seen him before, which may be better than a Garland or Perez. And honestly, I think Perez is VERY overrated!

Yes, I do like this signing. Good work, Andy.

I'm celebrating by listening to two Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin LP's (yes, I still play my turntable) back-to-back.

Let's pull in Jon Garland now. Then Dan I'll come down to the bar for another dozen hot steamed crabs and punch in on the jukebox Jimmy Dean's "Big John."

Everybody needs to listen to Nick in Colorado (greetings to the Rocky Mt state, I lived there myself for few years in the mid90s). McPhail knows what he's doing, he's literally been BRED for this job. As for the Uehara signing, I don't like it, I LOVE it. For DECADES, never mind YEARS, I've been lamenting WHY OH WHY don't the Orioles have a better international presence??? Oh those years of tossing away money on guys like Tom NiedenFUTILE and Alan R.I.P. Wiggens that could have been spent starting baseball schools ala the Kansas City Baseball Academy in nations o'er the earth. A billion Russians and Chinese and NOT ONE can play ball??? C'MON. I remember a decade ago a baseball team from Russia played the Hopkins BlueJays team. That was a DECADE ago. We should be in Europe, in Canada, in South America, in every continent, making people think BASEBALL=ORIOLES. THAT's the way to ensure a steady stream of talent for EONS to come. That's all, I've gone over the limit of too man CAPS in one posting...

I love it. Now let's get Kawakami.

How are we looking on that?