News is filtering out of Japan that the posting amount was a lot less than predicted. In other parts I've noticed a comment that 30million is the kind of money a team would speend to run their minor leagues in a year. So even if the Seibu Lions hoped for money in that vicintiy, fiscal common sense for teams would have prevailed, thus the notion of a US$30million would have been a little too much.
日本一の怪物への入札が締め切られた。所沢市内の球団事務所には、午前９時３０分の業務開始前から報道陣が集結。５０人以上が待ち構えた。球団は冷静に対応。正午前に球団事務所を訪れた太田秀和球団社長は「入札金額は確認しました。了解するかどうかは、組織的な意思決定をするまでは申し上げられません」とコメントを発表するのにとどまった。So all that just says teams didn't want to be held hostage to Seibu's expectations just because Matsuzaka is a No.1 pitcher. The ast paragraph relates how Scott Boras breaks down how much a team might pay for an Ace; in turn it seems the bidding teams would like to pay Seibu as little as possible and Matssuzaka as much as they can.
太田社長は金額について「それは勘弁してください」と明言を避けた。球団は入札額の受諾を即答せず、週明けの１３日にも臨時の取締役会を開いて最終決定するが、これまで２０００～３０００万ドル（約２４～３５億円）と報道されてきた入札額が低く抑えられた可能性もある。西武も２０億円以上を見込んでいたが、ニューヨークのニューズデー紙が入札締め切り後に「イチローと同等」の１３００万ドル（約１５億円）程度ではないか、と報じている。
それでも、松坂の“価値”が色あせることはない。松坂の契約金額は逆にはね上がることになりそうだ。入札金額が抑えられた分、右腕の契約に充てられることが十分に考えられるからだ。松坂と契約したメジャー屈指の代理人、スコット・ボラス氏は、入札額と契約を含めた松坂の“総額”を７０００万ドルと見ている。
以前、スポーツ報知のインタビューに答えた同氏は「大リーグでは１０年で約６０００～７０００万ドル（約７０～８２億円）をかけてＮＯ１投手を作ろうとする。そう考えれば、２６歳のＮＯ１投手を瞬時に手にできるという状況で、それぐらいの金額になることは理解できる」と話している。最高額を入札したことが濃厚なヤ軍がそれだけの準備をしていれば入札額の１３００万ドルを差し引いた５７００万ドル（約６７億円）を松坂サイドの望む４年契約の年俸に充てることができる。そうなれば松井秀の４年５２００万ドル（約６２億円）を超えて、いきなり日本人最高年俸に躍り出ることになる。
The way I figure it, the posting price would be equivalent to a buy-out of his final two years under contract to Seibu. because "D-Mat" truly is a Ace in Japan and Seibu needs to replace a good portion of his value through free-agency in Japan, that money would be the ballpark figure for the bidding price. Just as a guess, Ace pitchers in Japan are probably worth about US$6-7million in their free agent market, so Matuszaka's 'price' is actually about 14million max. Everything on top of that is overpaying. So one can easily imagine teams being leery. Imagining a $US30million windfall would have been nice for Seibu, but that seems to have been something in the realm of sweet dreams.
What is really worrying is that Seibu might withdraw Matsuzaka from the post on the grounds that the bid was not enough; though I wonder what wouldd happen then. It would probably bring about the end of the posting system if Matsuzaka failed to cross the Pacific because of the posting system. Seibu are making noises that they want to answer after the 10th.
Meanwhile over in Hanshin Tiger land, there's been a seismic shift with regards to Igawa's availabilty. The Hanshin Tigers were looking to sign Hiroki Kuroda from the Hiroshima Carp but Kuroda ended up re-signing with the Carp, which meant that the candidate to replace Igawa vanished off the market. Now the Hanshin Tigers brass are indicating that Kei Igawa won't get posted.
This means the value of winning the Matuszaka bid just went up. There is no second choice pitcher for posting in Japan.
In Other News
Rummy is gone.
US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigned on Wednesday, paying the price for the Democrat surge to power in congress driven by a wave of public anger over the war in Iraq.Aah, you sure can't fool them all the time, Rummy. The world rejoices.
President George W Bush announced the veteran power broker's departure, sending shockwaves though Washington, in a move which could possibly pave the way to a major change of US strategy in the strife-torn nation.
"After a series of thoughtful conversations, secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed that the timing is right for new leadership at the Pentagon," Bush said.
He named former CIA chief Bob Gates as Rumsfeld's replacement at the Pentagon, following six tumultuous years with Rumsfeld at the helm.
Orcish Behaviour?
Just had to wonder out loud about this stuff going on in NSW:
Yesterday, NSW Premier Iemma held a press conference at 10:45am to announce that he was dismissing Aboriginal Affairs Minister Milton Orkopoulos from the Ministry and as a State Labor MP.'Orkopoulos', to me reads like a Orcish Person in Greek. So the rest of the allegations tend to read like the sort of thing one expects of orcs.
This was the first public announcement of any problem. Later that day, Orkopoulos was arrested and charged with a large number of sex offences of a homosexual nature and involving allegations of pedophilia. Iemma also said he expected him to resign as MP for Swansea.
Orkopoulos says that he will vigorously contest the charges.
As we all know, a person is presumed to be innocent until charges are lawfully proved. This means that Orkopoulos is innocent unless and until he is convicted by a court.
Iemma has behaved badly. As a result, we have the Premier of NSW sending a message to prospective jurors that he (Iemma) is satisfied of the guilt of this man (who protests his innocence) to an extent that justifies immediate dismissal from the Ministry, the Party and the Parliament.
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