Just a quick update on news related to the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox have reportedly expressed their interests in opening the 2008 or 2009 season in Japan. With their recent signing of Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka, this would be a very logical thing to do. He is their most famous baseball player and native “hero.” MLB last opened a season in Japan back in 2004 when Hideki Matsui and the Evil Empire opened the season against the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays .

Wily Mo Pena and the Red Sox still have not come to terms yet and it seems like they wi ll head to arbitration. This will be the first arbitration case while the newlywed Theo Epstein has been the GM of the Red Sox. Pena made $1.25 million last season and is seeking $2.2 million while the Red Sox are offering $1.725 million. Maybe the Red Sox will make WMP available in any trades that might come up during spring training. Remember, last year Pena was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for Bronson Arroyo, who is now $25 million dollars richer. He just signed a 2 year $25 million dollar extension.

If your interested in more reading, heading on over to the Boston Globe’s Red Sox Extra Bases. Amalie Benjamin shares some comments from Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon from Monday’s workout.

Technorati: Boston Red Sox, Evil Empire, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Wily Mo Pena, Theo Epstein, Boston Globe

Here is a link to a very interesting article written by Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe. In the article, he talks about all the things the Red Sox have done or are going to do in regards to Daisuke Matsuzaka. The article is six pages long. Here are a few excerpts from it: Goodies for the fans? The Sox have plans, on days that Matsuzaka pitches, to hold back 20-30 tickets and offer the “Matsuzaka experience.” For a premium price (yet to be set, but sure to be lots of yen), fans will be invited to the park early, receive a Matsuzaka Sox jersey, and have dinner at one of the team’s restaurants. I think this is a pretty cool idea. Depending on the price, it would be something I might consider doing. But I am sure this ticket, like all Red Sox tickets, would be very hard to get. Especially the Opening Day ticket, since he is projected to start it at Fenway against Ichiro and the Seattle Mariners. And if the Sox can’t do enough for Matsuzaka, Boras will. The agent says the Sox have pledged to give Matsuzaka a membership at one of the finest country clubs in the Boston area (still to be determined) and a round of golf at five of the most prestigious courses in the country, including Pebble Beach and Augusta National. It’s also in his contract that he has the right to 10 round-trip flights between Japan and Boston for each of the six years of his deal, for family, friends, and his own personal use. I find it interesting that we are finding out about more of the perks in his contract. It was known that he was receiving the 10 flights per year but nothing was said about the golf part. Can’t go wrong with playing Pebble Beach or Augusta. I have only played Pebble Beach on Tiger Woods Golf on Xbox. Maybe Nike will hook him up with a round of golf with Tiger Woods. My guess is that he will get his membership at the Brae Burn Country Club. Tomoyo Matsuzaka is a celebrity in her own right. “I was told in one meeting [with a tourism representative] that I needed to understand something,” Steedman said, “that they are the most popular couple in Japan, a cultural phenomenon, like a Brad and Angelina.” I am not even going to try and make up a nickname for them like “Brangelina.” The team will furnish bats to Matsuzaka, who won’t need them in a game until interleague play in June, but he’s on his own for gloves and shoes. Last month, Boras said, he negotiated a six-year, multimillion-dollar deal for Matsuzaka with Nike. Will there be a new Dice-K shoe? No plans to manufacture one yet, Boras said. How many homeruns will Dice-K have? I wonder if he has ever batted before. I hope they give him one corked one for batting practice. It was always fun watching the guys with corked bats take batting practice when I worked in the minor leagues. Of course, most of them were pitchers, who had previously done some hitting in college. “Like someone said in one of our meetings: The world is coming to Fenway,” Kennedy said. “We have a huge responsibility here. It’s like hosting an All-Star Game or a World Series. Every time he pitches, it will be a big deal. I have to agree with that statement. The Red Sox have now gone international. You will start to see people in Japan wearing Dice-K shirts and wearing Boston hats. I, for one, look forward to watching Matsuzaka pitch this season. I can only hope and pray that I get to witness him pitch in person. Like I said to start off this post, a really great article about all things Dice-K. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Technorati: Boston Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Scott Boras, Dice-K, Tiger Woods, Ichiro, Boston Globe, Gordon Edes

In a fantastic finish, Renee Montgomery’s 3 point shot with 6.7 seconds left was the difference as UCONN held onto win at LSU, 72-71. LSU’s Porsha Phillips hit a two pointer with no time left that was thought to be a 3 pointer. But the referees went to the replay monitor and it showed that Phillips foot was on the line giving UCONN the one point victory. UCONN ended LSU’s NCAA best 43 game home winning streak.

UCONN was led by Montgomery’s 20 points and 7 assists. She was 5 of 7 from 3 point land, including the game winner. Tina Charles added 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Kalana Greene added 15 points and Charde Houston, 12 points. LSU was led by Slyvia Fowles had 22 points and 17 rebounds while Quianna Cherry had 16 points. Phillips added 12 points and Allison Hightower had 11.

UCONN got out to an early lead in the first half but a mini 5-0 run by LSU put them ahead in the first half. LSU got the lead to 12 at the 4 minute mark but only scored 1 point the rest of the first half as UCONN closed out the half on 9-1 run to go into the locker room trailing by 6. Charles almost had a double-double in the first half with 13 points and 9 rebounds.

The second half started out with an 13-4 UCONN run to put UCONN up 3 points. UCONN got the lead as high as 9 points before a run by LSU tied the game up at 69, bringing on the final plays of the game as described at the beginning of the article.

Notes and Observations:

• The starters were Montgomery, Thomas, Greene, Charles and Houston.
• Mel Thomas rebounded from her donut in the last game to score 6 points on the strength of 2 three point shots made. Those 3 pointers were instrumental in the run at the beginning of the second half.
• Houston struggled from the floor making only 4 of her 11 shots. She was a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line. She also had 3 assists.
• UCONN actually only got to the free throw line 9 times, making 7 of those. LSU only got to the line 8 times, also making 7.
• All of Charles’ 9 rebounds were in the first half. She also had a key block towards the end of the game. She finished with 2 blocks in the game.
• Ketia Swanier, for the first time all season, wasn’t really a factor for the Huskies.
• UCONN’s bench was outscored 23-2 with Swanier scoring those two points.
• UCONN won the rebounding battle 36-34.

A “signature” win for the Huskies. Going into Baton Rouge in front of hostile fans and rebounding from the first half deficit to win is huge. This will make a statement to the NCAA Women’s tournament committee about UCONN being a #1 seed come tournament time.

With the win, UCONN moves to 22-2 on the season. Next up for the Huskies is a date against the Louisville Cardinals on Tuesday night at Gampel Pavilion. Gametime is 7:30 PM and the game will be broadcast locally on CPTV.

Technorati: UCONN Huskies, Geno Auriemma, LSU Tigers

In their first game at the Georgia Dome in 5 years, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defeated the UCONN Huskies by the final score of 65-52. The Yellow Jackets were led by a double-double from Thaddeus Young, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Javaris Crittenton had 13 points and both Mario West and Anthony Morrow each contributed 10. UCONN was led by Jeff Adrien’s Big East leading 13th double-double of the season. He had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jerome Dyson was the only other Husky in double figures with 10 points.

The first half really lacked any flow. Both offenses struggled early and often but a 19-4 Georgia Tech run put Tech up 13 points. An 8-3 run by the Huskies to the end half got UCONN within 8 at the half.

UCONN scored 4 points in the first 7 minutes of the second half as the Yellow Jackets built their lead to 17 points. The lead got as high as 22 before an 8-0 run by UCONN got them back within 14 points. UCONN never got closer than 10 points as the Yellow Jackets hit their free throws down the stretch for the final margin.

Notes and Observations:

• The starters were Austrie, Dyson, Robinson, Thabeet and Adrien.
• You may have noticed both coaches wearing sneakers during the game. The reason for this is it is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend. It is “designed to raise awareness about Coaches vs. Cancer and the importance of cancer prevention and early detection. Coaches and coaching staff are encouraged to wear sneakers with their suits while coaching games during this weekend to remind college basketball audiences about the many ways people can reduce their risk of cancer, like eating right, exercising, making healthy lifestyle choices, and following the American Cancer Society’s recommended cancer screening guidelines. The event is promoted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society.” (information taken from American Cancer Society)
• Hasheem Thabeet was invisible at the offensive end. He didn’t attempt a shot and was 2 for 2 from the free throw line. However, he had 7 blocks on the defensive end.
• Even though Dyson had 13 points, he struggled from the field, only making 4 of his 14 shots. You have to wonder if him and the rest of the freshman are struggling due to the length of the season.
• The same goes for AJ Price, whose minutes are dwindling each game. His absence from the game for two years is showing.

For UCONN to be successful, Coach Jim Calhoun has to find 5 guys that are willing to step up their games. So far, I only see Adrien and Dyson doing this. This team has no identity. They are young and make “young” mistakes. We as UCONN fans can only hope that this season makes this team better for next season. It is amazing to me after playing so well in the win over Syracuse on Monday night, that the team disappeared today. Just another example of their inexperience.

With the loss, UCONN falls to 15-9 on the season. Next up for the Huskies is a date against Seton Hall on Wednesday night at Gampel Pavilion. Game time is 7:30 PM. UCONN needs to win this game to stay in contention for the Big East Tournament.

Technorati: UCONN Huskies, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Jim Calhoun, Georgia Dome

With the Japanese marketplace being different than that here in America, it seems that the Daisuke Matsuzaka ad is causing a little controversy here in the states. For those who haven’t seen the ad, here is a look at it.

[youtube 5gkn4bAdHx0 nolink]

The rules here in the United States are simple. No person can be seen drinking a beer in an ad. While in Japan, this is acceptable. This ad was intended for use in Japan but with the YouTube phenomenon, the ad reached the United States. Major League Baseball also doesn’t allow it’s players to endorse alcoholic beverages. Also, the deal Matsuzaka reached with Asahi was done before he signed with the Red Sox.

A Major League Baseball International spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous, had this to say:

“The ad is consistent with what’s acceptable in the Japanese marketplace. We did approve it with him drinking the beer outside of his uniform. It’s a type of commercial that is really commonplace in Japan. It is not really that farfetched.” Major League Baseball International mandated that the ad include a ‘Drink responsibly’ message at the end.

The Red Sox are concerned with the way their players will be seen, especially with all the young fans. Personally, I don’t think it is such a big deal. The young people of America have different influences that may make them think about drinking beer. But I totally understand why the Red Sox are concerned. They don’t want to hear about a young kid dying from drinking too much because he/she saw Matsuzaka drinking a beer. Like the MLB International spokesperson said, he didn’t drink it in his uniform.

I would have to think that you will see a little more caution on the part of the marketing people for Dice-K. As it stand, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is considering taking action on this. Arthur Resnick, Director of Public and Media Affairs for the ATTT Bureau had this to say:

“Our jurisdiction runs to false and misleading ads,” said Resnick, who pointed to a 1995 ruling that says the bureau would consider unacceptable any ad “which depicts any individual (famous athlete or otherwise) consuming or about to consume an alcoholic beverage prior to or during an athletic activity or event,” or an ad that states that drinking alcohol “will enhance athletic prowess, performance at athletic activities or events, health or conditioning.”

Like I said, I don’t see the big deal. The market there is different then here. And if anyone has noticed, you haven’t seen this ad run on television. Doesn’t the Government have better things to do right now.

Technorati: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox, YouTube, Dice-K, Ashai Super Dry Beer

Information from the Boston Herald was used.

@ Georgia Tech at the Georgia Dome. Gametime is 1:00 PM and the game will be broadcast nationally on CBS

@ LSU at 3 PM. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.