LMAO. sweetie, please don’t tell me you are deluding yourself into believing you have made a complex argument as to why Kawakami can’t be traded. Your argument is kung fu movie silly, being basically an unadulterated exploitation of superficial, antiquated stereotypes of Orientals. Less Jackie Chan silliness, more Bruce Lee seriousness out of you will prompt fewer sarcastic trivializations of your simple minded arguments.
But, anyways, if Joe Gibbs can force Tony Stewart to drive a Toyota, Frank Wren can trade Kawakami.”

Okay, Braveheart, you go ahead on and exhibit your ignorance to all and sundry. Only keep in mind, though — just because YOU ain’t read it (or don’t understand it) don’t mean it ain’t been said:

Pepperidge Blogs Remembers

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Random (July 5th, 2009 9:27 pm)
Wayne in Utah (July 5th, 2009 8:50 pm): “What is your answer for the Braves, here on July 5th at 4 games back?”

[blah blah blah]
PS: And the Braves should not trade Kawakami. One — he’s better than any likely replacement; but more important, the Braves need to keep their foot in the genkan, not only for possible future Japanese imports, but also for that huge market for Braves merchandise.

. . . . .

Random (July 5th, 2009 10:44 pm)
Lamar Banks (July 5th, 2009 9:52 pm): ” ‘PS: And the Braves should not trade Kawakami. One — he’s better than any likely replacement; but more important, the Braves need to keep their foot in the genkan, not only for possible future Japanese imports, but also for that huge market for Braves merchandise.’ [R]
“This is completely an overblown notion. Keeping a player b/c of what another player might bring is laughable.”
What does that even mean? What exactly were you trying to say — “Keeping a player b/c of what another player might bring”???
“If one player is hurting the team or is not the best available he should go period.”
Like I already mentioned, Kawakami is better than any likely replacement.
“For every Ichiro there is a Kei Igawa. Not offending the Asian market is just fool-hardly.”
It’s not a matter of “offending” anyone, just keeping the player pipeline open. Who said the Braves should sign ANYone solely because they’re Japanese and regardless of how good they are??? But they should want to remain a desirable location for any GOOD Japanese players coming to MLB, and trading Kawakami may affect that.
Plus, it was pointed out that the main reason to retain Kawakami for other than “on-the-field” reasons was the huge and lucrative Japanese market for Braves merchandise, which WOULD disappear if the Braves got rid of their only Japanese player. What allowed the Red Sox to afford that $52M posting fee for Matsuzaka? The merchandising potential in Japan, that’s what.
“Asian clubs don’t keep American players for fear if they release them we will be upset.”
Completely beside the point — any andidiot knows the two leagues are in no way analogous or comparable. Nothing NPB could do would upset MLB. Besides, Japanese teams are limited to only two gaijin per team — that is two foreigners TOTAL, whether American, Korean, Taiwanese, whatever. And the only Americans playing over there are MLB cast-offs, anyway. Why should MLB care? Geezum, Will!
“It nonsense and does deserved to addressed when it come to key decisions on the field.” [sic, sic, sic]
And it’s sheer naivete to believe that player personnel decisions are based solely on on-the-field performance.

. . . . .

Random (July 5th, 2009 11:09 pm)
Braveheart (July 5th, 2009 10:46 pm): “Lamar, I agree somewhat on what y0u said about how it doesn’t make sense to keep Kawakami solely for fear of offending the Asian market. However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have an Asian presence to create alternative revenue streams.
“Also, I don’t know what the numbers or percentages are, but I’ve seen a lot of Asian folks at the Ted this year donning Kawakami 11 tees, including quite a few who seem to be tourists or right off the boat. Every little bit helps for a team trying to keep up with revenue generation.”
Too right, mate.
It’s not a matter of “not offending” the Asian market — it’s all about exploiting that market to sell millions of dollars of Braves merchandise. (And I mean “exploiting” in its warm and fuzzy capitalistic sense.)
And it ain’t the nickels and dimes spent over here — it’s the billions of Japanese consumers and their billions of yen. They’ve still got way more disposable income than do their counterparts here, and boy do they dispose of it on campy stuff like jerseys and hats, etc.
And can you imagine how much the Braves cut into the Red Sox sales over there when Kawakami manhandled Matsuzaka twice this year? And Halladay?
“Bank on it.”

. . . . .

Random (July 6th, 2009 12:18 am)
Lamar Banks (July 5th, 2009 11:32 pm): “You are approaching the debate with the idea of capitalism from the Braves perspective.”
Of course — the Braves are the ones who’ll be making the decision on Kawakami, aren’t they? Not you or me. Or even Cox.
“That is great if your a share holder in Liberty Media inc. However that does not translate to the field. There has been no indication from Liberty Media that with increased revenue streams that payroll will be added nor has it been published how much Liberty has or projects to gain by this. All in all that said revenue could be simply pocketed by share holders and never be seen by the braves fans nor players.”
You’re making my argument for me. All we’re talking about is reasons for the Braves (Liberty) not to trade Kawakami. And if keeping him would result in “increased revenue streams that . . . could be simply pocketed by share holders and never be seen by the braves fans nor players”, that would be a most powerful reason for the Braves (Liberty) not to trade him, regardless of his “on-the-field” performance. Wouldn’t you think?
“So with that we come full circle to my original and only point as to putting the best team on the field in the short-term and long-term.
If KK is best for that role than so be it, but if the 8mil he is earning and numbers he produces is not worth of that number, then he should be replaced, regardless of capitalism.”
I repeat — it’s sheer naivete to believe that player personnel decisions are based solely on “on-the-field” performance. The point of the game is to make money.
Q.E.D.
PS: Plus, HE IS BETTER THAN ANY LIKELY REPLACEMENT.

. . . . .

Random (July 6th, 2009 5:59 am)
Skeeterleg (July 6th, 2009 5:12 am): “I’ve heard this way too many times too, and it bugs me to no end. Money is what signs players; not olive branches. I’ve not once heard of a Japanese player declining a huge contract because the team has never signed a Japanese player, and I doubt I ever will.”
Oh, come on — don’t be estupido. Kawakami signed with the Braves for less than he could have gotten elsewhere. The Braves offered Junichi Tazawa more than the Red Sox did — so why’s he not at Myrtle Beach? Is everybody here ADD’ed?
Kawakami signed with the Braves not just for the money, but because they went to great lengths to make him feel welcome and assure him he’d be comfortable here. Could they do that as easily (or at all) with the next Japanese free agent they might want WITH Kawakami still on the roster, or WITHOUT? Especially if they had summarily traded Kawakami after only 3 months’ play? How convincing would their “play for us — we want you” spiel be if they traded Kawakami mere months after luring him with the same spiel?
There are different factors which would enter into a Japanese free agent’s selection of a team than an American free agent’s. (Or perhaps the same factors but with wildly different relative importance.)
Is that so hard to grasp?
You sound to me like another knee jerk hater who has convinced themselves that the only thing all players want is more money and more money even though that is disproven a dozen times and more each and every year.
Good grief.

. . . . .

Random (July 6th, 2009 10:25 am)
Skeeterleg (July 6th, 2009 9:14 am): “A good financial contract isn’t the only motivating factor for signing, but its the main one. Ask Johny Damon, Mark Texiera, Alex Rodriquez, Barry Zito, Tom Glavine, C.C. Sabathia, and on and on…and I see you feel the need to call people stupid, moronic, and idiots and such if they don’t agree with you. You must have graduated from the Coach and Paul Lentz school of blogging.”
I did not call you “stupid, moronic, [or] idiots” — I simply requested that you NOT BE estupido.
You make a baseless and witless generalization about Japanese (NPB) players, and now seek to back it up with seven American (MLB) examples? I gave you two Japanese counterexamples to your ignorant generalization in two seconds off the top of my head.
It’s okay to admit that you don’t know something — you don’t have to make stuff up.
And no one has said that “you have to have Japanese players to get Japanese players” (Catch-22, anyone?) — just that that might make it easier. (And that it would probably be made much HARDER if you disrespected your current Japanese player(s).)
Is that truly so hard to grasp?
Perhaps so, for you — you have consistently misread my comments and put words in my mouth. So be it.

. . . . .

Random (September 17th, 2009 7:46 pm)
Rob from SC (September 17th, 2009 5:31 pm): ” ‘Kawakami will not be traded.’
“Why not.”
For many reasons falling into two general categories — his performance and the Nippon “pipeline” (someone else’s terminology — tip o’ the hat.)
Kawakami’s good, and getting better. Braves would not be able to replace him for the same or lower salary — Medlen wouldn’t even come close, imo.
Plus, Kawakami’s worth more to the Braves than for his on-field performance. The marketing of Braves merchandise in Japan is worth lots of $$$ (as well as marketing to Japanese ex-pats here). And the Braves DO NOT want to burn their bridge to other quality Japanese players. Remember how ardently they pursued Kawakami and how hard they worked to persuade him to come to Atlanta? Well, they’re not just going to throw that high level of effort away on your whim — they have invested a heckuva lot more than $22M in Kawakami and they will not write off that investment lightly.
“who cares about other Japanese players down the road.”
Apparently the Braves do, as indicated above. They went to lengthy extremes to open that door. (And you do realize “down the road” could be as soon as next year, right?)
“We need the best team possible next year”
Of course.
Imo, retaining Kawakami will help make the rotation the best it can be next year. Too many people here want to gut the rotation to shore up the offense. That’s a zero sum (or worse) proposition. The offense can be and needs to be improved WITHOUT degrading what’s kept the Braves this close this late this year.

. . . . .

P. W. Hjort (September 17th, 2009 3:50 pm): “Random: ‘And you do realize “down the road” could be as soon as next year, right?’
“Down the road could also be as soon as already. The Braves have already signed a Japanese player who cited Kenshin Kawakami’s signing as the reason he wanted to sign with Atlanta. I don’t know of his status, I think he’s still pitching in Japan, and I forgot his name.”

. . . . .

Random (September 20th, 2009 5:49 am)
Steve from OH (September 19th, 2009 1:18 pm): “Do I think he’s a lock to stay here? No–if Wren can cut Tom Glavine, he can trade Kenshin Kawakami.”
I think it’s way past time to debunk this particular myth — namely, that since Wren was able to dispassionately cut Smoltz and Glavine, he will be every bit as dispassionate in all his personnel decisions.
First, let me ask — just how personally/professionally/emotionally involved was Wren with the acquisition (or re-acquisition) and development of either Smoltz or Glavine? Practically zero, I’d say.
On the other hand, Wren busted his hump to sign Kawakami — he is deeply invested — personally, professionally and emotionally — in Kawakami’s MLB career with the Braves.
Second, and this is only what I figure — Wren did in fact bust his hump to get Kawakami as a part of a grander scheme, one of which Kawakami is only a part. An indispensable part indeed, and just the first stroke of Wren’s “masterpiece”.
(I know, I know — I’m overstating things here somewhat. But this I believe — Kawakami is a cornerstone, not just another interchangeable building block.)

. . . . .

Random (October 17th, 2009 9:12 am)
Jeff R (October 16th, 2009 1:10 pm): “Your 11:08 am post didn’t address my full comment. I wrote:
“ ‘Kawakami… This “Let’s not offend the Japanese” by trading Kawakami makes no sense. . . . [blah blah blah.]’
“Context matters.”
It ain’t a matter of context.
The sentence I quoted — your initial sentence — was the summary of your argument. The 9 or 10 lines that followed were your overwhelmingly convincing demonstration of how it didn’t make sense to you.
You completely ignore the context of the Braves’ pursuit, courtship and cost of their success in wooing him from rival teams like (specifically) the Red Sox (to whom the Braves had just lost — I think — Junichi Tazawa). Wren busted his a$$ to convince not only Kawakami, but also all his advisors, his family, the Japanese consulate in Atlanta, etc, that the Braves really, really valued Kawakami and wanted him in Atlanta and would take care of him while he was here. The Braves got Kawakami to commit to them in return for their commitment to him. In Kawakami, the Braves signed a FA, not a draft selection with few other options. How many MLB players are traded just one year after they have been signed as FAs?
Your off-target analogies and irrelevant f’rinstances only demonstrate how thoroughly you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Why in the world would I want to repeat that?

. . . . .

Random (October 17th, 2009 10:33 am)
Jeff R (October 17th, 2009 9:56 am): “Sorry, I stand by what I wrote.”
Well, of course you do — or you wouldn’t’ve written in the first place. Yer just wrong — I would hardly expect you to admit it.
“I think you overstate the relationship and underrate the Japanese grasp of the American professional game. You make Kawakami and the Japanese out to have just fallen off the proverbial watermelon truck.”
As I said, that is what YOU think — and yer still wrong.
“Might be news to you, but the Japanese are a sophisticated people with a good grasp of how the world works, especially how the United States functions, in business, culturally and politically.”
Yes they are and do, and they absolutely reject that philosophy and will not willingly subject themselves to it unless they have to.
And since all future Japanese players will be coming over here as Free Agents, they will have the option NOT to subject themselves to that philosophy, and to sign with a team that seems more sympatico to their own cultural/business values.
Please, give us some more of your insights into the Japanese people after you’ve lived and worked there for five years, negotiating contracts and interacting with them on a daily basis, professionally, socially and personally. We’d appreciate that.

. . . . .

Random (October 21st, 2009 6:05 pm)
Jeff R (October 17th, 2009 11:05 am): “now is your “five years” comment your coy way of saying you’ve done so?”
It’s my coy way of saying that you haven’t.
“If not, then we’re just getting YOUR two-cents as well.”
Yeah, well, that’s all I can spare for the likes of you.

. . . . .

In closing, I’ll leave you with the words of a denizen whose perspective I value every bit as much as my own:

Braveheart (July 5th, 2009 10:46 pm): “Lamar, I agree somewhat on what y0u said about how it doesn’t make sense to keep Kawakami solely for fear of offending the Asian market. However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have an Asian presence to create alternative revenue streams.

“Also, I don’t know what the numbers or percentages are, but I’ve seen a lot of Asian folks at the Ted this year donning Kawakami 11 tees, including quite a few who seem to be tourists or right off the boat. Every little bit helps for a team trying to keep up with revenue generation. Those alternative revenue streams wouldn’t be there if the fourth starter was some serviceable starter like Jeff Suppan. I can’t imagine anyone would buy a Suppan jersey or go out of their way to watch, listen to, or attend a Jeff Suppan start.”

AND

Braveheart (October 16th, 2009 2:26 pm): That is also a fair point DOB and Random raise too in whether or not trading Kawakami would hurt them in the relationships they had established in Japan. Reminds me of college football and basketball where if you recruit a kid out of a certain school, area or AAU program, you’d better not screw the kid over if you hope to go back to that school, area, or AAU program to recruit another kid.

*******

There you go, Braveheart my friend — Enter the Dragon!