EVIL EMPIRE 1-A WINS DIASUKE DERBY; JAYS GET THE ROYAL SCREW JOB

I imagine that standard sports fan reaction to the news the Boston Red Sox have ponied up $51.1 million US just to negotiate with Japanese pitching star Daisuke Matsuzaka is to do a spit-take at the breakfast table.

Once you're done wiping up the Corn Flakes, realize this actually makes sense for the Red Sox. However, the emphasis should be on the last four words... for the Red Sox.

By the same token, it should be People's Exhibit 29,532 about what's messed up with baseball under Bud Selig's watch, especially from a Toronto Blue Jays fan's perspective, or a fan of any of what might as well be called the plebe teams.

You can't begrudge Boston for doing whatever it can within the system to improve their team. You can't begrudge Scott Boras, er, Matsuzaka, for wanting to get paid. For the rest of us, especially those who live and die with the Jays as they try to compete with the Evil Empires while the Detroit Tigers get to play 19 games against the Royals, it smells like Manny Ramirez's sanitary socks after an August doubleheader.

The Red Sox took part in a bidding process that was too rich for about 25 of the other 29 teams' blood, including my beloved Blue Jays. The plebe teams could never get in the game for Matsuzaka, but are still affected since the contract he's likely to land (four years, $40 million) drives up the going rate for a No. 1 starter. Then there's a trickle-down effect for No. 2 and No. 3 starters, star closers, and so on.

It's like your workplace asking everyone to throw a few more dollars into the kitty to pay for company functions, but only allowing a select few people to attend the staff Christmas party. Or taxpayer money going toward building a soccer stadium in Toronto that will be controlled by Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment. Sorry, bad example.

Look on the bright side: If Matzumaka flops, then Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi won't look so silly for giving A.J. Burnett $55 million last winter.

The media acts like everything's hunky-dory. Everyone will get to write sanctimonious stories about Matsuzaka-mania, and how East and West have come together in baseball, and meantime, the rich get richer. Right. So far as the baseball cultures meshing together goes, I'll believe it when the top free agent in Japan signs with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

As for the signing itself, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci made two good points last night about why it makes sense for the Evil Empire 1-A:

1. Ace pitchers don't make it to the free-agent market any more. Matsuzaka is 26, the same age Pedro Martínez was when Boston traded for him in November 1997, but pitchers that good and that young don't become available nowadays. Team lock them in for long-term contracts (like the Blue Jays have done with Roy Halladay) to keep them away from the Yankees and Red Sox, so that jacked up the going rate for Matsuzaka.
2. Evil Empire 1-A can realize some new revenue. On that point, the two new streams are selling ad space to Japanese companies inside Fenway Park, and Internet revenues, which could grow as fans overseas track Matsuzaka's progress.
   
   Boston's desperate for new revenue streams. Fenway is sold out every game. Local TV ratings (and thus advertising dollars) on the 80% Sox-owned NESN regional network are likely to drop in 2007 after a disappointing '06 season, and heavens knows the typical Red Sox fanatic probably bought her or his share of navy-and-crimson gear during the '03-04 seasons.

Anyway, to sum up, there's no intent here to make excuses for the Jays' failure to make the playoffs since 1993, although one does get sick of know-nothings who think that's the be-all end-all in baseball. (Never mind that it's comparing apples to oranges since baseball has only eight playoff berths, while the NBA and NHL have 16.)

Just try to understand, though, that it's wrong to grant the Evil Empires access to a player pool -- top Japanese ballplayers -- that the Jays and most other teams are cut off from since they don't have that kind of money. You buy tickets or watch a sport since you know it's all aboveboard and everyone has more or less the same chance of winning.

So be it. Nothing is ever a fair fight in this life. It will just make it all the sweeter when the Jays win the AL East next year. (Hey, a man can dream, can't he?)

Related:
Jays Fans Will Soon Have A Massive Hate-On For This Guy (Oct. 10)

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.