松坂 ＵＰＤＡＴＥ、ESPNの記事 -- 未契約ＦＡ選手トップテン

The Red Sox Have two major unresolved issues -- signing Daisuke Matsuzaka and finding a closer.

1. Matsuzaka. Scott Boras insists he does not have to bring the 26-year-old right-hander to Boston this week. Boras claims that he is "arguably one of the five best starting pitchers in the game and should be paid accordingly, especially coming off of this market." In Boras's mind, that fair market price is $20 million, not that he's asking for it because of the posting system. But Boras also claims that Matsuzaka can get $15-18 million pitching in Japan, that Seibu can get a lot more than $51.1 million next year and that Boston can write off most of the posting costs with marketing and the exclusion of the luxury tax.

Boston essentially needs to get the Matsuzaka agreement done by Tuesday night so they can get him in Wednesday for a physical prior to the Thursday deadllne. One GM Friday said "it would be a shame for Matsuzaka and baseball to hold him out to try to force a change in the posting system." Boras has a very strong relationship with Theo Epstein, but he is willing to hold out players when necessary, such as Boston's current catcher and right fielder.

Will it get done? No one knows. But one can assume that the Red Sox are a far better team with Matsuzaka than without him, although he has never thrown a pitch in the AL East.

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レッドソックスもボラスも譲歩して、４年で5000万ドルの契約と予測。

松坂ＵＰＤＡＴＥ、ESPNの記事 -- シリングが日本語勉強中

Boston Red Sox starter Curt Schilling and pitching coach John Farrell are learning Japanese so they will be able to talk to Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima.

The Red Sox signed Okajima, a left-handed reliever, and bid $51.11 million for the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka. They have 30 days to negotiate a contract with the MVP of the World Baseball Classic. That deadline looms Thursday night.

The Red Sox have said they will not comment on the negotiations.

Manager Terry Francona said Okajima and Matsuzaka would probably enjoy having a compatriot on the team.

"I would hope that would be a help," Francona said at the winter meetings this week in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. "When this is all said and done, the Red Sox are certainly going to make this as easy a transition for whoever's here. We always do.

"I think we feel very strongly that the more comfortable players are, the better success they are going to have. That's why we try to spend so much time with our younger kids that come over from the Dominican not speaking English because we think they are going to be better players once they do that."

Jason Varitek is more worried about learning how to catch them.

"All of them always seem to understand something we all have in common, the baseball knowledge," Varitek said Saturday, noting that he caught Mac Suzuki when he was with the Mariners and Hideo Nomo and Tomo Ohka in Boston. "Baseball is its own, universal language."

Schilling is eager to do his part to help Matsuzaka feel welcome.

"He is literally a national symbol," Schilling told fans at Saturday's Christmas at Fenway event.

"I didn't realize what we had coming our way, and when I did I wanted to make sure that both of them have someone on the staff they at least know who is going to make an effort to be able to communicate with them."

But Francona didn't think he'd have a problem communicating.

"For me, I can pat a guy on the back after eight good innings in any language," he said. "That won't be difficult."

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ほんまかいな。
レッドソックスには、野茂だけでなく、マック鈴木も大家もいたので、英語は心配することはない。

久々に「アッコにおまかせ」を見たが

石原真理子の特集には失望。名前を出さないと、意味がない。
良かったのは、和田の国歌斉唱を失敗しないようと言ったこと。
これだけ。
亀田も迷惑かも。

王将戦、佐藤棋聖か丸山９段が挑戦者

12月11日のリーグ最終戦を残し、佐藤棋聖が１敗でトップ。

順位　棋士　勝敗、最終戦対戦棋士
①佐藤棋聖　４勝１敗、丸山
②丸山９段　３勝２敗、佐藤
③森内名人　３勝２敗、谷川
⑤藤井９段　３勝２敗、久保
④久保８段　２勝３敗、藤井
⑤郷田９段　２勝４敗、－
⑤谷川９段　１勝４敗、森内

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佐藤棋聖が勝てば、佐藤が羽生王将に挑戦。佐藤が負けたら、佐藤と丸山９段でプレーオフで、勝者が挑戦。
降級３名は、郷田、谷川は決定。残り１名は、藤井９段と久保８段戦の敗者。
順位が物を言う。

王将戦を名人戦に摩り替えると、実力者が揃う。

Ａ級順位戦、６回戦 ２

12月1日ブログ
12月5日　○郷田９段　－　●久保８段　⇒　○
12月8日　○深浦８段　－　●谷川９段　⇒　○
12月11日 ○羽生３冠　－　●藤井９段　→　12月15日
12月11日 ○丸山９段　－　●阿部８段　→　12月15日
？月？日 ○佐藤棋聖　－　●三浦８段

現在の成績
５勝１敗　郷田
４勝１敗　藤井
４勝２敗、谷川
３勝２敗　羽生、佐藤
２勝３敗　丸山、三浦
２勝４敗　深浦
１勝４敗　阿部
１勝５敗　久保

深浦は、阿部より順位が上なので、最終戦で負けて、同じ勝敗になっても残留。
次の対戦は12月15日に延期になっていた。11日に王将戦のリーグ最終戦あり。

「MLBが付けた日本人選手の値段」

講談社2005年11月20日発行の著書より。単位はドル。

松坂大輔：　200～800万
上原浩治：　250～400万
川崎宗則：　50～400万
福留孝介：　200～350万
川上憲伸：　100～350万
赤星憲広：　120～200万
井川慶：　100～200万
黒田博樹：　100～200万
和田毅：　50～200万
福浦和也：　50～200万
松中信彦：　100～150万
今岡誠：　75～150万
小笠原道大：　50～150万
高橋由伸：　30～150万
石井弘寿：　50～100万
森慎二：　50～100万
岩村明憲：　30～100万
岩瀬仁紀：　50～70万
山口和男：　0.9～70万
入来祐作：　0.9～30万

WBC優勝前の評価。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

女子フィギュアスケート、グランプリファイナル６選手紹介

選手名、国、年齢、身長、ベストスコア（計、SP、フリー)の順

Mao Asada、Japan、16、162cm、199.52、69.50、130.02
Miki Ando、Japan、18、162cm、192.59、66.74、125.85
Yu-Na Kim、Korea、26、162cm、184.54、65.22、119.32
Fumie Suguri、Japan、25、157cm、182.08、62.12、120.06
Sarah Meier、Switzerland、22、164cm、170.47、60.87、111.41
Julia Sebestyen、Hungary、25、164cm、165.22、61.28、107.60

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スイスとハンガリーの選手は、実力的に劣るので、実質、アジア勢４人の争い。
キムがミスすれば、ＮＨＫ杯に続き、日本勢でメダル独占。

アジアの４人に、ロシアのスルツカヤ、米国のコーエンが出ていれば、現在の世界のベスト６。

松坂 ＵＰＤＡＴＥ、Boston Heraldの記事 -- デッドラインは木曜日真夜中

A spokesman for Major League Baseball said the Sox’ 30-day window of opportunity to sign Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka will slam shut precisely at midnight (EST) on Thursday. At that point, a deal must be completed if he is to join the Sox and cannot be pending a physical examination or any other condition. What that means is a deal, in all likelihood, would have to be reached with Boras on Wednesday, allowing Matsuzaka sufficient time to fly to Boston for a physical.

The Sox and Boras reportedly had vast differences of opinion on what the Seibu Lions ace should be paid but the agent was expected to speak with general manager Theo Epstein on the telephone last night. The team will only have to pay Seibu the record $51.11 million posting fee if a contract agreement is reached. Matsuzaka is expected to arrive in Southern California today but won’t travel to Boston unless a deal is reached with the Sox. It's possible that Epstein could travel to California this weekend to negotiate with Boras but there was no indication yesterday that a trip was imminent.

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週末に動きがあるのか。

井川ＮＥＷＳ、New York Daily News記事 - クレメンスは２００７年夏ヤンキースに

Pettitte's return perhaps opens the door for the Yankees to welcome back another old friend - Roger Clemens. When Pettitte left the Yankees after the 2003 season, Clemens, who had planned to retire, followed his friend to their hometown. Clemens has been unretiring ever since.

One of Clemens' agents, Randy Hendricks, who also represents Pettitte, said it was "too early to know" if Pettitte's return to New York would spur the Rocket back into pinstripes. But he also said Clemens was following "events with Andy and the Astros carefully."

However, it's unlikely that Clemens will decide for months, because he likely would want to join a team in midseason next year, which is what he did with the Astros in 2006. If Clemens does decide to pitch again, the Yankees might have some competition beyond the Astros - for the last two years, the Red Sox have been intrigued by the idea of bringing Clemens back to where his career began.

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ペティットと同じヤンキースに入る可能性が高い。
クレメンスの2006年の初登板は6月22日、2005～2006年成績。
2005年　13勝8敗、1.87
2006年　7勝6敗、2.30

井川は、開幕時は６番手投手。

井川ＮＥＷＳ、USA TODAY記事 - クレメンスの行方は

Andy Pettitte is headed back to the New York Yankees. Could Roger Clemens be next?

"Roger has yet to decide what he wants to do," Randy Hendricks, the agent for both pitchers, said in an e-mail to the Associated Press. "He has, however, followed the events with Andy and the Astros very carefully."

Clemens said he would retire after the 2003 season, but Pettitte's decision to join the Astros caused the Rocket to sign with Houston, too. Clemens thought about retirement again after 2004 and 2005, but rejoined the Astros both times.

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クレメンスが帰ってきたら、井川は７番手投手となる。７番手投手とは、つまり控え投手。