What’s wrong with the Tigers’ imports

Watching Monday’s Pro Yakyu News with analysts Tadashi Matsumoto and Takenori Emoto, I was struck by how negative they were, pretty much toward everyone, but I wasn’t really listening until as my ex used to say, my “Dumbo ears” came out when Matsumoto and Emoto were taking turns praising first baseman Justin Bour and pitcher Jon Edwards.

“Bour’s great isn’t he? That great swing. A great attitude. He is trying hard to speak Japanese at the postgame hero interview,” Matsumoto said. “He’s really a good hitter, but you know what? He should have hit more home runs by now.”

Then it was Emoto’s turn to burn.

“Edwards has good stuff, but he needs to pitch a lot,” the former Tigers and Hawks pitcher said. “But he’s way too heavy. Jeez. He weighs 106 kilograms. That’s too heavy to pitch in Japan.”

Of course it wasn’t just the imports. Emoto complained about all the breaking pitches Carp right-hander Allen Kuri threw.

“He’s got a good fastball. Nobody could touch it,” Emoto said of Kuri. “Everything they hit was a breaking ball.”

Kuri might not be an import but his father is American, although I don’t think that had any part in Emoto’s analysis. Ironically, the video they showed of Hayato Sakamoto hitting one of Kuri’s offspeed pitches, was a good pitch that rolled the right way. That stuff happens.

Maybe it’s just those two, and maybe I’m too sensitive toward slights toward non-Japanese.