Tonight’s Starter, Hiroki Kuroda Says he Doesn’t Like Playing Baseball
New York Times- When Hiroki Kuroda was a child in Japan, baseball was a chore, and he endured unspeakable punishment from coaches from his youth leagues through university level that ingrained in him the notion that playing the game was a job. The last time he remembered feeling baseball was a joy to play, he said, was when he played for his father’s Little League team.“To be honest with you, I never enjoyed playing baseball, I never enjoyed pitching, to be honest with you,” Kuroda said through his interpreter, Kenji Nimura. “Whether it’s a spring training game or a regular season game, I don’t like to put any added pressure on myself. I like to be as normal as I can in that atmosphere.” Kuroda explained that the responsibility that he carries with him to the mound, a responsibility to help the Yankees win, is so complete that he cannot afford to approach it with anything other than total commitment. “This is not just because it’s the Yankees,” he said. “This has been throughout my professional career. There has been a lot of responsibility on a starting pitcher. Rather than enjoy myself out there, I have to fulfill my responsibility, and that’s my top priority.”
Well, there goes my smile. Completely deflated. Started this morning riding the high of last night’s win, furiously combing Stub Hub for tickets, and now this? This is such a fucking Mets move. I don’t care if Hiroki was water boarded after every game when he was a kid. Leave that shit in Japan. This is America- the country where pitching is fun and not punishable by death. In case I’m not making myself clear, the guy starting the biggest game of the season for the Yankees just casually dropped a little fun fact on us. He flat out doesn’t enjoy pitching. Nope. He’d rather do taxes or get stuck in traffic tonight than take the mound for the most important start of his life.
This is why Ichiro is such a fucking genius having his translator. The guy speaks perfect English yet he ensures himself a built in protection against stupid shit like this by having that guy on his hip. They probably have little code words and seceret looks that they give each other when Ichiro says something questionable. Translator guy tugs on his ear and Ichiro rethinks the statement he just made about Teixeira being a sopping wet pussy. Translator takes the sign from Ichiro and spins it into “Playing for the Yankees is my heaven.” Haven’t heard 1 word from Kuroda his entire career and he’s gonna pull this shit today of all days. BAFFLING! About as smart a move as Obama opening tonight’s debate with “My family is in America, but my heart is in Iran.”
such an asian thing to do.
Fuck yourself in the ass with a hot calzone you worthless pile of rat shit.
just gained so much respect for kuroda, going keith foulke style….very cool
Playing to 10K empty seats on a nightly basis at home (despite being in the biggest city in North America) can’t actually be fun. And having to sit there and watch HGH Andy and Arod shoot each other up with PEDs doesn’t seem like a blast either.
umm…you totally mischaracterized what Kuroda said…he said that he treats baseball like it’s a job, that it’s a responsibility he takes very seriously…he isn’t out there to be loose and have a good time, he’s out there to do his job and win…can’t see what’s wrong with that
TampaJack you should probably go fuck your mother. Thanks.
can’t blame him…baseball is almost as exciting as watching snails race
Son, why you play b-ball when you should be play A+ ball
Calm down. Curtis Martin hates football, does that make him any less of a great player? Just go lock this up tonight. I don’t give a shit if you like your job or not
PS fuck Tampa jack in his stupid cunt mouth
You have a Lord of the Rings poster? How can a pizza boy with a Lord of the Rings poster ever get laid?
Tampa jack is fine by me even though the cardinals suck dick. I’m also glad to know that youth coaches and parents in America don’t do the same thing as in Japan… Oh wait, they do the exact same thing… Over a fucking GAME.
hahah, a Mets joke. I guess there weren’t anymore fish left in your barrel? fuck you, Strap-on
@Tampa Jack, you mean the team with the average attendance of 43,687 this year? That team? 2nd highest in the MLB to Philly who only averaged 700 more? I’m confused… Is ESPN the Onion of sports facts?
Fuck yourself.
how high is Tampa Jack?
Stupid blog, newsflash most people hate their jobs…guy has been your most consistent pitcher all year shut up and clinch the division over the O’s I mean you have $100+ million dollars in payroll over them
Tampa Jack, the Yankees sell the most jerseys in the MLB. That’s a stat you never bring up
Payroll means less and less every year. I always hear the same shit from yankee haters. “wahhh, of course the yankees are good! Their payroll is so much higher than anyone elses. They buy their world series” A: Its not that much higher than say the red sox (pre trade) or the phillies. B: If payroll meant as much as certain people like to think it does, than the yankees would win every year. C: it will be down to 184 mil over the next 2 years. Can’t wait to hear the next excuse yankee haters will throw out there.
“Payroll means less and less every year.” Ummmmm, pretty much what I’d expect from a guy who supports a team with the highest payroll in history. Lol.
Btw, the Yankees haven’t drafted one star player in almost 20 years. Hmmm, yeah, I’m sure payroll (and steroids) have nothing to do with them winning the AL East consistently. Wake up kiddo.
If payroll mattered as much as you say it does then the yankees would win the world series every year. Scouting and developing is what truly wins championships now. Every yankee world series since 96 was won because of core talent, and smart moves. You keep bringing up steroids yet you never mention names like Jeter, tino, o’neill,Bernie, posada, brosious, pettite (which larussa agrees is different than roids. a point you continue to ignore)i can keep going you clown. I know youre gonna come back with clemens and giambi so save it for someone who takes you seriously…which is no one. You dont win a division anymore because of steroids. Wake up kiddo. Can’t wait till the payroll is 184 mil and u have nothing to complain about
case and point….looking at last year only 3 out of the top 10 payroll teams even MADE the playoffs you cunt. Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, and the Minnesota Twins. So we see that there is not a direct correlation between total payroll and winning. Try again kiddo
Yeah, that 2009 WS (you know, the only one the Yankees won since steroid testing) had nothing to do with the HALF BILLION they spent that offseason in free agency.
And if you really want to know about HGH Andy, read up kiddo, don’t listen to Tony. Here is a previous post from the most knowledgeable baseball guy you know:
“HGH Andy. The man of faith who lied about his cheating to media after numerous reports. Then got caught in the Mitchell Report, and denied it again. Then got caught by the Feds and finally admitted it – but said he only did it once while rehabbing and got it from a trainer. Then got caught lying about that and admitted he was also getting it from his high school friend too. Then got caught after it was found out his father was also supplying him with PEDs. But other than that, he’s been totally honest! It’s pretty obvious the guy has been on PEDs and has been lying his entire career. Sad stuff cuz HGH Andy will always be known as a cheat before anything else.”
Yup – I’m reposting the actual facts about HGH Andy. Funny how Yankee fans don’t actually like the truth. Lol.
^ and what “news” agency did that come from? Sure, I’ll listen to you ( an annoying, bitter, useless, delusional, cunt muffin who couldn’t find his dick with google maps) Or one of the greatest managers in history. Tough fucking decision. Nice LOL too, you faggot. you gotta try harder than that tampa cunt
oh, and by the way that half a billion number you threw out there..AJ is no longer on the team, and we haven’t won with the other three pieces the last three years. Once again your “facts” are not facts. And you are an idiot
and ONE more thing….you are the ONLY one who will think of Andy as being a cheat first. Literally the only one
Yeah, that whole “Scouting and developing is what truly wins championships” argument of yours kinda fell apart after my 2009 post, didn’t it? Who was the hero of the ALDS and ALCS? ARod, an admitted cheat and the highest paid FA in history. Who was the MVP of the ALCS that year? CC, the highest paid FA pitcher in history at that point. Who was the MVP of the WS? Matsui, the highest paid international free agent position player (at that time). Yeah, $ had nothing to do with the only WS the Yankees have won since steroid testing. Game, Set, Match. Lol, U mad?
2009 was post steroid so your point about arod makes no sense as usual. Nice try. CC was on the team the last 2 years and we haven’t won. And tex, and swish…and seriously? Trying to make your point with one of the best free agent signings we’ve had recently in matsui…You’re making yourself look dumber than you do already. Game? Set? Match? I dont think so fagbag. You’re probably just an angry 15 year old who is killing time yankee hating, while figuring out the perfect way to tell your mouth breeder parents that you are a homosexual. You probably have 0 friends. I won’t stop feeding into your trolling because i feel a burning need to tell you how misinformed you are because you are truly just that stupid. Die
Dude spouts this over and over again. We get it. Yankees have and spend a lot of money. Arod is a cheat. He sucks now anyway get over it. Yankees couldn’t give him away. Yankees waste their money 95% of the time, so again, get over it. You’re just another jackass who hates the Yankees more than he likes his own team. It’s like listening to all those OWS assholes all over again. And Strasser everything Kuroda said is a good thing this is the dumbest Yankees blog you’ve written yet.
Not to mention can people really stop typing out “lol”… what are we a bunch of 13 year old girls? Mock the Yankees with some damn pride. Jesus.
Lol. U mad? I’d resort to name calling too if I just got outsmarted. Sorry, nice try son. But the facts are facts and you can’t tell me that payroll and FA wasn’t a MAJOR factor in the Yankees only WS since steroid testing. The Yankees literally haven’t drafted and developed anybody significant in almost 20 years. But via FA, they’ve signed ARod, CC, Teixeira, Sheffield, Giambi, Cano (IFA), Matsui, and countless others who’ve led to playoff appearances. Sorry, truth hurts…but go ahead and keep lying to yourself that payroll has nothing to do with their success. Lol.
I have to believe those LOLs were directed at me, in which case yea I’d have to say I’m a bit annoyed I won’t lie. But that’s it, just the lols. You’re argument is repetitive and tired. Like I said we get it. Still don’t care. You’re not going to make me feel insecure about being a Yankees fan.
I just do the Lol because I know it’s annoying to people. But fwiw, I agree with you TheDude. You get it. You realize your team buys WS and that they’ve made some terrible mistakes. They can’t draft and they wouldn’t win 81 games with a $150M payroll. And you shouldn’t feel insecure about your team. You know they buy playoff appearances and you know that a $230M team year in, year out, should win way more World Series than ONE in the past decade. Good for you. I’m with you brother!
I knew why you were gaming the lol and I’m never going to forgive you for it. I’m sorry I hope this doesn’t affect our relationship going forward
tampa, im done trying to prove why you know nothing, even though you think you know everything. You’re wrong. Don’t tell me the truth hurts because it’s not the truth. It’s your twisted truth. I hope someone (or you yourself) die in a fire. LOLOLOLOLOL
PS – admitting you do the LOL just to annoy people instead of realizing that everyone laughs at you and thinks your a fag might be the most self-loathing, attention-seeking move ive ever seen you pull