"And the sign says "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"
So I put my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said you look like a fine outstanding young man, I think you’ll do
So I took off my hat, I said "Imagine that, huh, me working for you"
And this:
"Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa left for New York on Monday to attend a news conference to mark his signing with the New York Yankees.
In keeping with Yankees rules, he cut his trademark long hair.
"I feel refreshed," he said."
I’m suspicious. Will Igawa, free-spirited eccentric and all-around wild man, pull a Tesla at today’s news conference and stun his new bosses when he takes off his hat only to reveal even longer hair?! The era of Igawa has begun and I think it’s going to be full of surprises and controversy. Dear god, I hope he pulls a Tesla…When do pitcher and catchers report again?
A side note: Has anyone else noticed how many "long-haired freaky" types the Yanks have signed in recent years? Randy Johnson, Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, and now Kei Igawa. Maybe it’s my imagination but the Yanks seem to like to play with fire. It’s like the daughter of the preacher who likes the town bad boy. Very Freudian.
14 replies on “Kei Igawa: True Yankee”
So does this make Cash the Elizabeth Shue of GMs.
PS: love the Fatboy Slim version of Long-Haired Freaky People….
“It’s like the daughter of the preacher who likes the town bad boy.”
That’s why I have 3 boys — of course, preacher’s sons have their own issues (according to Dusty Springfield).
mlb.com’s front page shows mr. quest in pinstripes.
lookin’ sharp. all business, as usual.
all business, as usual.
In other words, boring. Much like this point in the offseason, unfortunately.
Oh noes! He cut his Samson hair! I fear the fate of Randy Johnson’s haircut will fall onto him.
Although Damon seemed no different (better, even) without his caveman beard.
Let’s just hope that unlike Johnson and his mullet, Kei’s true power lies somewhere else.
he’s got the hideki cut going on now. long under the cap, shorter on the neck.
actually, it could even be a REVERSE mullet.
kei is king! the quest begins now!
here you go, andrew:
http://tinyurl.com/y7vrvj
i caption this shot:
“Quest for Velvet”
83 days until opening day.
Nick:
You do know that Tesla’s version was a cover of Five Man Electrical Band’s original “Signs”, hence their cheeky unplugged album title “Five Man Acoustical Jam”. I can’t believe I owned that CD. Eek.
For those that missed it the last time I posted it, the 100 Facts about Igawa:
This dude is like a crazy 12 year old!
http://tinyurl.com/yfek2x
SF, to channel Johnny Carson: I did not know that.
Louis CK, a comedian I admire, has a whole bit about the silliness of that song. He talks about the verse from the viewpoint of the guy hiring the hippie. Funny stuff.
SF, I’m listening to that “Signs” track now… I still own that CD. What a masterpiece.
The more I hear about Kei, the more I want to hop on the “Questmania” bandwagon. The dry ESPN interview was hilarious, unfortunately there was none of that humor in the press conference. For those of you not glued to YES in the offseason, here’s Kei’s response to a question about a possible rivalry between him and Matsuzaka:
“(deep breath) Well, as you know we came and we crossed the ocean and we’ll be pitching against each other, in the same division, within the same league. So in that sense of course I have to consider and I have to recognize his presense. But all I have to do is do the best to my ability, so that’s about it.”
While I’m not exactly looking forward to a year long of Kei/Daisuke comparisons, I hope the best of Kei’s ability earns him a solid spot in the rotation. That’s a quest enough for me.
Lockland I just read those 100 facts you linked to and my side was hurting by the time I got to 100. Between Igawa’s quirks and Matsui’s porn collection there’s a lot of wackiness a la Land of Rising Sun style on the Yankees.
It’s interesting to think about the effect, if any, that gaming may have on a pitcher. Igawa, as we all know from Joel Zumaya’s video game injury, Schill’s new company, etc, is not the only video game playing MLB player.
Here is what I know, I have not played video games in years, but when I did, the hours of playing left my hands and fingers in a seriously bad state.
Are we getting to a point with the youth of the current MLB pitching rosters, that video game playing might begin to be viewed as a high risk activity such as hang gliding, surfing, bungee jumping, and all the other stuff that a lot of MLB teams forbid their players from participating in?
If we lose a high value player to the DL due to a video game injury or unecessary wear and tear, I will be pissed.
Lockland SF – I’ve recently played the baseball game on the Wii – it’s actually pretty fun (especially for winter time when I can’t get out to the cages..)
I can’t wait til they come out with a real baseball game. Then I too, can choke like ARod.