Darvish excited to be with Rangers (AP)
Darvish excited to be with Rangers (AP)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Yu Darvish is coming to America to pitch, for the team he really wanted to join for his next challenge. Japan’s best pitcher will play for the Texas Rangers, who scouted him for more than two years and then needed nearly every minute of a 30-day negotiating window before finalizing a $60 million, six-year contract Wednesday. It is a total investment of more than $111 million with a record posting fee. “The Rangers more so than any other team showed great, not only interest in scouting him, but a lot of personal time in developing a relationship with him,” said Arn Tellem, one of Darvish’s agents. “That personal connection was very significant to Yu and his family.’ There is also the much-anticipated boost the 25-year-old Darvish could provide to the Rangers, who have been to the last two World Series without winning the title. “Yu is excited about helping a team that has not won achieve that goal,” Tellem said. “He’s really thrilled to be coming here. This is where he wanted to be.” In addition to the salary, the Rangers will pay a posting fee of $51,703,411 to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League. The last two numbers in that amount are the jersey numbers of Rangers President and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan (34) and Darvish (11). “When you talk about those kind of dollars, it’s high risk, but I also think he’s probably the most upside player I’ve ever seen come out of Japan,” Ryan said. “Having a free agent of that age, and with the fact that he’s been durable and has such feel for the baseball, I just think that he’s extremely unique.” The Rangers’ window to exclusively negotiate with the pitcher began Dec. 19 when their bid was accepted by the Fighters. The contract was finally completed a few minutes before the 4 p.m. CST deadline Wednesday, or Darvish would have stayed in Japan. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, who described the move as a “step-out deal” for the team, said negotiations were never contentious. He said there were good reasons for Texas to want a six-year deal. “How often do you get a chance to sign a 25-year-old free agent? It’s a pretty unique opportunity, so you tend to look at things a little differently when you look at somebody that age and the years of the deal take him into his prime,” Daniels said. “And secondly, with the nature of the posting process and the size of the post, size of our bid, it made sense to amortize it out over a longer period.” Darvish was home in Japan, where he returned for offseason training after his first and only visit to Texas two weeks ago. The Rangers plan to formally introduce Darvish on Friday night. On his website, Darvish posted a note acknowledging his new team. “I will have a press conference first in America and then come back to Japan at which point I will express my gratitude to my fans here in Japan,” he wrote. Darvish had a 93-38 record with a 1.99 ERA over the past seven seasons in Japan. The 6-foot-5 right-hander was a two-time Pacific League MVP and a five-time All-Star. He led the league in strikeouts three times, in ERA twice and won two Gold Gloves. “The thing that stood out probably is just his passion for the game and trying to be the best he can possibly be,” said Ryan, the major league strikeout king who pitched a record 27 seasons. The deal surpasses what Daisuke Matsuzaka got when he left Japan and signed with the Boston Red Sox just more than five years ago. Dice-K got a $52 million, six-year deal and the Red Sox also had to pay a $51.111 million posting fee that was the highest for a Japanese player before what the Rangers bid for Darvish. When Ichiro Suzuki used the posting system in 2000 to get to the major leagues, the Seattle Mariners won the right negotiate with a bid of about $13 million, then signed him to a $14 million, three-year contract. Through last season, 38 Japan-born pitchers had appeared in the major leagues. There were nine last season, including relievers Yoshinori Tateyama and Koji Uehara with the Rangers. Both are still on the 40-man roster in Texas. Matsuzaka is 49-30 with a 4.25 ERA in 106 games (105 starts) in five seasons with the Red Sox since his high-profile move from the Seibu Lions to Boston in December 2006 when he was 26 years old. He missed most of last season after right elbow surgery and is going into the final year of his contract, worth about $10 million. Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA last season in Japan, when he made the equivalent of about $6 million. He had 276 strikeouts to lead the Pacific League. Darvish, who turned pro at 18, pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a member of the Japanese team that won the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The right-hander has superb control and throws as many as seven effective pitches.
Tebow suffered rib, lung, chest injuries (AP)
Tebow suffered rib, lung, chest injuries (AP)
Tim Tebow remained in the AFC divisional playoff game despite injuries and Denver’s big deficit.(Getty Images) ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP)—Tim Tebow needs more R&R than anyone thought. The Broncos quarterback played through rib, lung and chest injuries he sustained in Denver’s 45-10 loss at New England in the AFC divisional playoffs last weekend. He won’t need surgery, is expected to make a full recovery with some down time and his offseason training program shouldn’t be affected in any way. ESPN first reported Wednesday that Tebow got hurt on a third-quarter tackle, then had trouble sleeping because of the pain and underwent an MRI on his chest Monday. Team spokesman Patrick Smyth said that while he couldn’t confirm the exact extent or nature of the injuries due to team policy, he acknowledged that Tebow finished the game in considerable pain. Backup Brady Quinn quickly got ready to go into the game after Tebow was hit by Vince Wilfork and Rob Ninkovich, but Tebow stayed in and finished up. “It’s just the physicality of playing football. Sometimes you get hit and it can hurt a little bit. But, I wanted to play a lot of the game,” Tebow said after the game. The outcome had long been decided by the time Tebow got hurt. “I just wanted to show character. You just continue to fight and it doesn’t change who you are, how you play, how you go out there, you should be the same at all times,” Tebow said. “That’s what I wanted to show, it didn’t matter if it was the first play or the last play or you were down by 42. I was going to be the same player and I was still going to give everything I have. Because that’s all I have to give.” Tebow, who had an ice pack on his non-throwing shoulder after the game, wasn’t in the locker room during a one-hour media window on Sunday, emerging with a smile from the trainer’s room as reporters were filing out as the players streamed to their end-of-season meeting with coach John Fox. Recovery from such injuries can take several weeks, and it’s highly unlikely Tebow would be able to play in the Pro Bowl on Jan. 29 if he’s selected as a second alternate. On Monday, Broncos boss John Elway declared Tebow the incumbent starting QB entering training camp next summer and reiterated his plan to work with him during the offseason to help polish his passing game. Tebow went 8-5 as the Broncos starter after supplanting Kyle Orton following a 1-4 start. He engineered a six-game winning streak that included four straight fourth-quarter comebacks that sent Tebowmania into full pitch. He faded at the end, losing his last three starts, including one to the Kansas City Chiefs and Orton, but the Broncos backed into the playoffs nevertheless at 8-8 as champions of the middling AFC West. Tebow had the best game of his pro career in the wild card round, when he averaged 31.6 yards per completion, the best in the NFL in 40 years, and threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime for a 29-23 win over heavily favored Pittsburgh and the league’s No. 1 defense. That was Denver’s first playoff game in six seasons. While the Broncos brass was delighted at returning to the postseason party a year after a franchise-worst 4-12 season, they said the 35-point loss to the Patriots showed just how far they need to go to return to the AFC’s upper echelon. Tebow, who didn’t get the first-team snaps during training camp or for the first month of the season, realizes he has a long way to go himself. “Just work and improve, fundamentals, understanding defenses, footwork, everything,” he said. Tebow might also have to get accustomed to a new offensive coordinator in 2012. Mike McCoy has interviewed for head coaching vacancies in Miami and Oakland. McCoy is a hot commodity after retooling Denver’s offense midstream to capitalize on Tebow’s unique skill set. He implemented the read-option that turned the NFL on its ear at midseason and resulted in the Broncos soaring to the top of the league in rushing. Tebow ran for 660 yards, most by a quarterback in team history, in the regular season and another 63 in the playoffs, leading to concerns among some that he was exposing himself to injury. But Tebow noted that he actually takes glancing blows, if any, from smaller defenders while on the run, making him less vulnerable than when he stays in the pocket and might get sandwiched by 300-pound linemen. He took every snap for Denver after replacing Orton at halftime Oct. 9 against San Diego. Tebow ran for six TDs in the regular season and one in the playoffs while averaging 5.3 yards a carry. But he completed just 46.5 percent of his passes last season and just 40.4 percent in the playoffs. “We’re always looking for balance,” Elway said. “Balance is what we won Super Bowls with.” Elway and Tebow are eager to see what a difference an offseason can make— they didn’t have that luxury last year during the NFL lockout. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot in a lot of different forms of my game,” Tebow said. “And I continue to improve and continue to get a lot better, and I believe I can, and I’m looking forward to putting in work.” ——— Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton
Tour Report: Wilson on the TOUR’s youngsters (PGATOUR.com)
Tour Report: Wilson on the TOUR’s youngsters (PGATOUR.com)
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM HONOLULU – Mark Wilson enters this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii as the defending champ. Of the 26 rookies on the PGA TOUR this year, 24 are playing at Waialae, including nine who are making their TOUR debuts. You might think one of them would want to pick the brain of, oh, a guy who’s had success here before. Wilson So far, not yet. “I haven’t really had any of that,” Wilson said with a smile. “These young kids coming up, they just sweat confidence. I can understand why they would not ask me, a grizzled veteran, what I think about something because they think they can do better, which is fine.” Or perhaps they’re just reluctant to ask. Wilson acknowledged that he didn’t approach any veterans when he was a rookie pro. “I wasn’t that comfortable with it,” he said. Obviously, that didn’t prevent him from figuring out Waialae on his own. Webb: Caddie switch made difference By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM HONOLULU – Webb Simpson and William Kane grew up playing golf together during their teens. When Simpson became a pro golfer, he asked Kane to be his caddie. Outside of being Simpson’s caddie in a couple of amateur tournaments, Kane had no caddie experience. When Kane decided to pursue a career in the ministry late in 2010, Simpson needed a new man on his bag. Through the recommendation of friend and fellow pro Nick Watney, Simpson signed on veteran Paul Tesori, who had worked for Vijay Singh and Sean O’Hair. Simpson The move worked out. Simpson won two tournaments in 2011 and finished second in the FedExCup race to Bill Haas, and he continued his strong play at the 2012 season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, where he finished tied for third. On Wednesday on the eve of the Sony Open in Hawaii, Simpson acknowledged that he wouldn’t have had as much success as he did in 2011 had Tesori not been on his bag. “I don’t think I could have,” Simpson said. “And I think William would sit up here and tell you the same thing. “Paul was so helpful with my golf swing but also with course management. There’s so many intangibles that he has that I feel like so many caddies don’t.” Simpson relayed an example of the difference: If he can hit an 8-iron 163 yards, but faces a 173-yard shot, “most people, including William, would say it’s a 7-iron, all day,” But if Simpson has adrenaline flowing, “well, Paul understands that wen you’re pumped, it’s just for some reason, you know you can hit an 8-iron that far. He’ll give me the confidence I need to be able to pull it off.” He said it’s a by-product of Tesori having played 21 TOUR events in the late ‘90s. “There’s so many great caddies out here,” Simpson said, “and I don’t mean that in a negative way, but he’s played the game and he played out here for a year and he understands what I’m feeling when I’m on the second to last hole in contention.” Fantasy mailbag: What about Lee? By Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM Fantasy columnist For 24 of the 26 PGA TOUR rookies, this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii is their first Opening Day in the big leagues. While they’ll try to go about their business following the old credo that it’s just another golf tournament, it’s anything but. By the same token, while fantasy gamers are itching to ride the likes of Bud Cauley, Harris English, J.J. Killeen, Jason Kokrak, Seung-yul Noh, Sang-moon Bae and Ted Potter Jr., my advice is to sit on your hands for at least one week. Consider these numbers taking into account the last three editions of the Sony: > 27 of 53 rookies have made the cut at Waialae since 2009 for a cuts-made split of only 50.9 percent. > Of the 27 who have made the cut, 12 settled for an MDF finish (meaning they completed only 54 holes). > Of the 27 who have made the cut, the average finish is just outside the top 50. > The only top 10 by a rookie since 2009 was Matt Weibring’s T8 in 2009. Danny Lee One rookie I didn’t include above is 21-year-old Danny Lee. He was the youngest champion at the time he won both the U.S. Amateur in 2008 and Johnnie Walker Classic on the European Tour in 2009. He also competed for New Zealand in the World Cup in 2010. And in 2011, he led the Nationwide Tour in birdie average, scoring average, birdies or better on par 4s and the bounce-back stat. Yet, as my stance was for all rookies, I opted not to put Lee in my Power Rankings this week. That drew this e-mail: Quite surprised that Danny Lee was not amongst your picks for Sony. Given his versatility of playing in the wide geographical and seasonal climates of the European tour last season combined with the Nationwide Tour, I would have thought he is one of the few that would adapt easily to the Pacific island location [Hawaii]. Furthermore, he qualified for both the PGA and the European Tours this year. Given his strong scrambling record in 2011 (seventh on the Nationwide Tour) and not forgetting his 9 top 10s (in 18 starts), I would have thought he would be in your top 10 pick. Must not forget that he also took time off for a wrist injury in the middle of the season. Am I being unreasonable in my estimation of his ability and ranking? — ARK Not at all, ARK. (And nice research!) It’s because of his success — never mind his age — that he checked in at 75th in my full-membership fantasy projections. Only Bae (35th) and English (59th) were slotted higher. Lee will most certainly emerge in the Power Rankings, but in due time. The data on rookies at Waialae over the last three years is simply too significant to dismiss. NOTE: My first version of the Rookie Rankings will publish on Monday. It will be updated weekly and serve as a subjective peek at how all 26 are performing relative to their peers. MORE BOLTON: Power Rankings | Sleepers | Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton is the PGATOUR.COM’s fantasy columnist. If you have a question for Rob, just fill out the form below or click here. You can also follow Rob on his Twitter account by clicking here Cauley, Bohn cheer on Tide By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM HONOLULU – Bud Cauley and Jason Bohn, former University of Alabama golfers, were in a restaurant at their hotel in Honolulu on Monday to watch their Crimson Tide play LSU in the BCS championship game. Yes, they could be heard — loud and clear — as Alabama won 21-0. “I think everyone knew we were Alabama fans,” said Cauley, a PGA TOUR rookie this year. Was anybody else cheering for the Tide? “No,” Cauley replied, then added, “We converted a couple people by the end of the game.” Bohn played at Alabama in the early 1990s, but Cauley was at the school last year before turning pro in the summer and making enough money in eight starts to earn his PGA TOUR card. He was a student three years ago when Alabama previous won the national title, but was in Australia at the time and did not attend the game. “I have a knack for being far away when they play these games,” Cauley said. “Maybe that’s a good thing. If we get in the (BCS title) game another time, I might go to India or something, just get as far away as I can. “I think I might be bad luck.” Glover WDs from second straight A paddleboard accident nearly two weeks ago has prompted Lucas Glover to withdraw from the Sony Open in Hawaii. Glover fell off the board prior to last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions and sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. He withdrew from the season-opener on Friday but was hoping to be able to play at Waialae this week in the PGA TOUR’s first full-field event. Glover was replaced in the field by Roland Thatcher. According to the Associated Press, Glover hopes to be able to compete at the Farmers Insurance Open in two weeks. Fujikawa, McLachlin in Sony field Local favorites Tadd Fujikawa and Parker McLachlin will be playing in the Sony Open in Hawaii after receiving two of the tournament’s sponsor’s exemptions. Fujikawa, the Honolulu native, who weighed just 31 ounces at birth and was given a 50-50 chance of survival, finished one shot out of a playoff for the final Monday qualifying spot in the Sony Open after shooting a 69. He received the sponsor’s exemption afterwards, joining Parker McLachlin in the field. Fujikawa, who tees off No. 1 at 1:20 p.m. (6:20 p.m. ET) with PGA TOUR rookies Tommy Biershenk and Richard Lee, will be playing in the Sony Open for the fifth time. He tied for 20th in his 2007 debut at the age of 17 – shooting consecutive rounds of 66 on Friday and Saturday — and shared 32nd two years later. McLachlin, who won the 2008 Reno-Tahoe Open, went to the Punahou School in Honolulu, which also happens to be the alma mater of President Barack Obama and LPGA star Michelle Wie. His father, Chris, was President Obama’s high school basketball coach. McLachlin will tee off No. 10 at 1 p.m. (6 p.m. ET) with Steve Wheatcroft and Miguel Tabuena.
