[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy McGillicuddy

Boston Red Sox have won the bidding war for prized Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, paying more than $50 million just for the rights to negotiate. In money terms, Matsuzaka will become the new A-Rod, making more money in a single season than Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson or Ken Griffey Jr ever made, despite having never thrown a pitch in the majors.



http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2662193

Wasn't sure if I should start a new thread for this, but I was reading something on ESPN that blew me away about this guy:

Three years later, a 17-year-old Matsuzaka capped off an undefeated, 208-strikeout season for Yokohama High School with a performance at the Koshien that was as brutal as it was brilliant. In a complete-game victory over powerhouse PL Gakuen, he threw 250 pitches over 17 innings in withering heat. The following day, in a semifinal against Meitoku Gijuku, he played eight innings in the outfield before throwing a 15-pitch ninth to get a win. And the next day, in the final, he pitched a title-clinching, 11-strikeout no-hitter vs. Kyoto Seisho.

Unbelievable.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2669791