where do the strangers get their money

[Fredia]

51 million just to talk to a pitcher.

[Ron Brand]

$51 million in escrow for the right to negotiate with him; if they don't sign him the money goes back to the Rangers and he doesn't go to another MLB team until next year. If they sign him, they paid the Nippon Ham Fighters $51.7 million to take their best player away.

To answer your question, they get the money from kicking ass.

[ValpoCory]

$51 million in escrow for the right to negotiate with him; if they don't sign him the money goes back to the Rangers and he doesn't go to another MLB team until next year. If they sign him, they paid the Nippon Ham Fighters $51.7 million to take their best player away.

To answer your question, they get the money from kicking ass.

What are the chances Yu does not sign with Texas?  Less than 1%?

[Ron Brand]

What are the chances Yu does not sign with Texas?  Less than 1%?

I think so.  His team is broke, he just got divorced and he can make a ton of cash by going to America.

[drew corleone]

They have a pretty lucrative Tv deal.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Ticket sales, parking, concessions, television, radio, selling ad spots, dumbass consumers, Lynn Ryan's ass...

[Matt]

$51 million in escrow for the right to negotiate with him; if they don't sign him the money goes back to the Rangers and he doesn't go to another MLB team until next year. If they sign him, they paid the Nippon Ham Fighters $51.7 million to take their best player away.

To answer your question, they get the money from kicking ass.

Maybe they'll find out exactly what a Ham Fighter is.

[JimR]

Maybe they'll find out exactly what a Ham Fighter is.

a Japanese Jew

[Ron Brand]

Swine is fine.

[moriartp]

I was so disappointed when I found out it was the [Nippon Ham] [Fighters] rather than the [Nippon] [Ham Fighters]. I'd spent a long time trying to imagine what a Ham Fighter was.

[OregonStrosFan]

I'd've thought a 'Ham Fighter' would have to have been pretty cool as well.  That said... gotta agree with the starting sentiment in this thread.  Lynn Nolan has been spending money like he's got a counterfeiting machine or something...  (Int'l free agent signings / amateurs; Darvish, etc. I've been stunned...).

[Ron Brand]

$3B TV contract, cheap pitching staff and the possibility of lucrative Japanese marketing deals make this one work pretty well. Competing with the Rangers and the Angels and their new TV deals is going to be an uphill climb. Maybe the Curse of the Japanese Starting Pitcher will come into play.

[sporadic]

I was so disappointed when I found out it was the [Nippon Ham] [Fighters] rather than the [Nippon] [Ham Fighters]. I'd spent a long time trying to imagine what a Ham Fighter was.

I immediately thought of this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kefaT6cGmtE

I think it should be his intro should he become a closer.

[Matt]

I was so disappointed when I found out it was the [Nippon Ham] [Fighters] rather than the [Nippon] [Ham Fighters]. I'd spent a long time trying to imagine what a Ham Fighter was.

So they fight Japanese Ham or are they strong supporters of Japanese Ham and fight FOR it?

[Bench]

So they fight Japanese Ham or are they strong supporters of Japanese Ham and fight FOR it?

Either way, they're packing meat.

[Limey]

I immediately thought of this...

I was thinking more along the lines of this.

Or this.