I bought Michael Lewis' Moneyball right when it came out in 2003. A couple of years later my uncle gave me the Japanese version of the book, telling me how I had to read the book. Having already read the original, and not being confident in my Japanese reading ability at the time, the book lay unopened in my room for another couple of years. Having been doing translations for a few weeks I began to wonder how much stuff gets "Lost in Translation." So I decided to translate an excerpt of the Japanese translation back into English. If you compare my version with the original you'll find that the tone of the original is much looser, and the original takes more direct shots at people. Furthermore, the section on the Blue Ribbon Panel in the original is more convoluted in my version than in the original. All this just serves to remind me that there is no such thing as a perfect translation, and that details will inevitably get lost in translation.

Also, this is the first piece I translated off paper and not a digital copy which made looking things up in the dictionary slightly harder. I'll try to post scans of the Japanese pages I translated. The poorly aligned pictures of the pages are now up.

Chapter 6
The science of overcoming inequality

The difficult question Billy Beane faced was one where even figuring out the first step to the solution was hard. It was like a math problem with a cash reward. (alt: It was like trying to solve a Millenium Prize Problem.)

You have $40 million to hire 25 baseball players. On the other hand, your opponent has invested $126 million on their 25 players, and they still have $100 million left to spend. Now, how do you use your $40 million to avoid being embarrassed by your opponent. According to Billy, "There's no way we can do what the Yankees do. If we try to do the same things the Yankees do, we'll definitely lose. They have three times the money we have."

For poor teams, it's impossible to buy popular players in their prime from other teams. For these teams, it is even difficult to acquire average players. The average yearly salary for a Major Leaguer was $2.3 million. But the average yearly salary of the Athletics opening day roster was a little under $1.5 million. Without the funds, they are forced to find players with good value. They have to make due with no-name prospects, or under-valued veterans. But with the way players' salaries have risen over the last 25 years, the very idea of cheap Major Leaguers seems laughable. If the market is operating efficiently, all the good players would be bought up by the rich teams, giving the Athletics no chance to compete. In reality, however, the Athletics are competitive. How could this be?

Ironically, the Major League teams got together to tackle this very question.

The process began after the end of the 1999 season. The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) formed "An Investigative Committee on the Financial Affairs in Baseball." The committee was charged with investigating whether "current operating practices of baseball clubs, unfairly influenced the outcome of games on the field." Major League Commissioner Bud Selig chose 4 outsiders to sit on the committee, former Senator George Mitchell, Yale president Richard Levin, columnist George Will, and former Fed Chair Paul Volcker. The four were charged with compiling a report on the financial inequalities that exist in baseball.
At the time, Selig owned the notoriously poor Milwaukee Brewers. He no doubt wanted to show that the Brewer's weakness stemmed from the lack of sufficient finances, and not from general incompetence. When the committee started to lean toward the conclusion that "player's salaries should be restricted, and richer teams should subsidize poorer teams," Selig was pleased. Selig attempted to get other poor team owners onboard to support the committee's findings. However, when the four committee members objected to Selig's intervention, the owners were relegated to playing an observer role in the committee's proceedings.

Either way the result was the same. In July 2007, the committee produced a report that met Bud Selig's expectations. The report concluded that poorer teams were put into a disadvantage that was detrimental to baseball, and that steps should be taken to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. Interestingly enough, it was conservative columnist George Will that was most vocally supported "socialism in baseball." Will supported his position with numbers. The ratio between the payrolls of the 7 richest teams and the 7 poorest teams in Major League baseball is 4:1. In pro basketball the ratio is 1.75:1, and 1.5:1 in pro football. Will contended that "in baseball success is bought. This isn't a game but a crime." If teams like the Brewers, Royals, and Devil Rays existed simply to lose to the New York Yankees, than the exodus of fans is inevitable.

At first glace these conclusions seem to make sense, but they didn't necessarily correspond to reality. Only Paul Volcker, the only committee member with a financial background, was willing to point out these discrepancies. While the three other committee members were lamenting the rich/poor divide in baseball, Volcker asked two very interesting questions.

1. If the state of poor teams in baseball was so bad, then why are there people who are willing to pay huge sums of money to own Major League teams?
2. If it is impossible for poor teams to win, then why are the Oakland Athletics, whom feature the second-lowest payroll in baseball, so successful?

The owners were not able to answer the first question. But they dragged Billy Beane in front of the committee to answer the second question. In 1998, Billy's first season as GM, the Athletics compiled a record of 74-88, next season they improved to 87-75 and narrowly missed the playoffs. There was no reason to suspect that they could not continue their improvement in 2000. Volcker suspected that there was a secret to their success. If money was the only thing that mattered to winning in baseball, the existence of this exception made no sense. How did this poor team accumulate all these wins?

With a speech written by Paul DePodesta in hand, Billy Beane headed to New York. Billy was willing to cooperate with the proceedings. If the committee found that the Athletics were being put at a disadvantage, than it would be to his advantage. The Athletics would have nothing to lose if payroll restrictions were put into effect, and if the rich Yankees were forced to subsidize the poorer teams, all the better! Billy stood in front of the committee and put the following slide on the projector.

The Movie: Major League
A movie based on the perennial cellar dwelling Cleveland Indians

Synopsis
In order to deliberately construct a losing team, the owner invites only third-rate players to spring training. The baseball officials determine that "all these players are past their peak." The fans who see the roster say they "only recognize half the names."

Our team is in a similar situation to that depicted in the movie.

( Original )

( Copies of Japanese Pages )

It's baseball week at Kozo's translation blog! Ever wonder what kind of stories are being filed by Japanese media members that make up those ridiculous mobs that seem to follow around Japanese Major Leaguers? With the World Baseball Classic heading into round 2, my various Japanese newsfeeds are being inundated stories about Samurai Japan, as the Japanese team is referred to by the Japanese media. Stories about the dangerous and emblematic Ichiro, Fidel Castro's translated words, not mine, seem to be especially prevalent. I've translated one such story, because I doubt you'll be seeing this in the English sports press any time soon.

Glove ready! Ichiro is prepared to defend the infield.
(translated from the March 12th edition of Daily Sports)

It was reported on the 10th that Ichiro Suzuki, currently representing Japan at the World Baseball Classic, had an infielder's glove made for himself during the offseason. While he is an outfielder, Ichiro is known to show off fast and smooth defence like an infielder. It seems he's getting ready "just in case."

After the end of last season, Ichiro asked Mizuno glove-master Kosaku Kishimoto to design a glove that is shorter and has a shallower pocket than his current outfielder glove. According to an insider, Ichiro used the glove to field grounders at shortstop during his offseason training sessions in Kobe. He tested the glove's feel and practiced getting the ball out of the glove.

Ichiro decided to get an infielder's glove after he had two opportunities to play the infield last season (vs. Minnesota Aug. 16 & vs. Los Angeles Sept. 14). In both games, with the score tied in the ninth inning, the Mariners played a 5-man infield shift that put Ichiro near second base. At the time, Ichiro noted "I need an infielder's glove. Not a third baseman's glove, probably a shortstop's glove. I'll ask Mr. Kishimoto to make me one."

In a short series like the WBC where a lucky run can mean the difference between winning and going home, Ichiro seems to believe that luck favors the prepared. In a workout on February 7, Ichiro practiced throwing pitches off the mound just in case he would be needed as an emergency reliever if a game went into extra innings. It is a true professional that prepares for a 5 man infield shift, because while the chances of it being needed is small, it is not zero. At today's session of batting practice, out of the 63 balls he swung at, 11 cleared the fence. While he did foul a pitch off his right foot, things seems to be going smoothly, as he told reporters "you don't need any (comments) from me today." He is prepared to deal with any situation he may be face.

( Original )

I've been following the World Baseball Classic on television these days. I've even gotten up at 5 am a couple of times to watch the Japanese team play. I'm not the only one watching the Japanese team on TV. It seems Fidel Castro is following the WBC, and he had some things to say in his 'Reflections by Comrade Fidel' column which is syndicated in Cuban newspapers. 'Reflections by Comrade Fidel' reads like a blog and besides baseball, ole' Fidel has tons of ideas to share about all kinds of stuff (like America's 11th President). I've translated the English translation of his entry on the WBC into Japanese. Yes, I realize how ridiculous that is, but I figured translating a piece written in non-Native English would be an interesting challenge. PLUS it's the first piece that I've done written in the first person. I've also included the Spanish original for all my Spanish reading audience (all 0 of you), so you can tell me how close the Spanish translation is to the English.

フィデル・カストロの第二回ワールド・ベースボール・クラシック（WBC）についての沈思
カストロ同志の沈思

私はベースボール・クラシックの模様を国立テレビ事業を通しては意見している。

チューバの強敵、日本と韓国の試合は月曜日3月9日に行われた。日本に攻撃が二回しか残されていなかったときは、韓国が1-0とリードしていた。

その回、先頭打者が三振したあと、前3打席ヒットなしだった危険で象徴的なイチローがヒットを打った。

日本のコーチは、疑いもなく一流の、第二打者にバントを命じた。結果として日本は相手に二つ目のアウトを与えた。

私はこの行為は、我がチームにとって、どう考えても間違いだと確信を持っている。

日本のチームは優秀で技能が優れたチームだ。私は我がチームのWBC優勝はこのチームを破って飾りたい。

ただし、もし私が日曜日3月8日の昼に見たキューバ対南アフリカ戦での我がチームの不注意が続けばそこまでたどりつけないだろう。

オリベラとパレは共に一塁で牽制され、ミチェル・エンリケスは無理に二塁へ進もうとして相手にアウトを与えてしまった。彼の過ちはコーチの走塁戦略が積極過ぎたせいかもしれない。

我がチームが放った六本の本塁打はWBC記録であって、このような間違えがなければ、7回でコールド勝ちでき、キューバのスポーツに十分に値する名誉を捧げただろう。

私がこのような批判をするのは間違えを犯した三人は優れた選手であるからだ。彼らは自分が犯した間違えに対して驚異的な恥を感じているが、それでも自分に自信をもっているはずだ。

彼らはこの国際競技でスポーツの純粋さを代表してることを知っている。私は自分の意見を感心と共に正直に表明する必要がある。

フィデル・カストロ・ルス
2009年3月９日

( The English Translation )( The Original )

People who know me know I have an interest in Japanese baseball players in the major leagues. So I took the opportunity to go out to Toronto to watch the Blue Jays take on Ichiro, Kenji Johjima, and the rest of the Seattle Mariners. While I generally root for the Jays, given the wealth of Japanese talent that have passed through Seattle I consider myself a bigger Mariners fan (obviously my heart will forever remain with the Expos). The Jays won 6-4 on good hitting and a quality start from AJ Burnett. Unfortunately the Mariners have been mired in a losing streak that now stands at 9 games after today's loss to the Jays. Ichiro was an unimpressive 0-4, and Johjima was 0-3 with a sac fly. This game was the first time I've seen Ichiro live in the Majors (I saw him Japan many years ago), and while his performance on the field wasn't much, I still enjoyed watching his elaborate stretching routine on the on-deck circle.

While the Jays were clearly the better team today, I didn't come away too impressed with the team. While the Jays showed flashes of greatness at the end of the ay they still only won by 2 points after out-hitting Seattle 14-6, and out walking them 5-1, that's a lot of men left on base.

All in all not a particularly memorable game, but a day game on a sunny day under the open dome was quite nice.

Hi all! It's been a while... Since I last wrote in this blog I've taken in a Japanese baseball game, I've travelled to Nagasaki, I've read another book, and I've parted ways with Josh.

Firstly, Josh and I saw the local Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks take on the Chiba Lotte Marines managed by former MLB manager Bobby Valentine. MLB fans may have recognized Benny Agbayani (now known as ベニー), he now plays for the Marines. The game, watched by a little under 35000 fans, was agreat pitchers' duel with both starting pitchers throwing complete games. In fact the game came down to the last pitch when Hiroshi Shibahara of the Hawks took Shunsuke Watanabe's (whom some of you may remember from the WBC) two out pitch out to the right field foul pole for the game's only run in the bottom of the ninth. Josh and I had been joking that the game would OBVIOUSLY have to end with a two out full count homerun, but we didn't think our prediction would even come close to coming true. From a baseball standpoint the game was great, I only wish the dome could have been open. Funny how both live games I've attended this year have lead to pitchers duels, and had closed retractable roofs.

We sat to the third base side of home plate, only rows away from the best seats. We even got free t-shirts because I had gotten the tickets at 7 Eleven (the Japanese take the word convenience in convenience store very seriously). The entertainment value of the game was also quite good. Both side's cheering sections were quite hot, but at times the main crowd was a bit docile. SoftBank features 8 Hawk mascots (who look more like chickens), and a streotypically white and blond MC who spoke some (I think deliberately) weird Japanese. The MC was the only thing that bugged me about the game, since it just seemed exploitative. But I enjoyed watching Josh marvel at the confetti throwing after the fifth, the yellow balloon launch after the seventh, and the white balloon launch, fireworks, and 'hero interviews' after the home team win.

Also of note was the hotel we stayed in in Fukuoka. The room was barely big enough to hold our two twin beds but still managed to fit everything you would find in a regular hotel room. The room's TV also had porn so we were able to get a taste of Japan's weird censorship laws, and downright creepy porn. Needless to say we won't be rushing out to extoll the virues of Japanese porn.

The next day we made our way to Nagasaki. We took in the Nagasaki Peace Park and A-bomb museum on our arrival. The museum was probably the best exhibit we saw and Japan, and probably one of the best compiled I've ever seen. The exhibits clearly examine the damage caused by the bomb, and isn't afraid to criticize the Japanese government of the past (even calling it faschist). The park also featured interesting things like statues donateed by various countries. We were somewhat suprised to find many Soviet bloc statues getting prime spots leading up to the main Peace Statue. The Peace Statue is an impressive sight. I would recommend a trip to Nagasaki to see these sights alone.

I have some more to write but I have places to go and people to see so I'll continue this later...

I spent sometime at the Toronto General Hospital yesterday, interpreting for a group of Japanese nurses. I always feel uncomfortable in hospitals, and medical settings in general. It's partly the depressing atmosphere, and partly a fear of nosocomial infections (院内感染 in Japanese). The group was very kind, so that made the experience a little better. They were also impressed with my backstory, which was probably why they ended up paying me more than I expected. It turns out my simultaneous interpretation skills were a little rusty, so the job was good prep for my upcoming trip to Japan. All in all, a good day's work.

After the job I decided to go wander around Toronto's "path" underground system. I ended up getting a guidebook so I can start planning a trip out to Western Japan before I get to my workcamp in Aichi.

Finally I hooked up with Nathan to go catch the Blue Jay/Brewer game at the SkyDome (since I refuse to call it the Roger's Centre). It was my first game at the SkyDome, and I was amazed at the amenities that you find in a modern baseball stadium. After years of going to games at the Olympic Stadium, I never realized what I was missing out on. It was also a big thrill to see the SkyDome's roof retract before the game. Unfortunately the game wasn't too fun to watch. The Blue Jays scored 6 runs in the first inning, making the outcome pretty much foregone conclusion. Given the fact that neither one of us had a strong attachment to either team we got bored pretty quickly. It also didn't help that we were sitting with a group of obnoxious high school kids.

We ended up ditching the game after the sixth inning. We hooked up with Nathan's sister, and ended up having various philosophical discussions over drinks at the Elephant and Castle. Fun times...

Game Report #7
It was a heartbreaker at the Big O this afternoon, as the Expos came back late but let it slip away in the ninth. Livan Hernandez pitched well after giving up 2 quick runs in the first, while the Expos were shut out by Pete Munro for 6 innings. Despite 3 errors by his infield Munro was able to keep the ball on the ground, and kept the Expos from scoring. Finally in the scored a run in the sixth and 3 runs in the seventh, giving the Expos a 2 run lead. Hernandez put two runners on in the ninth. He was spelled by Luis Ayala who promptly let 3 runs in, costing the Expos game. So the Expos' 7 game winning streak comes to an end.

Record of the Expos when I'm in attendance: 3-4 (Still not a winning record)

Other Stuff
I had dinner with Josh, Nate, John, and my folks. Good food and conversation all around. It's nice to have inter-generational talk... Life is good!!!

Also the US Olympic Basketball team lost to Puerto Rico today. It was the first loss in the Olypics for the USA since the "Dream Team" concept was introduced in 1992. Carlos Arroyo (the Utah Jazz point guard) played a beautiful game for Puerto Rico, go teamwork!!!

Very good pitcher's duel at the Stadium tonight, Randy Johnson (Arizona) vs. Livan Hernandez. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you are) Randy Johnson isn't the dominating pitcher I witnessed a couple of years ago. Johnson gave up 3 runs over the first 2 innings, before he buckled down. He lasted 6 innings, giving up 5 hits and a walk, while striking out just 4. Livan scattered 7 hits and 2 walks over 8 innings, while striking out 8. The game showcased a couple of really neat defensive plays, and a couple of almost great plays. It's obvious why the Diamondbacks are sucking this season, the 'backs were playing with so many young fill-in players, it was almost sad.

In other news:
- The rain got so bad outside that it started dripping on the seat in front of us.
- Two knuckleheads ran onto the field.
- I also saw Erik Stamboulieh and Pedro Avella, both seemed quite happy with life.

Record of the Expos when I'm in attendance: 3-3

Tim Raines Day drew a crowd of 18,114. I was very touched by Raines' thank you speech to the fans. Although it wasn't the most eloquent speech I've ever heard, it was very genuine and heartfelt. The game that followed was perhaps the wildest game I've ever witnessed in person. The offense problem I mentioned last time disappeared, as the Expos scored in 7 of the 8 innings they came up to bat. The Expos got 18 hits (including 4 homers), drew 6 walks, and got hit twice en-route to scoring 17 runs. What should have been a rout after a 9 run second inning where Juan Rivera homered twice, including a grand slam, became a close win for the Expos. The White Sox got 15 hits, drew 7 walks, and also got hit twice en-route to scoring 14 runs. As you can see the pitching was horrible, every pitcher except the Japanese Takatsu Shingo (Mr. Zero) was involved in giving up a run. I should note that I thought Takatsu's throwing motion was very cool. It was a very interesting game to watch.

Record of the Expos when I'm in attendance: 2-3

Notes to self:
- Finish QSDA meeting minutes
- Buy a Hamilton Tiger-Cats cap

The Expos have no offense!!! It seems the Expos are incapable of scoring more than one run in an inning. Tonight the Expos actually left 22 men on base, and failed to score more than one run in any inning. Livan Hernandez had an OK start and should have won. The crowd was pretty good (10,044), too bad it was because of the cheap tickets and hot dogs, not the team. On a brighter note Jose Vidro got his 1000th career hit, and I got to see Riley, Jeff, and a bunch of other St George's teachers.

Record of the Expos when I'm in attendance: 1-3

Other stuff:
I contributed a pretty good node to E2 today. I hope to write up a couple more before I leave for Moncton.

( Game Report #3 )

Other things:
I actually saw Nancy Brown again for the first time in two years. She was manning the Amnesty International table at the John Lennon/Yoko Ono Bed-in 35th Anniversary exhibit at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. She was the person who introduced me to the whole idea of workcamps. It was good to see her again. I think I should start doing Amnesty activities again.

Since I'm going to take my computer with me to mcmaster, we bought my mother a new eMac. So now I have a temporary network to play around with. I never realized how old my computer was, I think I'm going to get a new computer next year when I have some money coming my way.

I'm still formulating my election predictions...

11

I went to the baseball game with Em and the rest of the gang. Unfortunately the Expos lost to the Braves 6-1. It was a pretty pitiful performance by Nos Amour, the last 17 Expos batters were retired without much excitement. I think the highlight of the game was when both benches cleared after Livan Hernandez hit Johnny Estrada. The great thing about a small crowd (4544), is that you get entire bleacher sections to yourself. We had fun though, we ended up having an in depth discussion on which Expo player was the hottest (I say Brian Schneider). It's too bad this is how the final season is shaping up... Hopefully they'll do better when Nate and I go this weekend.

Record of the Expos when I'm in attendance: 0-2

I just got back from the Expos game. Unfortunately the Expos lost 8-6 (it wasn't as close as it sounds). The game began with the first four Phillies scoring without recording an out, so the opening day crowd (30,122) were pretty out of it for most of the game. The Expos came back in the 6th inning and tied the game 5-5, but the Phillies scored runs in the next three innings to effectively put it away. The Expos were able to put up 12 hits but many of them were scattered and came after 2 outs. Hopefully this performance signals the beginning of an offensive surge.

As an aside, I'm so ashamed to be a man sometimes. At the game whenever a woman wearing a tight shirt walked by, my entire section of drunken guys started hooting and hollering. Needless to say I wasn't hollering, it was downright embarrassing. I also witnessed a fist fight between two guys after one of them accidentally spilled beer on the other guy. I don't want to be associated with that...

Finally, I GOT MY BIKE BACK!!!!!!! The ride was sexy smooth.

Nothing of real note has happened recently, so I'll just list things that have happened/crossed my mind.

- I've completed my search for good biking gear. I got good gloves, jersey and MTB shorts, now all I need is a bike. After getting soaked in my own sweat riding all of last season in cotton t-shirts and jeans, I decided to invested in some high quality gear for this season. I can feel the difference just wearing the gear, it breathes and keeps my body cool. I also discovered that I look decent in tight fitting clothes. After years of loose fitting clothes (I usually wear L or XL t-shirts, I'm actually an M) maybe I should change styles. I don't plan to do anything drastic, yet.

- An old family friend invited me to go to the Expo's home opener on Friday. Hopefully the Expo's will draw a crowd even if the Canadians start their round 2 games on Friday. The 'Spos have been sucking, and it doesn't look to change. But I'll support them 'til the end, which I'm sure is imminent.

- I can't believe the term ends next week, I still have so much to do. The physics exam is scaring the hell out of me. Must do better everywhere else to compensate.

That is all...