Cleveland manager Terry Francona took some time to reflect on the MLB career of Japanese star pitcher Daisuki Matsuzaka, who announced his retirement from professional baseball this week at age 40.
Dice-K, as he came to be known, returned to Japan after the 2014 season, following a whirlwind eight-year run in MLB that famously began with a frenzied courtship for his services in free agency, through the league's posting process.
The Red Sox, of course, won the Matsuzaka sweepstakes, first outbidding several other teams for his rights, then hammering out a lucrative six-year deal with the star pitcher and his representative, the famed super agent Scott Boras. And, according to Francona, that deal was reached with some good old fashioned wining and dining -- and an awkward gift offering.
Francona, speaking to reporters on Friday, revealed that shortly before a recruiting dinner with Matsuzaka, it came to his attention that it's customary in Japan to present a gift to a visitor. Apparently at a loss on gift ideas for Dice-K, Francona decided to pay a visit to a Dick's Sporting Goods store.
“I remember when we were kind of recruiting Daisuke," Francona said. "Theo Epstein, myself, John Henry and Tom Werner -- we all flew to L.A. to kind of wine and dine him. And at the last minute they told me, ‘You know it’s customary to bring a present.’ So I ran to DICKS Sporting Goods, and I got him a Tom Brady jersey.
"And when he opened [the present], you could see it was like they were giving him Tiffany glass. When he opened [mine], I could see our owners look at me like, ‘What an idiot. What are you doing?’"
While no one is doubting Touchdown Tom's star power in the US and beyond, Japan's love for baseball doesn't seem to extend to American football. Perhaps he was thinking Dice-K would want to fit in in New England.
"I actually thought he might really enjoy it," he joked.
But hey, it's the thought that counts, and Francona's faux pas didn't seem to hurt Boston's pursuit too much, with Matsuzaka later signing a deal worth $52M. He won two World Series in Boston, and later pitched for the Mets.
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