Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Tanaka Fields Tough Questions in Introductory Press Conference

Japanese pitching phenom Masahiro Tanaka was formally introduced at a Yankee Stadium press conferences, fielding a series of what can only be called 'gotcha' questions from the relentless New York media.

Tanaka stumbled at times as he tried to answer questions about his first trip to New York as a high school student, his brief phone conversation with Hideki Matsui, and whether he looked forward to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Tanaka was also asked about the larger balls he would encounter in the Majors, to which Tanaka responded with two uninterrupted minutes of giggling, which I can only assume was nervous in nature.

Now that he's been formally introduced, Tanaka will be expected to deliver a championship. By himself. Last year. Technically he did that, but not for the Yankees, so he's clearly got some catching up to do in the eyes of the fans.

5 comments:

Rich Mahogany said...

More like Masazero.

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

He's clearly in for some choppy waters.

Korean Cartman said...

I hope my Asian brother holds himself together under pressure.

Rich Mahogany said...

He can't deal with the attention in New York. He can't even deal with other passengers on a plane.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/tanaka-tavels-style-charters-195k-jet-article-1.1608819

Korean Cartman said...

I offered Tanaka that I'd carry him and his family including his in-laws on my back all the way from Japan to NYC. I even offered him 5% Asian discount. (I know, it was an amazing offer). He refused, and I could not understand why. Now that article explains how he had guts to refuse my offer.