Baseball is one of the best spectator sports in the world. The cheer of the crowd, the crack of the bat, the hot dogs, and even the public restrooms make the whole experience that much better. Well, maybe not the restroom part, unless you are lucky enough to take in a game at the Seibu Dome just outside of Tokyo.
It all started a couple of years ago when the Boston Red Sox seduced star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka away from the Seibu Lions. Through MLB’s agreement with the professional league in Japan, US teams had a precious few days to make an offer on Matsuzaka through something known as the posting system. Basically, the Red Sox won this type of auction, and paid about $50 million through the nose for the rights to the popular pitcher. As a result, the Lions were swimming in an udon soup of hot new cash. ]]>