Editor’s Note: “Kudo and Kimura in the Morning” premiered on ESPN-Japan Radio on January 3, 2013, and the show became an immediate hit.  Hosting are the Ghosts’ longtime second baseman, 35-year-old Sadao Kudo, and his double-play partner, 35-year-old shortstop Naizen Kimura.

[Cue theme song:
Its Kudo and Kimura in the Morning!
They make sure that baseball’s never boring!
If you listen you never will be snoring!
Oh, its Kudo and Kimura in the Morning!]

Kudo: Goooooood morning, sayonara, everyone.  Even you, Naizen.
Kimura: Sadao, may the sun shine in every one of your orifices.
Kudo:   Is that the plural of orifice?  Wouldn’t it be orifii?
Kimura: Do me a favor, let’s NOT go to the phones on that one.
Kudo: So what does this bright new morning bring the appropriately named League of the Rising Sun?
Kimura:  I don’t think we can top this one: a huge, huge off-season deal involving the Evas and the Korean, uh, gentlemen, the Crushers.
Kudo:  Yea, I want to know how Koreans got into our league?  Do Koreans even understand baseball?
Kimura:  You keep at it, Sadao, and we’ll have more protests at the studio like the time you called Tomiji Watanabe a fa–
Kudo: Hold on, we don’t need to revisit this.
Kimura: Ok, let’s look at this deal.  I think we have a slide showing how this trade breaks down…
Kudo: Slide?
Kimura: You know, a graphic, a chart.
Kudo:  For a radio show?
Kimura:  Yea, I guess that doesn’t work.  
Kudo:  Ok, lets’s run down the deal.  Evas are sending $3.5 million to Seoul, along with two gaijen, catcher Cisco Salinas and AAA starter Marat Mushtak.
Kimura:  Sounds good so far.  Seoul needs cash, we know that much.
Kudo:  Yea, but two gaijen?
Kimura:  Can I please finish?
Kudo:  Go ahead…
Kimura:  Crushers send their 2nd rounder draft pick, their fourth rounder, their 8th rounder, their 9th rounder, their tenth rounder…
Kudo:  All those picks for just cash and two gaijen?  Holy sushi, Batman, let’s go to the phones…
Kimura:  Wait, I’m not done.  Seoul also sends two Japanese prospects, catcher Motoki Sakamoto
and starter Misao Kodo.
Kudo: …
Kimura:  Now I’m done.
Kudo:  …
Kimura:  Is the great Sadao Kudo actually speechless?
Kudo:  I think I’m nauseous.
Kimura:  Well, the men’s room is down the hall.  So Evas get two Japanese spects and four picks, Seoul gets two gaijen and cold hard yen.
Kudo;  Not liking it, gotta say, not liking it for Seoul.  
Kimura:  You’re not the only one.  The ESPN-Japan.com fan forum is burning up with this.  Here are some of the comments from the site: “It irks me to see these type of deals done. I guess I’m just a believer that in the end – it is talent that wins baseball games not money. True, you need money to get talent. But the I think the reverse is just as true – you need talent to get money.”
Kudo:   And here’s another comment, “I’m not getting how a rebuilding team like Seoul benefits from trading away so many picks. Sometimes even a 10th rounder can become a diamond in the rough.”
Kimura:  And this one:  “I think those late draft picks are worth more than $3.5 mil. Those players most likely won’t be spectacular players but will come in handy in trades in the future or even for developing into role players that championship teams are made of.”
Kudo:  Another commenter looked at this deal and the previous SS-Seoul trade and concluded, “It’s not a very good trade for a rebuilding team, and neither was the last one.  Trading away four pretty decent Japanese prospects (that includes 2 catchers and a LHP) plus six draft picks is a pretty odd way to go about a rebuild.”
Kimura: Stop, stop, stop.  I can’t take anymore.  I will commit Harey Carey.  I’m just shaking my head over this, gotta tell you…
Kudo:  Well, in the interest of balance, we sent our intern, Stutterin’ Hamashi, out to get responses from the two GMs involved.  Let’s roll the tape:

Hamashi:  I’m he-he-here with Seoul Cr-Cr-Cr-Crushers General Manager Ishimaru Kaito.  Mr. Kaito, your team has the woo-wooo-worst record in the League of the Rising Sun.  How c-c-c-could you possibly trade away all those draft p-p-p-picks?  And those p-p-p-prospects?  How c-c-could you?
Kaito:  “Well, yeah, I see where everyone is coming from.  But I have a set team on my Ranma Pandas and I am trying to make money before I get them to pros. I know the fact that trading cash for draft picks is iffy to many owners but I would rather be $7M in the red by year’s end and not $17M by year’s end. That’s how I looked at it. Just trying to get out of the red faster then normal.”
Hamashi:  Th-th-thank you Mr. Kaito.  Now we have here the Shin Seiki Evas General Manager, Mr. Kevin Vail.  Mr. Vail, do you think the cr-cr-cr-criticism of the Cr-Cr-Cr-Crushers is warranted?  Are you just t-t-t-taking advantage?
Vail:  “It comes down to a matter of philosophy. Some GM’s prefer to add as many prospects as possible. To them this trade would make little sense. Others, like Kaito, focus on acquiring fewer premium prospects. Kaito does what ever he needs to do to get the prospects he sets his sights on. You might disagree with that philosophy, but you have to give him credit for being decisive, which I think is the single biggest thing a GM needs to be.”
(end tape)

Kudo:  Thank you, Stutterin’ Hamashi for those fine interviews.
Kimura:  A matter of philosophy, huh?  Decisive, huh? So I guess Seoul has a game plan, even if us peons dont’ understand it.
Kudo:  Well, if there is a game plan, its more than Ghosts management seems to have.  They’re not even making any deals!  They’re the poster child for lack of a game plan….
Kimura:  True enough.  Let’s not talk about the Ghosts, I’m going to get more nauseous.
Kudo:  Well, we’re about out of time, anyway.  I will say two things — this deal leaves Seoul with precisely one pick in the amateur draft, a first rounder.  He’d better hope he signs the guy.  Secondly, I have no doubt we’re going to talking about this deal well into spring training.
Kimura:  Ah, yes, spring training.  I cannot wait for the smell of the grass… the smell of the gloves… the smell of those cute young–
Kudo:  Enough! Sayonara, Naizen, before you get into trouble.  And to all our listeners — good day and come be with us tomorrow for more hijinks and craziness (shouting) in the League of the RISING Suuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

[Cue theme song:
Its Kudo and Kimura in the Morning!
They make sure that baseball’s never boring!
After the game they always go out whorin’
Oh, its Kudo and Kimura in the Morning!]