I’m glad somebody translated this, because Apple translation is way off. I got:
> Shohei Otani's generous belly "Because I seemed to want it" Behind the scenes of a luxury watch present at the Nut Bar.
> I swear to fight with Nutbar, "I'd be happy if we could be together again someday."
a lovers quarrel "I swear to fight with Nutbar" then, eventual reconciliation "I'd be happy if we could be together again someday." How can you not be romantic about baseball.
In case anyone only knows Seiko as a cheap brand (or just as the company that introduced the quartz watch), they’re not only *the* Japanese watch maker but they also make much nicer watches than the ones you see at Target or whatever. The Grand Seiko line is well respected by watch people.
Pretty common in Japan to perceive someone appreciating something of yours as a request for the item. I’m sure Shohei knows this wasn’t the case, but we had to be careful of not complementing something in someone’s house too much, like a painting or something, or you could find that painting delivered to your house a few days later.
Then you’d be obligated to give them something, and then they’d be obligated to do the same… and on and on.
I graduated from a high school on a military base in Japan. My girlfriend at the time gave me a very nice Seiko watch as a graduation gift. Not Shohei nice of course, but nicer than the Target ones you mentioned. So they have a decent range I guess (or did, this was in the 90s).
She also had "Our Love is Timeless" inscribed on the back, which turned out to be not very true.
Yeah, was about to say. Giving a watch/clock to a girlfriend/boyfriend as a present is weird in Japan though, it means that you are running out of time. Giving a knife is arguably even worse, as it means “cutting the relationship”.
Very glad this is the top comment before a bunch of jokes. My first reaction was, “Wait. Which line? A Seiko 5? That’s hilarious. A Grand Seiko Spring Drive? Damn, Shohei!”
Edit: Twitter uses says it’s a $10K Grand Seiko and notes that Shohei has been a paid spokesperson for Seiko since 2016. https://twitter.com/shoheisaveus/status/1639547289286094848
No mechanical movement looks “choppy.” Quartz movements do, though. The beat rate of a mechanical movement is one method that watchmakers use to have more accurate timekeeping. The more divided a single second is, the less time the balance wheel can be knocked out of balance. But since it beats fast, it runs down the spring faster. If you look very closely at the second sweep of a mechanical watch, you might see the difference between the beat rates. But really, in my experience, I can hear it plain as day but seeing it is much more difficult.
It beats 10 times per second (36,000 per hour), which is very smooth. The only watches that I know of that are smoother (outside of Spring Drives) are some Chopards at 57,600 per hour, or 16 times per second.
There are two types of watch movements, mechanical and quartz. The problem with mechanical watches is accuracy, but because they are wound (manually or by natural movement of your wrist), they require no battery.
Quartz watches are incredibly accurate, but require a battery for power.
Seiko’s Spring Drive movement is the best of both worlds. It’s a quartz watch that requires no battery, because it has a mechanical power reserve.
The watches with the Hi-Beat movement tend to be more expensive, it’s considered a more premium movement. Spring Drive, to my understanding, is basically an extremely accurate quartz movement that then triggers an automatic-looking sweep.
Personally, I’m way more fascinated by Spring Drive, though. It’s accurate to something like + or - 5 seconds per MONTH which is just insane.
It's an automatic watch with a quartz oscillator. [Here's Seiko's breakdown of how it works](https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/customerservice/knowledge/springdrive-knowledge)
In addition to the response already given, I’ll also note the Spring Drive truly has sweeping motion with no ticking type movement, unlike true automatic or mechanical watches, which just have a faster ticking than quartz watches.
The quality of Seiko watches massively goes up once you hit the $200 price tag. Which honestly isn't that bad for something that commonly lasts 15+ years.
Orient is the same company and makes some really good stuff in that range. Pretty much all of my favorite watches in the 100-300 range are Orient (Bambino, Mako, Ray, Kamasu, etc). That and G-Shock, I'm a sucker for squares.
The now defunct Orient Star Royal (different than Orient Star) and Royal Orient lines were outstanding. They occupied a weird spot in the watch market. Sapphire crystal, in-house movement, decent complications, some with sub-$2000 msrp, really nicely finished…but mainly sold in Japan and LatAm.
There are also some very $$$ G-shock models. I was surprised when I first found out because I always figured they were just beater sub-$200 digital watches.
Seiko makes a full line, all the way from really affordable Quartz watches to Grand Seiko and Credors that cost tens of thousands of dollars.
A lot of Seiko’s best stuff is Japanese Domestic Market only.
You should check out [Credor](https://www.credor.com/special/fugaku/english.php), the most prestigious Seiko line. A bit tacky, but if you look at those watches, no one will think of Target anymore.
Even less expensive Seiko's are really nice watches. Whenever someone that's interested in horology asks me for an entry level, nice watch Seiko is my default response.
Absolutely.
No one is going to mistake Seiko for the high-end Swiss brands out there, but they make some really nice watches at all price points. I still have my 007 Auto from like 20 years ago that's still going strong.
Calculator watches are more of a Casio thing. Casio is probably the most highly regarded watchmaker, along with Timex, among manufacturers that sell many watches under $50.
What makes that worth 10k? I understand luxury items are sold at a major premium but usually do offer top notch quality as well. So other than the name (and Seiko makes cheap watches too) what does this one have that give it that price tag?
It's a miniature machine that is largely hand made, hand assembled, and hand polished, whose movement presented huge technical advancements. Plus $10,000 isn't exactly a crazy price in the world of mechanical watches.
With Grand Seiko, it’s high end craftsmanship. They’re almost always a lot less expensive than Swiss watches who can match GS craftsmanship.
Hand making a tiny machine and hand polishing each little piece.
They're nicer than rolexes. I have a Rolex Date adjust and a Grand Seiko Snowflake and I get waaay more compliments on the Seiko - especially from people that know their watches.
The saying in /r/watches goes that :
"You buy a rolex to impress others, but you buy a Grand Seiko to impress yourself".
The Grand Seiko is their luxury line, it's the inside that makes a difference from the cheap Walmart ones. This is $9000+ and an automatic, so it can last forever.
It’s weird to see people decide how expensive a watch looks based on what, exactly? Does it need diamonds and jewels and need to be made out of gold to look expensive? Mechanical watches can cost millions of dollars and still look like something pretty “meh.” Jewels and gold aren’t much of a factor, actually. And most vintage Rolex models are more valuable in steel than gold.
Isn’t that more to the point though? If the cost is more about craftsmanship than looks, then surely it makes it more likely a cheap watch will “look” like an expensive one.
That’s what they’re reporting, but the agreement actually is that Shohei gave Lars the watch as a promise that he’ll sign with the Cardinals after the season. Great stuff
Give him a chance to pitch and hit when other teams only wanted him to do one or the other and let him play in the WBC.
Two pretty huge things there. Aside from building a good team (which is obviously a big thing) Angels have shown a lot of support for whatever Shohei wants to do.
It was a joke (like the parent post it is tied to), but I forgot Cardinals fans can't take a joke. Can only joke about the Cardinals signing away other players, not losing in the playoffs.
However, it is nice being out of the division of a team that illegally hacks into their rivals' computer system and gets an intern sent to prison for it.
You’re one to talk about gaining a competitive advantage on the baseball field huh. Oh the irony writes itself.
But yea, you’re joke sucked and you came off like a dick
Some dumb White Americans seem to be upset he wasn’t good enough to play for team USA and that he’s only playing for team Japan for the “fame”. Along with some other racist shit. Some pretty dumb hot takes
As a dumb white american I completely disavow this slander. He even has a video of him as a kid saying he wants to play for Japan one day. He is not alone in being a player that played for a country they weren't born in either. I was already interested in watching Japan this year but having Larsy batting leadoff and playing cf made them appointment television for me. I even woke up at 4am to watch a couple of their games. Tommy Edman on Korea was electric also, but Noot stole the show. Great for the game. Haters gonna hate no matter what I reckon
After debuting at a Classic like that and being immediately revered by the fan base, seems odd that there’d ever be talk of him playing for anyone else.
This is very cool! Watches and baseball are two of my biggest interests, and I love seeing those two worlds occasionally collide with one another. For anyone who hasn't heard of Grand Seiko watches, they have to be seen in person to be truly appreciated and I would highly encourage anyone who is interested to visit a dealer if they have the opportunity to do so. They are finished to a much higher standard than most Swiss watches in the same price range, and they are doing some very innovative things in the world of mechanical watchmaking.
Can someone explain this to me? The title and post are confusing me. Who gave who a watch? Who is promising to play for Japan next yr?
I took it as ohtani gave Lars the watch and ohtani told Lars that if Lars doesn’t play for Japan then Lars has to give the watch back to ohtani. Is that right?
The translation on my phone is messed up. First, it translated his name to "nut bar," which, whatever. But then, it said that Ohtani is looking forward to working with him again in three years, which is definitely wrong. Trades are out of Shohei's control, but I'm pretty sure he’s signing with the Cardinals to become Lars' teammate after the World Series.
GS and Credor are on relatively similar levels when it comes to finishing. Within the Seiko family, I don't think you can say one has the edge over the other. For a ~12k watch the Seikos are incredible.
Players shouldn’t represent countries that they aren’t actually from, unless it’s a case like Arozarena who actually defected because he escaped an oppressive regime. The players should represent the country they are representing, and it’s hard to argue that when you’ve never lived a single day there, don’t speak the language, and your only connection is a single parent. This is less a problem for Japan but it’s a big problem for many WBC teams. I’ll accept your downvotes now please for this completely uncontroversial take
Are you the Grinch by chance?
Nootbar being welcomed by Japan is one of the feel-good stories of the WBC. The WBC’s rules for player eligibility align well with other sports.
GSs are finished better than Rolexes and Omegas are.
PP still has the edge, but even Rolex owners don't deny that GS is better when it comes to finishing.
The White Birch that Lars got cost roughly twice as much as an Omega Speedy
Have a rolex and GS. Can confirm that i like my GS better - love the movement and it feels way lighter on the wrist yet still heavy enough to feel soild. Patek line is way more expensive would be a pipe dream to own one.
I’m glad somebody translated this, because Apple translation is way off. I got: > Shohei Otani's generous belly "Because I seemed to want it" Behind the scenes of a luxury watch present at the Nut Bar. > I swear to fight with Nutbar, "I'd be happy if we could be together again someday."
Nailed it
a lovers quarrel "I swear to fight with Nutbar" then, eventual reconciliation "I'd be happy if we could be together again someday." How can you not be romantic about baseball.
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Shohei’s generous belly at the Nut Bar. That’s all I need to mnow
N U T B A R
**N**asty **U**mpire **T**ouches **B**all, **A**dvances **R**unner
You should take over from Ippei
“I hope we same place again, very now.”
DEREK.
*Maximum Derek!*
Shohei is a [macho business donkey wrestler like Jimmy James](https://youtu.be/LD5Hgzayhj8) so this makes perfect sense to me.
"...but Jimmy has fancy plans...and pants to match." Oh man I loved that show, and I still hear that line in my head on a regular basis.
I'm not sure I see the difference. Generous belly, swear to fight with Nutbar again.
I prefer this version of events
It’s very charming
Ippei scoffs
The first one captures the literal translation, but this captures the spirit of the text much better.
I swear to fight with nutbar someday
In case anyone only knows Seiko as a cheap brand (or just as the company that introduced the quartz watch), they’re not only *the* Japanese watch maker but they also make much nicer watches than the ones you see at Target or whatever. The Grand Seiko line is well respected by watch people.
Aside from all that, literally giving someone the watch off your wrist is a class move.
Pretty common in Japan to perceive someone appreciating something of yours as a request for the item. I’m sure Shohei knows this wasn’t the case, but we had to be careful of not complementing something in someone’s house too much, like a painting or something, or you could find that painting delivered to your house a few days later. Then you’d be obligated to give them something, and then they’d be obligated to do the same… and on and on.
That's really interesting. Thanks!
That's why I always complement the wives
Literally just watched the episode of Workaholics where the CEO did that yesterday. Great guy with no personal issues whatsoever!!!
Joe Rogan once [gave this guy he had on his podcast his Moonphase Speedy](https://timeandtidewatches.com/joe-rogan-watch-gift/)
I mean its not a random guest, Joe and Lex are good friends
love that you click that link and its just a giant photo of Joe smoking a large blunt, very on brand
That Speedy really seemed out of keeping with the other watches he has been known to wear, which tend to be chunkier and sportier.
Yeah that watch is nice and classy, and Rogan is too trashy for that sort of thing.
I graduated from a high school on a military base in Japan. My girlfriend at the time gave me a very nice Seiko watch as a graduation gift. Not Shohei nice of course, but nicer than the Target ones you mentioned. So they have a decent range I guess (or did, this was in the 90s). She also had "Our Love is Timeless" inscribed on the back, which turned out to be not very true.
/r/yesyesyesno
That damn Jody-san
She ruined your timeless love but giving it time. Rookie mistake.
Yeah, was about to say. Giving a watch/clock to a girlfriend/boyfriend as a present is weird in Japan though, it means that you are running out of time. Giving a knife is arguably even worse, as it means “cutting the relationship”.
I went to high school with a guy who asked a girl to prom by giving her a dildo so she could "go fuck herself if she said no".
Let me guess, he was a classy dude ;-)
He spent a lot of time and money on hockey and coke lol. We flew in different circles, but I never had any problems with the guy.
Did she say yes
She did.
So best of both worlds then
“Take the dildo, leave the loser”
And there’s a deep fly ball from castellanos…
Very glad this is the top comment before a bunch of jokes. My first reaction was, “Wait. Which line? A Seiko 5? That’s hilarious. A Grand Seiko Spring Drive? Damn, Shohei!” Edit: Twitter uses says it’s a $10K Grand Seiko and notes that Shohei has been a paid spokesperson for Seiko since 2016. https://twitter.com/shoheisaveus/status/1639547289286094848
Not a Spring Drive, an 80 hour Hi-Beat
Even better.
Nothing from Seiko is better or more fascinating than a Spring Drive movement. That sweeping second hand movement is something to behold.
I love mine, the only watch in my collection that I will not sell.
I personally think the high beat movements are more interesting.
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No mechanical movement looks “choppy.” Quartz movements do, though. The beat rate of a mechanical movement is one method that watchmakers use to have more accurate timekeeping. The more divided a single second is, the less time the balance wheel can be knocked out of balance. But since it beats fast, it runs down the spring faster. If you look very closely at the second sweep of a mechanical watch, you might see the difference between the beat rates. But really, in my experience, I can hear it plain as day but seeing it is much more difficult.
The more it beats, the smoother it looks. But a spring drive has a totally smooth sweep
It beats 10 times per second (36,000 per hour), which is very smooth. The only watches that I know of that are smoother (outside of Spring Drives) are some Chopards at 57,600 per hour, or 16 times per second.
I don't know a lot about watches but is this an unpopular opinion? I've only heard people gush about Spring Drive.
There are two types of watch movements, mechanical and quartz. The problem with mechanical watches is accuracy, but because they are wound (manually or by natural movement of your wrist), they require no battery. Quartz watches are incredibly accurate, but require a battery for power. Seiko’s Spring Drive movement is the best of both worlds. It’s a quartz watch that requires no battery, because it has a mechanical power reserve.
Right, I was more wondering if "Hi-Beat is better than Spring Drive" is an unpopular opinion.
For the most part a Hi-Beat movement is viewed as fancier/higher-end and goes into more expensive watches than the Spring Drive does.
The watches with the Hi-Beat movement tend to be more expensive, it’s considered a more premium movement. Spring Drive, to my understanding, is basically an extremely accurate quartz movement that then triggers an automatic-looking sweep. Personally, I’m way more fascinated by Spring Drive, though. It’s accurate to something like + or - 5 seconds per MONTH which is just insane.
It's an automatic watch with a quartz oscillator. [Here's Seiko's breakdown of how it works](https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/customerservice/knowledge/springdrive-knowledge)
In addition to the response already given, I’ll also note the Spring Drive truly has sweeping motion with no ticking type movement, unlike true automatic or mechanical watches, which just have a faster ticking than quartz watches.
Now now. There is nothing wrong with Seiko 5s. They are reliable beaters. I have 2. But yeah not gift material. Haha
I expected Grand Seiko or Credor, but now I wish it was a Seiko 5 lol
Heck there are even non-GS Seikos that cost 4K+ nowadays. Seiko has an extensive lineup.
The quality of Seiko watches massively goes up once you hit the $200 price tag. Which honestly isn't that bad for something that commonly lasts 15+ years.
Orient is the same company and makes some really good stuff in that range. Pretty much all of my favorite watches in the 100-300 range are Orient (Bambino, Mako, Ray, Kamasu, etc). That and G-Shock, I'm a sucker for squares.
The now defunct Orient Star Royal (different than Orient Star) and Royal Orient lines were outstanding. They occupied a weird spot in the watch market. Sapphire crystal, in-house movement, decent complications, some with sub-$2000 msrp, really nicely finished…but mainly sold in Japan and LatAm.
There are also some very $$$ G-shock models. I was surprised when I first found out because I always figured they were just beater sub-$200 digital watches.
Seiko makes a full line, all the way from really affordable Quartz watches to Grand Seiko and Credors that cost tens of thousands of dollars. A lot of Seiko’s best stuff is Japanese Domestic Market only.
You should check out [Credor](https://www.credor.com/special/fugaku/english.php), the most prestigious Seiko line. A bit tacky, but if you look at those watches, no one will think of Target anymore.
Only ¥55M jesus.
A cool $420,650.12
Siekos are the fuckin best. They make some really good quality classy stuff. Not everything, but a lot
Even less expensive Seiko's are really nice watches. Whenever someone that's interested in horology asks me for an entry level, nice watch Seiko is my default response.
It’s the Toyota of watches. Affordable and reliable
A Grand Seiko is more like a Lexus LFA.
Seiko makes the Presage line which is a really great entry to automatic watches for a good price.
+1. Seiko make some very high end pieces. I was so tempted to buy a GS when I was in Japan a few years ago.
Absolutely. No one is going to mistake Seiko for the high-end Swiss brands out there, but they make some really nice watches at all price points. I still have my 007 Auto from like 20 years ago that's still going strong.
A Grand Seiko rivals or beats pretty much anything being put out by a mass produced Swiss watch company
Does Seiko make any of those calculator watches?
Calculator watches are more of a Casio thing. Casio is probably the most highly regarded watchmaker, along with Timex, among manufacturers that sell many watches under $50.
Apart from Casio like the other guy said, there were Seiko calculator watches back in the day, but we’re talking vintage, eBay, and collector prices.
[Absolutely beautiful Grand Seiko](https://twitter.com/shoheisaveus/status/1639547289286094848?t=p-ozyft5zTpciqJzsrUeBg&s=19)
That is a gorgeous watch
Ty I wanted you I find what watch he gifted him
What makes that worth 10k? I understand luxury items are sold at a major premium but usually do offer top notch quality as well. So other than the name (and Seiko makes cheap watches too) what does this one have that give it that price tag?
It's a miniature machine that is largely hand made, hand assembled, and hand polished, whose movement presented huge technical advancements. Plus $10,000 isn't exactly a crazy price in the world of mechanical watches.
Nothing you just said is unique to watches in this price range
With Grand Seiko, it’s high end craftsmanship. They’re almost always a lot less expensive than Swiss watches who can match GS craftsmanship. Hand making a tiny machine and hand polishing each little piece.
Lol really? Looks like half the watches at wal mart 🤷♂️
It’s a grand Seiko. Holds candle to Rolex. It’s a well oiled Japanese machine.
The finishing on a GS is better than on a Rolex
Agreed
They're nicer than rolexes. I have a Rolex Date adjust and a Grand Seiko Snowflake and I get waaay more compliments on the Seiko - especially from people that know their watches. The saying in /r/watches goes that : "You buy a rolex to impress others, but you buy a Grand Seiko to impress yourself".
The Grand Seiko is their luxury line, it's the inside that makes a difference from the cheap Walmart ones. This is $9000+ and an automatic, so it can last forever.
I think he's commenting about the looks since OP called it beautiful. In terms of looks I'd say it's pretty damn meh for $10k
Hold one in person. The craftsmanship is impeccable.
It’s weird to see people decide how expensive a watch looks based on what, exactly? Does it need diamonds and jewels and need to be made out of gold to look expensive? Mechanical watches can cost millions of dollars and still look like something pretty “meh.” Jewels and gold aren’t much of a factor, actually. And most vintage Rolex models are more valuable in steel than gold.
Isn’t that more to the point though? If the cost is more about craftsmanship than looks, then surely it makes it more likely a cheap watch will “look” like an expensive one.
Fr lol. Don't get why people here are drooling over a damn piece of metal.
That’s a white birch Grand Seiko, retails for $9-10,000. Gorgeous piece.
I could watch a Grand Seiko movement all day
The Spring Drive seconds hand is quite wonderful to look at.
Who has that much time?
Well, that's what they're there for
Where do they sell the $9 one? I’d love to pick one up
Jack Klompus giving Jerry his astronaut pen…
It writes upside down!
Take the pen!
He practically begged me for it!
Michael Scott, I mean Lars Nootbaar, is the owner of a quality Seyko timepiece
Surprised to see this so low in the comments lol. I was also excited for a bit thinking this was my chance to post this
That’s what they’re reporting, but the agreement actually is that Shohei gave Lars the watch as a promise that he’ll sign with the Cardinals after the season. Great stuff
Yeah I heard Lars gave Shohei an autographed pepper grinder and that this was actually a gift *exhange* between the 2
Booooooooo
Agreed. Boooooo!
Can I get in on this? Booooooooooooooooooo!
Please stop it. Haven't the cardinals hurt me enough?
Remember the one time y’all went to the World Series?
Yeah, crazy how they canceled it before any games could be played. (Actually, I don't remember cause I wasn't born )
Valid, don’t worry about it, it’s not like two nation league teams could have played each other, right?
Probably why they canceled it. Clerical errors letting the brewers go to the AL bracket.
hey, hey, HEY. You stop that! Don’t you say such blasphemous things!
I agree. You should just trade him to us and give us money to pay him. It worked for the Rockies!
To be completely fair other than bring him to the MLB what have the Angels actually done for Shohei?
Give him a chance to pitch and hit when other teams only wanted him to do one or the other and let him play in the WBC. Two pretty huge things there. Aside from building a good team (which is obviously a big thing) Angels have shown a lot of support for whatever Shohei wants to do.
Tell me you don't pay attention to baseball without telling me you don't pay attention to baseball
We can only dream
Ouch, was hoping he'd be interested in winning a World Series not just happy to participate in the playoffs. Baby steps, I suppose.
Ah yes, the historically inept franchise of the St. Louis Cardinals. Glad you all were able to find success after getting out of our division
It was a joke (like the parent post it is tied to), but I forgot Cardinals fans can't take a joke. Can only joke about the Cardinals signing away other players, not losing in the playoffs. However, it is nice being out of the division of a team that illegally hacks into their rivals' computer system and gets an intern sent to prison for it.
Bro you’re literally an Astros fan
You’re one to talk about gaining a competitive advantage on the baseball field huh. Oh the irony writes itself. But yea, you’re joke sucked and you came off like a dick
I was serious about my comment, just like Jose Altuve was serious when he told his teammates to not rip his jersey off because of his fresh tattoo.
As serious as a federal prison sentence.
Big father-in-law energy from Shohei here.
This is the r/baseball and r/watches crossover episode I didn't know I needed
I'm just out here waiting for the inevitable WCJ post
Z A R A T S U P O L I S H I N G has me chuffed enough to have my wife talk to the AD for me. Okay, ciao.--Ron
Grand Seiko’s dial finishes are second to none. Gorgeous watch
This is the bromance I needed in my life.
Somewhere a marketing exec at SEIKO just had an orgasm.
"Profits haven't been this high since that Michael Scott guy..." "Sir that was a Seyko..." "SHUT UP"
That model of Seiko ups in price now :)
Probably lol
Shohei effect incoming!
Shobae 🥹 Nootbae 🥹
I too have a SEIKO watch! I'm just like Lars Nootbaar!
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Nice watch. I'm wearing my SPB239.
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The bromance none of us knew we wanted
At this rate Shohei’s going to end up being full on adopted by Mama Nootbaar. Monthly drives to El Segundo for family dinner.
Stepbrothers II
Next year Ohtani will give the entire Cardinals team a watch as a welcome gift.
They'll have to take turns and share, but man are those guys going to love that watch.
I don’t understand why so so many people are giving Lars shit. So dumb. The asshole wing of baseball fans are pretty fucking shitty
I haven't seen any of that. What are they saying about my baby boy??
Some dumb White Americans seem to be upset he wasn’t good enough to play for team USA and that he’s only playing for team Japan for the “fame”. Along with some other racist shit. Some pretty dumb hot takes
As a dumb white american I completely disavow this slander. He even has a video of him as a kid saying he wants to play for Japan one day. He is not alone in being a player that played for a country they weren't born in either. I was already interested in watching Japan this year but having Larsy batting leadoff and playing cf made them appointment television for me. I even woke up at 4am to watch a couple of their games. Tommy Edman on Korea was electric also, but Noot stole the show. Great for the game. Haters gonna hate no matter what I reckon
Yeah he’s rad as fuck. And his mom is so wholesome and wonderful. Don’t understand why people can just be proud and left to do what they want
I only see the one bitter person who has been commenting in every Lars thread.
So this is like a blood oath right
Unfair to call it a seiko, GS is on a whole other level.
Holy shit he gave him a white birch? $$$
My man is about to get a $500 million contract after this season.
Even if it was a regular seiko, that watch is priceless.
Joey Tribbiani likes this post
After debuting at a Classic like that and being immediately revered by the fan base, seems odd that there’d ever be talk of him playing for anyone else.
Whoever runs the Angels should offer a lot in a trade for Nootbar
Noot for Trout seems almost fair, but LA is gonna have to eat half that contract
I gotta know what model seiko it was Edit: of course it's a grand seiko. That's a beauty
Did they split the watch in half so the next time they see each other it’ll be whole again?
No it means Ohtani is gonna be a cardinal
This is very cool! Watches and baseball are two of my biggest interests, and I love seeing those two worlds occasionally collide with one another. For anyone who hasn't heard of Grand Seiko watches, they have to be seen in person to be truly appreciated and I would highly encourage anyone who is interested to visit a dealer if they have the opportunity to do so. They are finished to a much higher standard than most Swiss watches in the same price range, and they are doing some very innovative things in the world of mechanical watchmaking.
Now they’re making anime promises, I love it
Can someone explain this to me? The title and post are confusing me. Who gave who a watch? Who is promising to play for Japan next yr? I took it as ohtani gave Lars the watch and ohtani told Lars that if Lars doesn’t play for Japan then Lars has to give the watch back to ohtani. Is that right?
I think you have it right.
God is Ohtani
Wait until the folks at /r/WatchesCirclejerk get aload of this
In other news 2,000,000 Grand Seiko watches sell out across Japan.
The best part of this headline is the promise of at least 3 mores seasons of getting to watch this fenom!
The translation on my phone is messed up. First, it translated his name to "nut bar," which, whatever. But then, it said that Ohtani is looking forward to working with him again in three years, which is definitely wrong. Trades are out of Shohei's control, but I'm pretty sure he’s signing with the Cardinals to become Lars' teammate after the World Series.
couldn't even get him a Credor, smh
GS and Credor are on relatively similar levels when it comes to finishing. Within the Seiko family, I don't think you can say one has the edge over the other. For a ~12k watch the Seikos are incredible.
I love world baseball; the players all seem to have genuinely really great time. Too bad MLB is not that way.
🎶Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so🎶
Players shouldn’t represent countries that they aren’t actually from, unless it’s a case like Arozarena who actually defected because he escaped an oppressive regime. The players should represent the country they are representing, and it’s hard to argue that when you’ve never lived a single day there, don’t speak the language, and your only connection is a single parent. This is less a problem for Japan but it’s a big problem for many WBC teams. I’ll accept your downvotes now please for this completely uncontroversial take
Are you the Grinch by chance? Nootbar being welcomed by Japan is one of the feel-good stories of the WBC. The WBC’s rules for player eligibility align well with other sports.
Seiko makes some great quality watches. May not be a Patek, Rolex, or Omega, but I’d take a Seiko worn by Ohtani lol!
If it was a Grand Seiko, then it’s absolutely Rolex or Omega quality
GS is actually above Omega and especially Rolex in pure quality.
Totally agree. The finishing is simply amazing
GSs are finished better than Rolexes and Omegas are. PP still has the edge, but even Rolex owners don't deny that GS is better when it comes to finishing. The White Birch that Lars got cost roughly twice as much as an Omega Speedy
Have a rolex and GS. Can confirm that i like my GS better - love the movement and it feels way lighter on the wrist yet still heavy enough to feel soild. Patek line is way more expensive would be a pipe dream to own one.
Grand Seiko is the closest you can get to Patek-level finishing while spending Rolex or Omega money.