Friday, February 08, 2008

The Curious Case of Kazuo Uzuki.

Twenty-three years after George Plimpton and Sports Illustrated gave us Sidd Finch, Topps has issued a "Future Star" card of a Japanese teenage pitching sensation named Kazuo "The Uzi" Uzuki.

He's only sixteen and has a fastball clocked at 104 MPH!

Two years ago, as a fourteen-year-old, he was invited to tryout for Japan's World Baseball Classic team.

And, according to the back of his short-printed 2008 Topps card, one scout says he's the best pitching prospect he's seen in three decades!

But wait a sec. If there really was a 16 year-old in Japan who could hit 104 on the Jugs gun, and was invited to try out for the Japanese World Baseball Classic team at 14, don't you think he'd be a household name on this side of the Pacific already?

And besides, don't they use the metric system in Japan?

Does Topps really, really, think we're this stupid?

(h/ts to Short Printed and Wax Heaven)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it illegal to feature official cards of players not yet out of high school?

dayf said...

I'm convinced it's a subtle advertisement for their new "make your own card" program.

Chemgod said...

The Sidd Finch book by Plimpton is one of the best baseball books I have ever read. Someone has to get the SI from that year where he (Finch) is on the cover.

Anonymous said...

When will the Yankees be signing him?

Anonymous said...

congrats!!
you have a valuable card.

Uzuki means April in traditional Japanese and Kazuo means like,, 1st guy.

you know what i mean?
April Fool's day.