Kuzul

It’s never a good thing when the skipper walks to the mound, unless the manager is Terry Francona and he is meandering over to the bump to relay that you made the team. 

Fox Sports’ Joe Reedy (h/t Deadspin) reports the Indians manager decided to inform pitcher Blake Wood that he had made it to The Show with a trip to the mound on Monday. 

Here is what Francona had to say about the brief exchange on the field he had with the 28-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012:

When I went to take him out, (catcher Luke) Carlin was coming and I told him to stay back there a little bit…I went out there and asked (Wood) if he ever made the team on the mound? He was like no. I go ‘well, you just did.’ After that we came and talked to him the dugout but you could tell he was pretty excited.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t spot any video of the poignant moment, but Twitter, thankfully, has an image of the meeting Wood will never forget, via Indians president Mark Shapiro: 

Go ahead and stick that bad boy in your back pocket and bust it out on a rainy day, because it is just too wonderful. 

As Northeast Ohio Media Group Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes reminds, “The Indians claimed Wood on waivers in 2012 after he had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow with the Royals.” In the end, two more appearances during spring were enough to really welcome Wood into the fold. 

There is hardly a more wonderful way to find out you made it into the bigs. The Akron Beacon Journal’s Marla Ridenour provides a video of Wood explaining his feelings on making the Indians roster:

When asked about the team’s patience, Wood offered, “It’s meant a lot. Initially just giving me a chance is probably what I’ve been more appreciative of them than anything.”

Reedy reports Francona had his phone on him in the dugout, staying in touch with general manager Chris Antonetti on the possibility of keeping Wood with the squad. 

When Tito received word that Wood was on the team, he decided to do more than relieve his pitcher from the mound; he put any anxiety to rest as well. 

The right-hander, in just 9.2 innings of work this spring, gave up just one earned run and six hits, according to Baseball Reference. 

It’s a small sample size, to be sure, but it was more than enough to convince Francona and Antonetti that Wood would be an asset from day one. 

Hoynes reports that Wood will sit somewhere amid the eight pitchers the Indians will carry in the bullpen. With a brilliant fastball, don’t expect Wood to get completely lost in the shuffle of arms. 

However, with the likes of John Axford, Marc Rzepczynski, a hopefully classic Vinnie Pestano, as well as Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw, both of whom featured heavily last season, it’s going to be tough to crack into the regular rotation. Then again, Wood understands challenges quite well. 

Antonetti states, “He had great arm strength and when healthy we knew he was going to be an effective major league pitcher. We were trying to see that process through.”

Wood’s velocity is up, at times touching triple digits, and Francona, via Reedy, was gracious with his praise, “He not only got better but he got really good at it to the point where it is going to be hard to run on him because he is so quick.”

Of course, the rookie is pleased with the results: “It has been a long road but I’m here now. You don’t know what is going to happen coming back from major surgery. With the Indians sticking with me and giving me a shot, I’m happy they did that.”

Beyond the remarkable recovery and the faith the Indians had in the hard-throwing kid coming off Tommy John surgery is the beautiful manner Francona chose to deliver the good news. 

Getting ripped from the game has never felt so good. 

Hit me up on Twitter: 

Follow @gabezal

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

“Come with me, and you’ll be…in a world of pure imagination.” You will also find some darn tasty stadium delicacies. 

Consider this a brief jaunt through various MLB stadiums featuring the best in food items. I will be your Willy Wonka guide of sorts. 

Don’t worry, because nobody will get turned into a giant blueberry—we hope. 

Of course, we haven’t been fortunate enough to have eaten and imbibed all of these delicious sports items, so we decided to cull the Internet for their best suggestions and have determined the most interesting from there. 

This being the case, we welcome any and all suggestions for food we may have missed or some alternate thoughts on items listed below. 

Now, we have all heard of Dodger Dogs and understand the best in garlic fries is being offered at AT&T Park. And, yes, we are well aware of Shake Shack at Citi Field and Primanti Bros. at PNC Park, so we tried to incorporate the lesser-known superstars throughout sport. 

Now let’s pick up that virtual knife and fork, put on our bib and om nom this way: 

Hot Dogs and Burgers

Atlanta Braves – Turner Field: H&F Burgers – (image via Instagram)

Consider these bad boys the most exclusive burgers on the list. As Eater Atlanta notes prior to the 2013 season, the burger joint gave away Burger Fast Passes to lucky fans who purchased special seats, giving them the ability to skip the obvious long lines. 

If nothing else, you could always hit up the Waffle House. 

Pittsburgh Pirates – PNC Park: Polish Hill Dog – (image via Instagram)

Serious Eats (h/t The Riverfront Times) has a delectable-looking image of this masterful monstrosity they describe as “A grilled, natural casing National Deli frank, topped with mini pierogies (!), cole slaw, and fried onion straws served on a potato roll from Breadworks.”

Milwaukee Brewers – Miller Park: The Beast – (image via Twitter)

Um, what?

It’s like someone unleashed a genie and saved a wish all for me. This hot dog (read: coronary in a bun) features a wealth of what we like to call “the good things in life.”

MLB Blogs’ John and Cait describe the item: “The Beast is a grilled bratwurst sliced in half and stuffed with a grilled hot dog.  Those two items are then wrapped in bacon and grilled to perfection…” 

They had me at “The Beast.” However, the dog also features sauerkraut, grilled onions and a pretzel roll, because you can have everything in life. 

Washington Nationals – Nationals Park: Half Smoke (image via Twitter)

It’s as much a part of Nationals baseball as Jayson Werth’s beard. Just don’t get any of that stuff in your dog. 

Nachos

San Diego Padres – Petco Park: Carne Asada Fries – (image via Instagram)

They are a type of nacho…stay with me, folks. If you can’t get out to Petco Park for their carne asada fries, I encourage you with the means to head to any Mexican restaurant or hole in the wall that might have them. 

If they have nachos on the menu with carne asada as well as fries, they can make this for you. From then on, this is how you will be taking your nachos. 

Toronto Blue Jays – Rogers Centre: BBQ Chicken Nachos – (See high-quality image at Baseball and BBQ)

Bleacher Report’s own Dan Tylicki once considered these one of the “most insanely delicious” in all of baseball. Taking a gander at the image, we can see why. 

Before we leave, we have to give a shout out to Camacho’s Nachos at Dodgers Stadium, which are just this side of amazing. 

Other Fare

Philadelphia Phillies – Citizens Bank Park: Crab Fries (image via Twitter)

Old Bay and cheese sauce apparently take the sting away from any future Phillies injury.

Chicago Cubs – Wrigley Field: North Side Twist (image via Twitter)

Exactly what we always wanted: a lap full of pretzel. 

Houston Astros – Minute Maid Park: BBQ Baked Potato (image via Twitter) 

Take your mind off silly things like wins and World Series appearances with the best damn baked potato in baseball. 

Beer

L.A. Dodgers – Dodgers Stadium: Frozen Beer Foam – (video via YouTube)

Here is one of the rare items I have had the personal pleasure of trying myself. Ordering it as a mere novelty, I was astonished to find that it does in fact keep your beer frosty for a couple of innings, even on a sweltering Los Angeles summer day. Science is the best. 

As for actual beverages, back in 2011, Yahoo! Sports’ Rob Iracane compiled a fine list of some of the best brew offerings around baseball. 

We can’t find fault with much, and we rather like the Nationals’ decision to offer Dogfish Head. However, we have to highlight the fine work they are doing over at Safeco Field in granting their fans a healthy supply of great beers. 

Washington Beer Blog’s Kendall Jones has a breakdown of everything you can drink at a Mariners game, including Pyramid Brewery offerings, which raises Seattle’s amount of cool points. 

Great, now we are hungry and thirsty. 

Again, this is just a small aperitif of what MLB has to offer at the concession stands. Please feel free to offer thoughts on these items and others that we missed. 

Sadly, I can only eat copious amounts of food at so many stadiums; so allow me to live vicariously through your gastro-journeys. 

MLB season is back, which means it’s time to lay out the lucky jersey right next to the pair of fat pants and head out to the ballpark. 

This season is going to be delicious. 

Hit me up on Twitter: 

Follow @gabezal

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Mike Pelfrey‘s legendary speech to Wichita State may not give you goosebumps, but it will make you laugh out loud. 

MLB Fan Cave caught just one of the myriad ways that MLB players decide to prank their teammates. This time, Twins closer Glen Perkins and manager Ron Gardenhire collaborate to pull a fast one on one of their starting pitchers. 

Pelfrey walks into the skipper’s office, where it is explained that Wichita State loves to hear from celebrities and may want an inspirational speech to keep the team rolling along in the NCAA tournament. 

We were all underwhelmed on both counts. 

Pelfrey, being an alumnus, is the perfect man to give an impassioned speech that would make Ray Lewis envious. 

Unfortunately, his ability to knock the walls down with a booming voice and colorful language is on par with the manner in which you give out driving directions. 

The 30-year-old sounds like he is ordering pizza, leaving Gardenhire to try and get something more from his pitcher, which is kind of how their relationship normally works. 

Of course, there is no Wichita State. 

Well, there is, but the Shockers were off somewhere safe from things like, “You guys always remember how good you are and what got you there” and “so go [expletive] get ’em.”

Thanks to hidden cameras, we get to see it all play out. Still, we have to think Pelfrey should have seen this coming. 

First, who gives inspirational speeches via phone? This is only slightly worse than giving a rousing text to your alma mater. 

Second, Perkins nearly gives things away from the start. Do we really believe “Darren” from the Wichita State athletic department is going to start any conversation out with, “Hey, Gardey. How are you doing?”

It’s “Mr. Gardenhire, sir,” and don’t you forget it. 

The best part of the entire charade is the end, when Perkins offers, “We appreciate that. The funny thing is, though, we are out in the clubhouse, Mike, you Munson.”

Where do we keep getting Munson from?

Now we have a glorious video that serves two purposes. On one hand, we have a wonderful look into a loose clubhouse that knows how to laugh. If we might be so bold, we might ask the comedy troupe of Perkins and Gardey to deliver another shortly. 

On the other hand, we now know exactly how a March Madness speech from Pelfrey would go, so feel free to use this however you’d like next season, Shockers. 

Perhaps, and this may just be our undying love for baseball talking, if Pelfrey was able to give this thing before the weekend, the Shockers might still be alive and kicking in the Big Dance. 

Something tells me his words could do more than move mountains. They can absolutely decimate a clubhouse. 

Hit me up on Twitter: 

Follow @gabezal

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Tread lightly before fining Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, because you may have to deal with a mountain of pennies arriving at your doorstep. 

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Stefan Stevenson (h/t Black Sports Online) has a lovely little tale about a cheeky skipper deciding to pay off a fine with pennies. For the confused few who pay everything electronically, those are the tiny copper-plated coins you can find under your car seat.

According to this story, you can apparently use them as currency. Wild!

After arguing with umpires in a recent spring training game, Washington recounted one of the more memorable exchanges he endured: 

During a game in March 2011, Adrian Beltre had been thrown out and Washington quickly followed.

 “I lost my mind,” Washington recalled. “Beltre was yelling from the dugout, ‘It was outside!’ And the umpire threw him out of the game because he told Beltre to stop and Beltre didn’t stop. And then I went out there and argued with him and I said something I shouldn’t have said.”

Sadly, we’re not likely to ever find out exactly what the manager said. However, we do have something better: a story about how Washington paid the $200 fine he earned when he failed to leave the dugout after being ejected.

Washington responded by filling a box with $200 in pennies and mailing it to Bob Watson, MLB vice president in charge of discipline. Cost to mail it to New York: About $45.

Watson called after receiving the box.

Watson: “And you just had $200 in pennies hanging around? Washington: “Yes. Bob, I didn’t have my checkbook. I wasn’t trying to be funny. Now go to the bank and put that in the [change] machine and get your $200.”

Sadly, Washington chose to pay via mail, because this would have been a nice sight: 

This story contains almost too many awesome parts. We can’t be sure if the Rangers manager had a bucket of pennies lying around the house or actually went to a bank to exchange some bills for rolls of coins. Either possibility is hilarious. 

The best part is that Watson had to deal with a form of currency that really should have been snuffed out years ago. Perhaps, and this is really just blind optimism, Watson kept the box as a memento of pure comedic brilliance. 

We have to think similar tactics would get you thrown out of stores, diners and other businesses that discarded the penny tray years ago. 

Yet just a couple of years ago, at least one person used a pile of change to pay an official fine. There is something so wonderful about that fact. 

We would never wish for a manager to get ejected but will now watch far more closely the next time an umpire kindly asks Washington to leave the premises. 

The hope is that he kicks up his feet and ponders how many more pennies he has in his secret stash back at home. 

For Watson, we imagine he will be far more careful when hitting the Rangers manager with a fine. Before deciding on a sum, a very important question must be answered: How many pennies is Ron Washington willing to mail?

Hit me up on Twitter: 

Follow @gabezal

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

C.J. Wilson‘s knowledge of the game as well as his stomach were pushed to the limit recently—and all for your entertainment. 

For the Win’s Ted Berg spotted this video of Wilson attempting to answer questions while flying with Kirby Chambliss, who Red Bull’s two-time Air Race world champion.

I guess pitchers will jump at any chance to infuse some drama during the normally mundane days of spring training. Chambliss, according to the YouTube description, took Wilson around his Arizona property in a “two-seater Edge 540 race plane.”

Chambliss started gently, asking Wilson about his playing days and what the best moment of his career has been thus far.

Wilson answers:

Hopefully I haven’t had it yet. I’m always looking for something new, something better. I’d like to throw a no-hitter. That’d be the goal. I’ve thrown like a one-hitter before. Making the All-Star team and pitching in the World Series was pretty exciting.

Getting out of the plane might be up there on his list of accomplishments. 

From there, Chambliss begins asking Wilson a series of extremely easy baseball questions. Spoiler alert: The 33-year-old left-hander doesn’t make it to the end of the five questions. 

It’s not because the questions get any more difficult but because any further examination under these circumstances would have resulted in what professional eaters like to call a “reversal of fortune.”

Right after Chambliss asks what a full count is, he performs a roll that nearly induces a cockpit full of Wlison’s lunch. Wilson explains, “We gotta chill. I almost lost it on that one.”

Hey, at least answered the questions correctly. 

Wilson is coming off a fine 2013 season. Last year he enjoyed a 17-7 record while garnering a 3.39 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, according to ESPN. He has now notched 15 or more wins in three of the last four seasons. 

That would be enough to assume Wilson is destined for great things in 2014. Now we know the pitcher can withstand an onslaught of aerial twists and turns; he even knows how far it is from the mound to home plate. 

Yup, you can go ahead and move him up on your fantasy draft boards accordingly.

Hit me up on Twitter:

Follow @gabezal
 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Here’s hoping “The Wizard” has a bit more magic to offer MLB fans, because Ozzie Smith is teaming up with Budweiser for a campaign petitioning the White House to make Opening Day a national holiday. 

For the Win’s Ted Berg spotted this video that should provide a sense of optimism, however small, to those fans who feign illness every single time the baseball season begins. 

Maybe, just maybe, a baseball legend and beer company can pull off the unimaginable and combine the foolish hope that comes with Opening Day with the carefree whimsy of a day off from work and school. 

The impetus behind the campaign is simple. Smith explains in the video, “Opening Day should be a holiday. Let’s make it official. All we need is 100,000 signatures on the way to the White House.”

Yes, we have yet another petition to throw onto the pile, which seems to be massive as it pertains to Barack Obama’s tenure. 

For the White House to address the petition, 100,000 signatures are needed. As of Tuesday evening, there are a little more than 14,000 at the petition’s page, which was created on Feb. 24. Fans, however, have until March 26 to get to the magical mark. 

This is a fantastic idea that does have an obvious wrinkle, as Berg points out:

Due to Major League Baseball’s recent scheduling trend, there’s no real opening day anymore.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Lisa Brown has a similar sentiment:

The league’s 2014 opening day is Monday, March 31, although several teams play regular season games prior to opening day. The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros don’t play their first games of the season until April 1.

The Dodgers and Diamondbacks, for example, open up the season in Australia on March 22, and the two teams will also engage in a couple of exhibition games against Team Australia that will take place prior to the season opener. 

Chris Vaccaro seems to think the holiday is a fine idea, though:

Yes, MLB Opening Day should be a national holiday … http://t.co/kQ5feYavpo

— Chris R. Vaccaro (@ChrisVaccaro) February 25, 2014

We agree. 

Sure, it may be our biased affection for hot dogs, beer and baseball, as well as the notion that with 162 games to be played, anything is truly possible. 

However, if the Super Bowl isn’t gaining traction as a holiday, MLB has little chance of delivering the biggest gift to its fans in the form of a day off, so pack this daydream away next to thoughts of World Series glory. 

As for all the games taking place on various days, know that MLB would instantly remedy that if the White House actually declares the sport worthy of a holiday. 

For now, we will have to settle with faking a cough sometime in late March, culminating in a coincidental call that we can’t make it into work, because the baseball flu is quite severe this year. 

Hit me up on Twitter: 

Follow @gabezal

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If you’re looking for a unique piece of baseball history—or collecting evidence of the anger issues caused by rampant steroid usage—you missed out on a gem.

According to Jim Baumbach of Newsday.com (h/t Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com), the broken bat Roger Clemens infamously hurled at Mike Piazza during the 2000 World Series sold at auction for a cool $47,800 this weekend.

While the buyer preferred to remain anonymous, the item’s seller was former New York Yankees strength coach Jeff Mangold, who claims he saved the broken bat from disposal and kept it as a souvenir.

“I’ve had it for 13 years, mainly in the office here at the house,” Mangold told Baumbach. “It’s time for it to move on.”

Mangold says Piazza’s Mizuno Pro bat still has Yankee Stadium dirt embedded in it from Clemens throwing it across the field.

Of course, the Yankees pitcher famously said he never meant to throw a shard of wood at Piazza in the first place.

Clemens claimed he thought the broken bat barrel was the ball, which makes sense considering throwing it at the baserunner is the quickest way to force an out, or something.

On the bright side, the shattered bat once thrown with ill intent will now be used for good. Mangold says he plans to donate a portion of the auction profits to the CJ Foundation for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and use the rest to pay for his children’s college tuition.

Indeed, a product of the former Clemens-Piazza feud is helping sick infants and putting kids through school. Now, it’s time for Sammy Sosa’s corked bat to step up and do its part for the rain forest. 

Join me on Twitter for more sports news.

Follow @Dr__Carson

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Jesus Montero is fat.

That sounds harsh, but it seems to be the overarching sentiment coming out of Seattle Mariners spring training, where Montero has showed up 40 pounds overweight.

The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish (h/t The Big Lead), reports the young catcher bulked up over the winter, and not in the massive-amounts-of-muscle way. His belt size is growing and his pants are bursting, and Montero blames the weight gain on, well, eating.

Per Divish, Captain Obvious had the audacity to state, “After winter ball, all I did was eat.”

That’s excusable for an average Joe after a weekend bender in Vegas, but when you’re a professional athlete like Montero, not so much (apologies to any professional eaters in the audience). Imagine showing up to work with a hangover and telling your boss that you were blackout drunk a few hours ago…but you’re sorry. 

Things are going downhill fast for Montero, a former top prospect who was once mentioned in the same conversations as MLB wunderkind Mike Trout.

No, I’m not kidding.

Hard to believe for a middling catcher-turned-first baseman that played all of 29 games last season due to injury and a 50-game suspension after being named in the Biogenesis steroid scandal.

In those games, he had as many hits as strikeouts (21) and batted all of .208. However, the 24-year-old weighed 230 pounds, which we are guessing the Mariners might take at this moment.

While there is no mention of his current weight, Divish reports that each player is given a target weight every season—something Montero has failed to meet in Seattle on multiple occasions. 

Here is the big, beautiful specimen, via a tweet from Divish: 

All is not lost for Montero, who as recently as 2012 belted 15 home runs, batted .260 and drove in 62 runs in 135 games for the Mariners.

All optimism has been lost on general manager Jack Zduriencik, though, who had a pointed assessment regarding his nonchalant power eater, via Divish: “We are disappointed in how he came in physically.” The GM continued, “It’s up to him. I have zero expectations for Jesus Montero. Any expectations I had are gone.”

Manager Lloyd McClendon was equally frustrated: “At some point, the light has to come on for all of us. When I talked with him, I told him he’s at a crossroads. It’s time to put up or shut up.”

For his part, Montero states that he is “comfortable” with his weight and is doing all that is asked of him, including extra cardio work.

Maybe next time, Montero will instead answer for his weight with something like “big is beautiful.” At the moment, it seems the public admonishment has worked on the young athlete, who maintains, “Whatever they want. I’m here for the opportunity.”

Hopefully that means the extra work leads to some of the extra weight melting off by the start of the season, and that raw talent can beat his apparent apathy.

If that’s the case, the Mariners will have a nice asset. If not, baseball fans have just another cautionary tale that making it to the bigs is never enough, because you still have to work at it tirelessly—good advice no matter the venture.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Jose Fernandez picked up a nice little hobby in the offseason. Although, calling cycling 600 miles a week a hobby is just as ridiculous as Fernandez’s talent. 

South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Craig Davis (h/t The Big Lead) reports the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year hardly took time to relax this winter. The 21-year-old is doing what he can to maintain his leg strength, which includes riding his new fancy bike about 600 miles a week. 

It may be time to place Fernandez a bit higher on your respective fantasy baseball draft rankings. 

Davis spoke with an eager athlete who proved he can certainly dive into the fray and do very well when it comes to taking the mound for a struggling franchise. 

To a similar end, he jumped right into this cycling venture, straddling an expensive bike and riding around with cyclists that have been doing the same for years. 

Davis writes, “Riding in a peloton that typically contained at least 50 serious cycling enthusiasts and grew to as many as 200 on some weekend rides, he maintained a frenetic pace for nearly 600 miles a week.” 

This is the same kid who garnered a 2.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 187 strikeouts in his first year in the bigs. More remarkably, he managed to win 12 games and lose just six for a team that went on to a 62-100 record for 2013. 

The Marlins weren’t exactly helping their pitchers out, ranking 30th in runs, on-base percentage and slugging. Yet, Fernandez managed to go on to have a spectacular season, establishing fine numbers despite run support of just 3.71 runs per outing. 

It all makes sense when you consider the work he is putting in heading into his sophomore campaign. Fernandez explained to Davis why he chose to hop on a bike to build legs he hopes can carry him longer than the 172 innings he pitched last season: 

On the bike you can do intervals. You go hard and then slow down. It’s kind of like an inning, is the way I see it. I’m going really hard for 10, 12 minutes and then I slow down for 5 or 6 minutes. Conditioning-wise, it’s amazing. I’m glad that I did it. Let’s see how it’s going to work out this year. I’m not sure, but I feel really good.

That conditioning, by the way, is paying off in the form of a more established physique for a young athlete who was already as svelte and lithe as most come. Still, he is down from the 240 pounds he pitched at last year and is in remarkable condition. 

Marlins pitching coach Chuck Hernandez spoke with Davis, sounding optimistic about his young ace’s physique heading into the 2014 season. “His legs are going to be strong, obviously. It kept him in good shape and he came to camp in good shape. Past that, I’m really not interested in his bike.”

Hernandez may not be a bike fan, but he really likes Fernandez’s condition, “He’s slimmed out, he’s grown into a man now. He looks great.”

Now at a reported 215 pounds, Fernandez is proving preparations began long ago to make this upcoming year and even better one for both him and the Marlins contingent. 

Being an ace means far more than getting outs and locking down wins. It means leading from the front, showing others that even the best have to put in months of work. 

Fernandez is only 21, but he is already moving past the label of Rookie of the Year and into the far more important role as team leader. 

Hit me up on Twitter: 

Follow @gabezal

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Suppose you just inked a giant major league contract. What’s the first big purchase you would make?

For Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, it was a ridiculously expensive charter flight from Tokyo to New York City. According to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, the newest addition to the Yankees‘ roster arrived in New York on Tuesday after a long international flight aboard a very empty jumbo jet.

Indeed, Tanaka allegedly dropped $195,000 to secure private transportation aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Japan Airlines. As its name suggests, the Dreamliner is a luxury aircraft built to carry a large amount of people to faraway locations. 

The baseline 787 is built to carry 242 passengers. Tanaka’s flight, on the other hand, featured a markedly sparse cabin—six passengers in all, including Tanaka, his wife and their brown toy poodle. 

While extravagant, one can hardly call the purchase surprising. Tokyo is a long distance from New York, and $200,000 is a drop in a bucket for a man who just signed a seven-year, $155 million contract.

Prior to his flight, Tanaka spoke to members of the Tokyo press on Sunday and explained he was covering the cost of the charter with his own money, per the New York Post’s Bruce Golding.

“It’s a (chartered) private jet. It’s not something the Yankees have prepared,” Tanaka said. He also claimed he chose to fly private in order to be “in the best of form” for spring training workouts in America.

Tanaka and the rest of the Yankees pitchers and catchers will begin spring training in Tampa, Fla., this Saturday. Judging by the wintry weather currently afflicting Japan, the Sunshine State will be a welcomed change of scenery. His drive from the hotel to Tokyo’s Narita Airport allegedly took eight hours due to poor weather. 

Be on the lookout for more big purchases from Tanaka. The man has yet to pitch an inning for New York, but he’s already spending like a Yankee. 

Put it this way: If you’re going down to watch some spring games this year, don’t be surprised if there’s a brown poodle in the dugout chowing beef tartare. That’s just how Tanaka rolls.

Join me on Twitter for more sports news.

Follow @Dr__Carson

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com