Yu Darvish University

Trivia Questions for Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers

2014-08-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

When you use Google Translate to search in Japanese for Texas Rangers rookie Yu Darvish, you see that this player is a true oddball. From the nude photos to the frequent articles that focus on his spring training, there are many weird (奇妙な) facts about this new player.

1. Sexy photos of Darvish

According to Google Translate, Yu Darvish is "ダルビッシュ" in Japanese. When you use Google to search for ダルビッシュ, you soon see a list of interesting links on the first page. In particular, there seems to be a lot of popularity surrounding Darvish tastefully posed in the buff.

2. Who is 'Brother Dal'?

Interestingly, most of the information about Darvish are listed under the key phrases baseball (野球) and "Brother Dal" (ダル). Dal is frequently used as Darvish's nickname in Japan. Oddly, there is no clear reference to the history or definition of this nickname.

3. Fighting for a hot dog

In Japan, Darvish has been a major part in the success of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (北海道日本ハムファイターズ). Just like the name implies, this is about pork and other food products. Nippon Ham is a food processing company that owns Darvish's former team. Their website shows many pictures of an old ball park favorite: hot dogs.

4. Hokkaido and Arlington have a lot in common

The Nippon Ham Fighters play most of their games at the Sapporo Dome. If the name Sapporo sounds familiar, this is likely due to the American popularity of the Sapporo beer company. In other words, hot dogs and having a cold drink are key traditions found at both of Darvish's ballparks.

5. Yu Darvish is 'Filthy McNasty'

The New York Times wrote a report in early December of 2011 that the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were proud to announce that their star player was moving from Japan to the Texas Rangers. When you browse the video section for Yu Darvish videos, you soon see a large number of fan-composed compilations of his best plays.

However, the titles of some of these must have been lost in translation for American readers. For example, Darvish's best moments earn him the odd name of "Filthy McNasty."

6. Dal's Iranian heritage

The Darvish family actually has two sports stars. His father, Farsad Darvishsefat, was a well known soccer star for the Iran National Team. On Darvish's official webpage, some of the products that he sells are related to his Iranian heritage.

For example, his Nippon Ham Fighters jersey bore the number 11. Darvish says, "eleven means glory in Persian." He also sells a Damask rose organic perfume and cites that Iran is known as the "Land of Roses."

7. The rainbow connection

Darvish's main advantage on the field is definitely his wide variety of pitches. When you translate pages about Darvish's pitches, you start to see the word "rainbow" a lot. This is due to Japanese fans linking Darvish with a Seibu Lions baseball player named Koki Fujiwara that is often called "Rainbow Fujiwara". Part of the reason they are linked is due to their height. Darvish and Fujiwara are some of the tallest Japanese baseball players at 195cm to 196cm (6'5").

8. Thoughts blog for Darvish

Due to his popularity, there is a Japanese blog dedicated entirely to Davish's thoughts. Regardless of the refined nature of the blog, the first thing that American's will notice is the hilarious picture of an over-dramatized Darvish rapt in thought. At the "Thoughts of Yu" blog, you will see that there is an iPhone app designed especially for this player called, "Bible of useful breaking ball Darvish."

9. Gauze divorce scandal

During the 2012 MLB spring training session with the Rangers, Japanese reporters are filling the sports pages with references to Ranger's part owner Charley Pride. On the other hand, there is an ongoing scandal involving Darvish and his dissolved marriage to celebrity Eiko Gauze. One of the main focuses of the Japanese press is his bizarre tweets to his ex that are lost in translation to both Japanese and American audiences.

10. More weird Japanese Yu Darvish references

To read more about what Japanese Darvish fans think about his move to the Rangers, use Google Translate to read an article by Plus-Blog.SportsNavi.com. There, you can translate the page into English and read over 20 comments regarding "Dal Mania" in Surprise, Arizona. You can also search online for "Yu Darvish weird" in Japanese. The term is "ダルビッシュ奇妙な" and you can select for Google to translate all search results into English.

Part 2: Can You Really Translate Yu Darvish?

2012-06-25T19:03:00.001-07:00

On Twitter, there are several accounts that pop up when you search for Yu Darvish. Can we trust these hacks?

For the record, Yu Darvish's Twitter account is @FaridYu. In case you don't know, Yu's father is from Iran and the name Farid means "unique" in Arabic.

In addition to the real Yu Darvish, there is a long list of other accounts that claim to translate Yu's Twitter post into something us dopey English readers can comprehend.

I mentioned in a previous post that a lot can be lost in translation between Japanese and English. So these Tweeters are up to something good -- so Texas Rangers fans, give 'em a chance.

Also, be prepared for a few good laughs from the strange Tweet translation results ... (Like the kind I have at my "Yu Funny" Tumblr account.)

1. @YuDarTranslated, Yu Darvish Translatd: Yu Darvish speaks Japanese; you don't. We help! The verbatim tweets of @faridyu as interpreted by Google Translate. **Now in real-time!**

2. @YuDaBest11, Yu Darvish: This is the official fake Yu Darvish twitter. I play baseball. I am pitcher. I Texas Ranger.

3. @DarvishEng, Yu Darvish English: Yu Darvish High Quality Twitter Translations for the English speaking world. Every tweet we make is a translation of Yu's tweet. Unofficial as of Today.

4. @YuDarvish_ENG, Yu Darvish: I translate Yu Darvish's tweets into english. All I do is copy and paste from @faridyu and use itranslate to get a rough english translation. Enjoy!

5. @YuDarvishStats, Yu Darvish Stats: Yu Darvish stats and live game updates by StatSheet (http://statsheet.com). Get Twitter updates on every MLB team and player.

Part 1: Yu Darvish News Lost in Translation

2012-06-25T18:33:00.001-07:00

Soon, I will be stringing together a long list of Japanese posts about Yu Darvish that are roughly translated. Over the past months, I have been following his career ... and let's just say some of the posts are borderline hysterical.

Obviously, there's a lot being lost in translation (to say the least).

Along these lines, I started writing about this via my freelance writing at Yahoo! Sports. At the end of my article, "Best and Worst New Sports Quotes For June 2012," I wrote,

Notes on sports quotes from Japan

The Japan Times recently wrote an article about how athletes from Japan often have their true intentions misquoted in American translation. However, this idea also goes both ways. In particular, they use the example of a San Francisco Giants player that was made to look like a pouting child when his sarcasm was mistranslated into Japanese.

The Japan Times says, "I remember Clyde Wright pitching in an extra inning shutout and then saying afterward in an interview, 'I didn't care who won or lost. I was just so tired I just wanted the game to be over so I could go home and sleep.'

According to translator Ichi Tanuma, a better alternative for Japanese readers as to what Wright actually meant would be, "I did my best. I really wanted to win for the Giants fans, my teammates and my manager. I'm glad I was able to help the team."

... Read More at Yahoo

Orange Hair Yu Darvish?

2012-06-25T18:22:00.004-07:00

If you earned millions of dollars this year and had a career where people took your picture all the time -- would you hire a stylist to figure out which haircuts looked best on you? Obviously, this idea has not occurred to every athlete over the past months. In particular, there have been many disappointments (and comebacks) concerning well-known baseball and football players.

Yu, orange is not your color ... Read More at Yahoo.com

Weird Food at Rangers Games

2012-06-25T15:38:00.003-07:00

Are you hungry? Twitter, Yelp, and other social media users recommend these new and unusual items at Rangers Stadium.

When it comes to food at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the articles usually detail a reporter's opinion of the 3 pound pretzel. However, what about the opinion of fans and food critics about those stranger items? Although comments about the food are few and far between, Twitter, Yelp, and other social media sources provide feedback (pun intended) on the food found at a Rangers game.

1. Frito Pie Hot Dog: A bit of an oddball favorite enjoyed throughout the U.S. (it is covered in processed cheese), Rangers Ballpark introduced their own in 2011. What are fans saying about this take on theFrito Pie Casserole loved throughout Texas? The Newberg Report Texas Rangers forum and Dallas Observer have a couple of enthusiastic voices -- but what about others? There are a few mentions on Twitter that the Frito Pie Hot Dog was consumed and loved at Rangers Ballpark, but most were talking about Sonic's Chili Cheese Fritos Coney.

2. The Boomstick Hot Dog: You can be tempted by all the reviews online that talk about the new hot dog at Rangers Stadium -- but does anyone like it? In general, people love the Boomstick with a couple of exceptions. On Twitter, ‏@TatumRCave says, "No. I do love food but im not paying $26 for a 2-foot hot dog at the rangers stadium." Along those lines, Mark H. at Yelp quips, "I had the $26 footlong. Nothing special. My hopes were dashed. Everything else is great!"

3. $1 Hot Dog Night: Over at Yelp, Jackie A. states, "My tips: Wednesdays are $1 hot dog nights--just beware that the other food is outrageously expensive, as expected of ballpark food. And if you don't mind nosebleed seats, you can go to a game for as little as $5." If you are wary, put your fears aside. Do not think about these hot dogs being on the cheap side just because they are $1. @RachRobillard posts a photo that proves they are worth every cent.

4. Hot Dog with '30' Toppings: Jason T. on Yelp says, "Hot Dog...there is a spot with the Food Network sign on it. They offer hot dog with your choice of sides...I got mine with grilled onions, bacon chunks, and cheddar cheese. The lady next to me went for no dog and used beans instead. They have about 30 different toppings. Take your pick." In reality, there are only about 15 toppings -- and that is definitely a lot of variety.

5. All You Can Eat Home Run Porch: Yahoo! Answers user Sonny posted a question about buying tickets to a Rangers game with the 'all you can eat' option. At the Rangers' website, their All You Can Eat Seats page says, "Enjoy a Rangers game from Sections 246-252 in the All You Can Eat Porch for any 2012 Rangers home game. Your ticket includes all you can eat hot dogs, nachos, soft drinks, peanuts, popcorn, and grilled chicken sandwiches." They list prices of these tickets from $31 to $53.

At TripAdvisor, one user says that the All You Can Eat Seats provide a patio with a helpful breeze for those hot Rangers games. Over at Yelp, Deno F. notes that this buffet has one thing missing. In her review she says, "And really--no chili as a condiment for the nachos and hot dogs. Shame on you Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. This is TEXAS, we top everything with chili, including chili."

6. Smokehouse 557 Turkey Legs: When it comes to things you rarely see elsewhere, smoked turkey drumsticks is one of those items that you have to put on your bucket list. The Flickr photo of a fan eating a turkey drumstick at a Rangers Game certainly makes this point clear. Agreeing with this sentiment is blogger Bo Reed at StadiumJourney.com.

7. Garlic Fries: When my family gathered for vacation and went a Rangers Game, garlic fries were on the top of the list. Agreeing with that sentiment is Leah H. posting on TripAdvisor with an enthusiastic, "Be sure to get the cheese or garlic fries!" @NikkiRap adds a photo from the Fry Depot of what you might be missing out on.

8. Captain Morgan Club: Completed in April, this restaurant has air conditioning (a rarity), a kid's zone and, "A full a la carte menu will be offered including burgers, salads, sandwiches, and BBQ fare." If you love hot dogs, this where you can try the aforementioned Champion Dog (A.K.A. the 'Boomstick'). Needless to say, any place with air-conditioning at a Rangers Game always gets the highest marks from fans.

9. Anything cold: When you go to a Rangers game, be prepared for the searing Texas heat. The best way to cool down is with water, a frosty beverage, or ice cream (or going to the Captain Morgan Club). One great tip comes from Jason T. on Yelp who says, "Best deal of the day was a $1 ice cream drumstick by Blue Bell." The low price on ice cream is part of Blue Bell Sundays at the Rangers Ballpark.

10. Sausage Sundae: A Rangers blog describes it as, "smoked sausage, scoops of macaroni and cheese, chopped brisket and garlic mashed potatoes." But is it worth it? The SportsAndFood and DFW.com blogs both say that your dollars will be well spent on this take on home cooking.

The Darvish Burger is not at Rangers Ballpark

The big news for 2012 includes a food item added to an Arlington restaurant that welcomes Yu Darvish. Does this mean that Rangers Stadium will be adding sushi? DallasNews.com says that an Asian food cart did not favor well when it was introduced a few years ago -- although they claim some Asian food will be added to honor Darvish. Alternatively, 1.5 miles away at BoomerJack's Grill, you can chomp on the new Darvicious Burger with four meat patties, blue cheese, fried onions, a spicy sauce, and other ingredients.

In conclusion, what is your favorite Rangers Stadium food? Take a moment to add to the comments below or list your choices at the thread on Yahoo! Answers. Do not forget to mention if you have had any of the new food items (like the S'mores Pie) that the Dallas Observer listed on their website for 2012.