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 When the Boston Red Sox signed Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007, part of the agreement between the Sox and the Seibu Lions involved a $51,111,111.11 posting fee – a fee that simply allowed the Red Sox to have exclusive rights to negotiate with Daisuke (for more on how the posting fee works, read the US-Japanese Player Contact).
And while Dice-Kmania reached US soil, it was yet another blow to Japanese baseball as MLB took one more of their premier players. But, all is not sad for the Seibu Lions. In fact, if you attend a game at the Seibu Dome you can see (and apparently, feel) where the Lions used the Daisuke posting fee revenues to renovate the stadium. As reported by the New York Times, much of the money went into porcelain fixtures: With the $51,111,111.11 posting fee the Lions earned from the Red Sox in the deal, they renovated the drab, outdated Seibu Dome, constructing concession stands and seating, resurfacing the playing field, installing an enormous video scoreboard and, most notably, building magnificent bathrooms with electronically warmed toilet seats. [...] Each stall in the women’s bathrooms holds a Toto Washlet, a toilet and bidet in one unit. These $1,500 fixtures provide a luxurious experience for fans, who may spend their time in the restrooms contemplating the full extent of Matsuzaka’s legacy with the Lions. “It looked like a women’s room in a nice hotel with the vanities and sinks,” said Tere Garcia-Pena, visiting from Manhattan with her husband, Miguel. “It was just so nice and clean, I felt like I just wanted to keep going in there.”
Not all of the posting fee money went into the toilet/bidet units. According to the report, “Two seasons ago, the Lions spent some Matsuzaka money on the country’s widest video scoreboard, almost 165 feet across (and 23 feet high).” Let the debate begin as to whether the Yankees really spent their $1.3 billion as best they could. After all, what would a diehard Yankee fan have said if he sat down on a heated toilet seat? “Fehgetaboutit!”
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
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