Weird. I think he'd be crazy to rush a decision that's going to control the next 6 years without even visiting the city, or the stadium and facilities where you'll be spending so much of your life. Likewise kind of a bummer for the Cubs, since they invested a bunch in their fancy clubhouse, you'd think they'd like to use that as a show-off thing.
Also think going through the whole "face-to-face" interview bit, if you're doing 3-a-day on those, how much time or concentration can you really have for a decision that's going to say shape your life and habits and relationships for so long.
But, maybe I'm way off, and sitting in an interview/visit with guys speaking a language you don't understand really isn't much fun and is just a worthless drag/exhaustion, who knows.
Theo's ability to articulate thoughtful and nuanced ideas is part of what makes him so successful. I wonder if those qualities are kind of lost if you're talking to a guy who doesn't know English that well? If it's all going through a translater anyway, does the translated version differentiate between a source speaker like Theo versus somebody like Hendry or Fleita?
I also wonder to what degree Maddon is/was involved, if the whole "face-to-face" meeting was limited to 2-3 hours? And if he's an asset or not? My understanding is that Asian baseball culture is pretty serious and practice-heavy, with managers who can be relatively drill-sergeant authoritarian? Part of Maddon's thing is being fun and cool, laid-back, don't have rules or manager-meetings, dress casual, don't practice too much, wear funny pajamas and stuff. Wonder if that would appeal to Otani, or seem too loose?
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