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PLAN | Holy salkow, Batman, Miki’s back! Yes, Japan’s very own Babe on Ice, Miki Ando, roared back to form in the opening event of the Grand Prix figure skating series, not only winning October’s Skate America competition in Connecticut, but overshadowing younger teen star Mao Asada, everybody’s current tip for greatness. Ando, of course, was panned after finishing a disappointing 15th at the Turin Olympics, but she’s lost a bit of chunkiness and taken her skating to a higher level; maybe now she will start to fulfill her promise. Next up on the calendar is the NHK Trophy from November 30 to December 3 in Nagano. Japan’s women skaters are hot right now. Catch them while you can. FV See sports listings for details.
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By
Fred Varcoe
Hideki Matsui
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Baseball may not be a global game yet, but
in the minds of the Japanese public, it's gone as global as
it needs to. If a Japanese baseball player can become a star
on the most famous baseball team in the world, that's global
enough by any definition. So, when Hideki Matsui comes to
town with the New York Yankees for games at the Tokyo Dome
(March 28, 30 and 31), he'll arrive as a manifestation of
all that's possible in Japanese sports (er, don't mention
Hideki "The Fat Toad" Irabu).
The former Yomiuri Giants superstar adjusted well in his first
season in New York. Many managers/coaches (and almost all
agents) overlook the tremendous issues that most athletes
face when they change countries. It's bad enough just switching
teams, but switching cultures is a tough challenge. Matsui
made it look easy, as Ichiro Suzuki had before him. Hideo
Nomo, the first of the new wave of relocated Japanese, didn't
find it so simple early on, and there were plenty who were
willing to write him off prematurely. But The Tornado blew
away his critics once he'd found his rhythm. Matsui, on the
other hand, got off to what could be seen as an unfortunate
start, hitting a grand slam in his first game. It made the
rest of the year tough to live up to, and it wasn't long before
he fell into an apparent slump. Headline writers were just
waiting for Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to pronounce
that instead of Godzilla, he'd signed a monkey in a gorilla
outfit.
But Steinbrenner just about kept his mouth shut (although
he was reported as saying at one point that Matsui wasn't
the player he thought he'd got, which led to some speculation
that perhaps it was the other Matsui-Kazuo-that he'd wanted).
After hitting just one more home run in his first month, Godzilla
began to get the hang of things in the major leagues. He was
named the AL MVP for June. All in all, Matsui's first season
was pretty good. His average (.287) and home runs (16) dropped
considerably from his final season with the Yomiuri Giants
(.334, 50 HRs, 107 RBIs), but his RBI total (106) certainly
made up for that, and the Yankees were pleasantly surprised
with his clutch hitting ability. "He doesn't get overly
excited," Yankees boss Joe Torre told the Associated
Press.
And that sums Matsui up. In Japan, he grew in stature and
blossomed at the right time (i.e., just before he became a
free agent). He went to work, hit a few over the fence, didn't
make a big fuss, went home, watched TV (his collection of
porno videos has been widely publicized) and came back the
next day to do the same. Hitting 50 home runs as he became
eligible for free agency meant-as if he needed any prodding-that
he would be a big catch for any major league team. And it's
to his credit that he met the challenge head-on by signing
for the team that is basically the Yomiuri Giants of the majors.
Steinbrenner aside, the move meant that the outfielder wasn't
going in to prove he could be a good day-to-day player; he
was, in effect, going up against the best-his own teammates.
That meant Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jason Giambi, etc.
This season, you can add Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez.
As if that wasn't tough enough, every game Matsui played was
broadcast live in Japan, around 100 Japanese journalists followed
him all over the place, and the reputation of an entire country
rested on the shoulders of one baseball player. But Matsui
shone as a media guy. No pouting, no back doors, no saying
"No."
"I asked for this life," Matsui told Time magazine.
"Nobody forced it on me, and I have a duty to the people
who put me here."
Part of that duty-although you're not likely to hear it on
the record-involves bringing the Yankees to play the Yomiuri
Giants as they kick off their season in Tokyo. The Tampa Bay
Devil Rays, their opposition in the opening games on March
30 and 31, could field a team of Martians and still not get
mentioned in the Japanese press. If one of their guys gets
a no-hitter, the sports papers will almost certainly lead
with the headline, "Matsui Fails to Get a Hit" (perhaps
they would also mention the fact that Jeter and new boy Rodriguez
also failed to connect).
Still, the two major league games are really a sideshow. The
real story will be on March 28 when the Yankees face Yomiuri.
The crowd will be in a frenzy, the Giants will be itching
to play in such a historic game, and Matsui-well, it won't
bother him at all. He'll go out, maybe get a hit, even a home
run, go home, check out the latest Emily Yoshikawa videos,
and do it all over again the next day.
The New York Yankees play the Yomiuri Giants March 28 and
the Tampa Bay Devil Rays March 30 and 31. All games at Tokyo
Dome. See listings for details. M
Photo courtesy: 2004/MLB photos
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