Talk:Hideki Matsui

pronunciation

I don't know how to properly type out the pronunciation of his family name. Syllabically, it's ma-tsu-i, not mat-soo-i. I know that's how the American sportcasters pronounce it, but they are wrong. --Feitclub 06:32, Apr 8, 2005 (UTC)

You must not be from New York. Michael Kay always pronounces it correctly.

Ncsaint 05:17, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

How about "mah-TSEW-ē". Ken6en 04:47, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

There's a lot of data on the data chart that will go out of date every year. Maybe it would be better to use absolute dates instead, e.g. birthday instead of age. Ken6en 04:47, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

birth place

Hideki Matsui was born in Komatsu. I've been to the museum. (anonymous)

Kind of splitting hairs at this point, but according to the museum website (which is located in Nomi) he was born in Neagari, which merged with neighboring towns to become Nomi. His birthplace is variously listed as Komatsu (the neighboring larger town), Kanazawa (the nearest big city), and Ishikawa (the prefecture). I don't know exactly which hospital he was born at, but he birthplace is usually listed as Neagari, where his parents lived at and still remain. When you pass Neagari by train there's a huge billboard that says "birthplace of Hideki Matsui" Japanese Wikipedia lists his hometown as Neagari too. Anyone begging to differ will surely suffer the wrath of Neagarians...they are REALLY proud of him (it's a small town). Ken6en 06:10, 24 December 2005 (UTC)

intentinal walk

Intentional walk itself was not uncommon in then Japan.--Extrahitz 09:20, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

Relavance?

I deleted this paragraph because I failed to find relevance to this article:

"Some years ago, Matsui was quoted by a Japanese newspaper, "I do not like women who smoke." It is generally believed that he was referring to actress Takako Matsu, who although not known as such is a heavy smoker."

If the world would like to remember Matsui for this quote above all other things he has said, someone in the future can restore it to the article. - User:Abisai

Time Asia

Time Asia is a well respected magazine and is held to the same standards as Time in the U.S. Look at an archive of their magazines here:

http://www.time.com/time/asia/archive/

You will find that these issues look very much Time and share no resemblance to tabloids. If you believe that Time Asia is a tabloid, how about posting some links, references, or other evidence of this please. Furthermore, Robert Whiting who reports on Matsui's adult video collection is a well-respected author and journalist. Whiting has published in the New York Time, Sports Illustrated, The Smithsonian, Time, and US News and World Report, and has written several successful books on contemporary Japanese culture. He is not at all a "gossip columnist" by any means, and you can see his Wiki page here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Whiting

I also find it funny how Robert Whiting is referenced in references 1 - 5 and no one complains that these are "bad references" that are untrustworthy and removes the phrases that use them as references. So Robert Whiting can be trusted to report on Matsui in any way, shape, or form, except when it comes to his porn collection? He's a "tabloid gossip reporter" when it comes to reporting on Matsui's porn collection, but he's trustworthy when it comes to everything else? Please!

In short, whoever wrote the comments in the below paragraph is outright lying and has no references to support his or her position. It is a well known and accepted fact that Matsui does have a large porn collection, and if you're a moderator that has some personal "agenda" to censor this fact, you're probably breaking some terms of Wiki usage.

--TheTruth

---

From time to time someone adds a link or mentions an article from Time.com Asia edition in which Robert Whiting describes Matsui as a fan of "porno" movies. This article should not be taken seriously. Although Time is famous and respected in the US, it is not famous in Japan. If you check out Whiting, you'll find that he's basically a tabloid newspaper-type sensationalistic gossip writer. I suppose that due to the lack of English speaking reporters in Japan, Time had to resort to these kind of writers for material. In addition, gossip-type entertainment/sports newspapers are very popular in Japan (though not respected as legitamite journalism). The article makes it seem as if Matsui's alleged hobby is common knowledge in Japan, but this is not the case. If it was, it would be all over the media. Since Wikipedia is becoming quite well-known, it would be very irresponsible to allow information from gossip pages to be listed as "facts".

By the way, one user that keeps posting this gossip seems to be from an IP address registered to Lucent in Illinois. If it's a company IP address it's unbelievable that someone would be posting this kind of stuff from a tracable address within the company. If someone posted that IP on the Lucent wikipedia page, for example, lots of people in the company would probably see it and find out who it was. Ken6en 13:06, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

I would like to see a lot more information verifying that, in fact, TIME Asia is a tabloid before I would discount it. Time may not be famous in Asia, but its an internationally respected news provider with reputation and is unlikely -- even in its gossip pages -- to publish unsubstantiated and potentially libelous content. If you would like to discount the information, please provide us with a equally respectable news source that contradicts the pornography trivia.

By the way, I am posting from Columbia University, not work, and I have no embarassment about making changes like this. I'm not a Yankees fan, but I am a fan of Matsui, and was before I learned this about him. I think this trivia is not only interesting but gives some small insight into his personality. Mjgilbert 00:49, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

Let's take the opposite approach. If National Enquirer published a story that Hillary Clinton's left foot was transplanted from an ape after a childhood accident, do you think it would be possible to locate a contradictory reference? And don't you think reporters in NY would be asking him about this everyday if he were really so open about it? Let's use some common sense here.

By the way, what I meant about Lucent is not that it's embarassing, but that usually the company wouldn't be happy about employees spending time at work using company resources just to post this kind of gossip on the web. Most people wouldn't want to risk their reputation at work over something silly like this. Ken6en 12:20, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't think you've responded to my points at all, but I wonder if maybe this isn't a misunderstanding. Here is the actual time article -- http://www.time.com/time/asia/2003/heroes/hideki_matsui.html. It involves three reporters collaborating on the piece and its not a quick entry in a trashy gossup column. It's a comphrensive overview of Matsui's career that is over 2500 words long and published in a respected, non-tablid magazine. Time ASIA may or may not be as respected as its western counterpart, but it is a genuine and respected publication and there is absolutely no reason to discount what it says. I'm going to keep resinerting this trivia until (1) I get bored with it, or (2) you find me some evidence, other than your own opinion, that: (a) TIME Asia is, contrary to all appeareances, the equal of the Inquirer, (b) positive evidence that Matsui does not, in fact, have a fascination with pornography.

Or to put it more simply, I believe by finding a trustworthy newssource that asserts a point, and finding no contrary information in a comparably respected source, I have met the bar for Wiki-inclusion. The burden is now on you to demonstrate that the info is false. Mjgilbert 14:06, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

Your sole purpose appears to be to post this nonsense, and I have reported you to an admin for corrective action. Wahkeenah 16:41, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

I also took you up on your suggestion to "check out Robert Whiting" and it doesn't appear at all that his is a "basically a tabloid newspaper-type sensationalistic (sic) gossip writer." Baseball-reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Robert_Whiting) refers to him as "the foremost English-language writer about Nippon Pro Baseball," he has written at least five award winning books about the subject, (http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/authors/55/2926/index.html) and contributed to:

/The New York Times, The Smithsonian, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, U.S. News/ and /World Report, Readers Digest, Sport/ and /Time/ Magazine. He is also one of the few Westerners to write a regular column in the Japanese press. From 1979-1985, he was a columnist for the Japanese language /Daily Sports./ From 1988 to 1992, he wrote a weekly column for the popular magazine /Shukan Asahi./ From 1990-1993, he was a reporter/commentator for News Station, the #1 rated news program in Japan. He has appeared in numerous documentaries about Japan and on such shows as CNN's Larry King Live, the PBS Macneil-Lehrer News Hour, Nightline, ESPN's Sports Central, HBO's Real Sports and All Things Considered

http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/authors/55/2926/index.html

Here is Whiting being interviewed by Boston.com (owned by the Boston Globe) about Daisuke Matsuzaka as a "Japanese Baseball Expert." http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2006/11/21/robert_whiting_daisuke_matsuzaka_chat_transcript/

In sum I don't see anything here that would support your allegations, and a lot of evidence to the contrary. Mjgilbert 16:41, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

OK, you have an alleged source. Now tell us why it matters, what this guy does on his own time. Wahkeenah 17:28, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm very happy to reply to that. This is a biography, not a sports summary. It's about Matsui as a human being, not just Matsui as a player -- that's why we're interested in his childhood, where he grew up, his early career. Morever this is the trivia section, where interesting (but, by definition, not 'important') information is placed, that readers may enjoy learning about.

Personally, I think this adds a lot of interest to Matsui as a person, and I don't understand why a few of my fellow editors here feel the information ought to be censored. There's nothing wrong with a single, young, adult man being interested in pornography. In fact, I think its admirable that isn't even embarassed about it. I'm not bashing Matsui here, I *like* Matsui.

If you are objecting purely on journalistic/accuracy grounds, then please respond to the points that I've made. I have a real source, not an 'alleged' source. The source is a respected writer, well published, and his claims have been published. I have not seen, anywhere on the internet, anyone attempting to refute this claim. To say that it is "nonsense" is not supportable. If, for example, the New York Times publishes a piece about about a celebrity mentioning that they enjoy putting black pepper on their hotdogs, should we have to find three or four supporting sources on this? Assuming (1) the publication is respectable and has a reputation for journalistic integrity, and (2) the author is likewise respected, and (3) the author has good reason to know about the information they share, and so long, finally, as (4) there are no contradicting sources of comparable weight, then by all principles of journalism and editorship, the fact can be taken as truth until and unless new evidence is found. If this is some elaborate urban legend purportrated by a well known sportswriter in collusion with a major respected publiciation, then please do find evidence of that, and then we can have an entry that corrects the rumor.

In any event, I rephrased the section, making it clear what the source is, even using "according to" language, and providing multiple references. If you're going to keep reverting me on this, why not instead insert your own information afterwards. E.g., "Whiting's claim has been disputed by [____] writing for [____], where it was states that Matsui does not, in fact, enjoy this hobby." Lastly, I first included, but then removed, a link to a Yankees fan site, where you can see that the vast majority of fans embrace this aspect of Matsui, and find it (1) amusing (2) very interesting, and (3) feel that it doesn't diminish in any way their regard for this well liked player.

Mjgilbert 17:45, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

Which one is the exact link which proves that Matsui does this stuff? We understand your reasons, and they are justified but I don't know which one is the correct link for the trivia claim. 333cool 02:42, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Sorry that it isn't clear. If you look at the entry itself, its the last reference (ref 4). Originally I had it link to one of the (many) news articles that came out in response to the Time Asia piece. In the last revision I changed it to link directly to the Time article. Refs 2 and 3 are admittedly defensive measures in response to a claim that the author of the article lacked journalistic standing (it turns out he's arguably the foremost authority in America on Japanese baseball).

This is certainly important information to an encyclopedia. What a role model, eh? And if an announcer says Matsui's improving his "stroke", how will we know for sure what he means? Wahkeenah 17:51, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Also, when he injured his wrist and snapped his consecutive games streak, maybe the injury in the game wasn't the real problem. Wahkeenah 04:33, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

or at least the hitting streak wasn't his greatest loss —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 160.39.61.120 (talk) 21:48, 9 May 2007 (UTC).

I'm siding on the side of removing this for a few reasons. One, it is very trivial in nature, and possibly a violation of WP:BLP which basically says "keep it out, unless it is thoroughly sourced". We have one guy writing about something in a second-hand manner, and that is not a good source for a controversial subject. Secondly, to quote the article, "extensive" is the words of one American writer whose eyes might pop out if he ever were to ride a subway in Japan with the rest of the "extensive" porn-wielding salarymen on their commute home. Anecdotal evidence of trading tapes does not automatically make Matsui into Larry Flynt. The whole point of those two half-paragraphs are that Matsui does not treat the porno as anything spectacular, and in fact, little evidence is supplied by the author that it IS anything spectacular. Rumors of the size of his, er, collection are just that -- rumors, and not encyclopedic. If there is a source that comments on the size of the collection, and that it qualifies for notability, then, we can revisit the issue. As it is, I don't think it qualifies for inclusion here. Neier 04:07, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Please find a credible source that discounts the one I've cited to. As support for the statement, there are easily half a dozen highly reputable news sources all of which cite to Whiting's article : while it may be a point source, it is: (1) undisputed; (2) by a highly credibly source; and (3) has been accepted widely by other credible sources and newsrooms, each which has its own vetting procedures to keep out inaccurate information. I don't understand what this witch hunt is about. Go to the Yankee's fan forum, discussed above, you will see that many Yankees fans find this an interesting fact. Nor is the statement libelous/a violation of WikiPolicy: the statement is properly phrased ("according to"), properly cited, and uncontroverted. 160.39.61.120 04:48, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Possible relevance to porn garbage

There is one argument for its being relevant. Look at the standings: The appropriately-named "Yank-me" ball club is 8 games back of the Red Sox and continuing to flirt with last place. So far, the Bombers are playing like a bunch of jerk-offs. And that's where the possible relevance of Matsui and his alleged traveling porn collection come in, don'cha know. Wahkeenah 04:13, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

• In fact, the picture currently posted for this article makes Matsui look like he spent all night practicing his stroke, as it were. Wahkeenah 04:14, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Language

Does Matsui speak English? I used to assume he did, but then saw an article mention that he was using a translator to talk about whatever the article was about (I can't remember). Anybody know if he speaks English, or does speak some but not fluently enough and thus requires a translator at times? -albrozdude 22:48, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

He speaks very little English. On the Yankees radio network random Yankees say you're listening to the Yankees radio network. Matsui does it too. - Guest

Trivia removed from article

I removed the Trivia section from the article, based on the guidance at WP:BLP#Trivia sections. The section is copied below, if anyone wants to try making any of it relevant, and weaving it into the rest of the article. Neier 23:11, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

• In the popular manga Major the hero's father Honda Shigeharu gains his fame as a great pitcher (for the fictional team "Yokohama Blue Oceans") by striking Matsui out. After being demoted to the minors he makes his dream to come back to the majors and strike Matsui out again, but he is injured before achieving that goal. Not giving up, he returns to the majors as a batter and after his team is losing because of home run by Matsui, he slams a home run right on his first at bat in the majors.

• The Yankee Stadium PA system often plays The Who's Baba O'Riley when Matsui strides to the plate for an important late-game at-bat; also they play Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin.

• Matsui makes a cameo appearance in the 2006 film Click in a cut scene where he hits a two-run home run.

• A museum dedicated to Matsui and his career is located in Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.

• According to a widely quoted article in Time ASIA by sportswriter Robert Whiting[1][2], one of Matsui's favorite hobbies is collecting pornography. Notwithstanding his well deserved reputation for cordiality and integrity, the unabashed hitter doesn't hide his fascination, routinely taking a small rolling suitcase full of pornography on road trips, and freely trading movies with reporters[3].

Nickname

The article states that Matsui's nickname was earned in Japan due to hitting power, but then cites a source that states, "But like the misunderstood monster Godzilla, whose coarse complexion prompted Matsui's nickname as a youngster, the left-handed power hitter has created a reputation for leaving chaos in his wake."Adambkny (talk) 03:11, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Fangraphs

It is requested that an edit or modification be made to this protected page. (protection log)Specifically, the addition of the url http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1659&position=OF/DH Fangraphs, uniquely, has hitters' 1B, BB%, K%, BB/K, ISO, BABIP, RC, RC/27, GB/FB, GB%, FB%, IFFB%, HR/FB, IFH%, BUH%, GB, FB, LD, IFFB, Balls, Strikes, Pitches, IFH, BU, BUH, WPA, -WPA, +WPA, BRAA, REW, pLI, phLI, PH, WPA.LI, and Clutch. It also has sorts for starters vs. relievers. Fangraphs also provides certain spring training stats, and Bill James, CHONE, Marcel, and ZIPS projections. It has a game log, play log, compare players feature, news articles, and unique graphical presentations><b/. --Epeefleche 04:18, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Please add this image to the article Matsuiinoutfield.JPG

Thanks. It was locked when I was about to add it. He is in yankees uniform. Onetwo1 00:08, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Matsui as left fielder in the Yankees

 Done Image added --Muboshgu (talk) 14:57, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Designated Hitter

Matsui is no loner an outfielder, he is solely a designated hitter. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jonahlomunz (talk • contribs) 21:10, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Bats and Throws

I personally don't know how to modify this, but it says that he bats ketchup and throws cheese. Is this someones attempt at humor? reichs435 (talk) 14:22, 4 August 2010 (UTC)reichs435

Career Statistics

The "summary box" at the right gives his total career statistics in MLB in America. it should also list his career statistics for Japanese baseball, also in my opinion. Totally different leagues, statistics should not be added together, but the Japanese Statistics should also be listed. What I am suggesting is already done for Ichiro Suzuki Wfoj2 (talk) 15:59, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

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Original Choice to Light the Olympic Flame

Per an article in The Daily Beast, he was the original choice of Yoshiro Mori to light the Olympic flame. May be worth including somewhere.

TOKYO—The 2020 Olympics delighted the world when, at the opening ceremony on July 23, biracial tennis superstar Naomi Osaka—with a rose-gold torch in her hand—lit the Olympic cauldron.
But that wasn’t the original plan. According to Olympic insiders who spoke to The Daily Beast, disgraced former Tokyo Organizing Committee chair 
Yoshiro Mori was pushing to have someone else do the honors.
“Mori wanted ‘Godzilla’ to light the Olympic flame at the end, not Naomi Osaka, ” an employee for the committee, who spoke on conditions of anonymity due to a punitive non-disclosure agreement, told The Daily Beast.

Adelstein, Jake (August 3, 2021). "Olympic Boss Wanted Flame Lit by 'Pure Japanese' Ex-Yankee Player, Not Osaka". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021.