New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Matsui tees it up in Greenwich for charity
With amount of international media swarming the first hole of the Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich Monday morning, you might expect a head of state to be present.
It was not Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga the assembled press was waiting on but rather someone who may carry even more clout in Japan in former Yomiuri Giant and New York Yankee great Hideki Matsui.
As cameras clicked, Matsui made his way to the tee box where he would pose for photos for over a half hour with fellow golfers in the 2021 Champion A Champion Golf Classic benefitting the Global Citizens Initiative and Matsui 55 Baseball Foundation.
Global Citizens Initiative is a non-profit social enterprise which works directly with students and educators with the purpose of empowering young global citizens from all over the world.
The goal of Matsui 55 is to have as many youth as possible learn the joy of playing baseball and develop a passion for the game, while promoting the importance of critical thinking skills.
The charitable organization was founded by Matsui in 2015 as a way to give back to the game of baseball and the fans that supported him throughout his career.
“I am always happy to share the experience of baseball with as many kids as I can,” Matsui said through a translator. “I grew up in a small town and never got to meet any famous baseball stars, but now I feel lucky to be able to do that myself. I want kids to have passion for baseball. When my career was over, I wanted to give back to baseball. This gave me an opportunity to share my passion with younger kids.”
Along with Matsui, former Yankees Jim Leyritz, Tino Martinez, Tanyon Sturtze and Mike Pagliarulo were among the golfers as was Mets television announcer and former pitcher Ron Darling and Stamford mayoral candidate Bobby Valentine.
Valentine is a favorite of the Japanese media after his time
managing the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball to a championship.
Valentine is still able to speak Japanese when talking to the press, holding court for several minutes and answering a variety of questions.
Valentine recalled when he first saw Matsui in Japan.
“It was in an all-star game in Japan and my good friend said to me ‘see him? He’s going to break Sadaharu Oh’s home run record,’” Valentine said. “Hideki had a great arm and a great ability to run. And of course, he is one of the great hitters of all time playing in any league. He’s a great player.”
Matsui said he always thought highly of Valentine as a manager, beginning with his first run as manager of Chiba Lotte in 1995.
By the time Valentine returned to Japan in 2004, Matsui was playing in New York.
Matsui’s first year with the Yankees was 2003, a season after Valentine was fired from the Mets.
“The first time Bobby was in Japan I was still playing there, the second time I was already here with the Yankees,” Matsui said. “He was a great manager for Chiba. He was very loved by the fans there. His style and his personality fit Chiba very well. The year before he came, the team wasn’t doing very well. His first year, the team finished in second place. I think he meshed really well there and they welcomed in as manager with open arms.”
Later in the evening after a day of golf and a dinner, Valentine was going to take part in a fireside chat along with Joe Torre, moderated by Bob Costas, discussing the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and the Mets as the 21st anniversary of the Subway Series approaches.
“In 2000, many dreams were realized. In 1997 we began inter-league play and people saw the Yankees and Mets play games that counted,” Valentine said. “Prior to that, the only time they would play was in the Mayor’s Cup back in the 70s. The last game of spring training would Yankees and Mets and I can tell you that my owners wanted to win that game preseason more than they wanted tow in regular games. When we finally met in the World Series, the city was alive with baseball.”