Ichiro Suzuki doesn't want him to listen to the naysayers. Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams showed immense interest in the possibility of him in pinstripes. And Barry Bonds didn't bite, saying, "You probably want to ask the Yankee players."
The reactions were varied when the name Hideki Matsui was mentioned during a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday. But even with a top crop of big leaguers arriving for the seven-game MLB All-Star Series Japan 2002, talk still got around to the Yomiuri Giants slugger.
"After announcing his free agency, the media are discussing whether he will succeed or not," said Ichiro, who appeared at the news conference along with Yankees Giambi and Williams, Bonds of the San Francisco Giants and MLB manager Art Howe, recently of the New York Mets.