Kazuo "Little" Matsui is set to be the next Japanese star to make a huge splash in the major leagues and become the latest toast of the town in New York.
He's signed a lucrative contract with the Mets, donned his No. 25 black, blue and orange jersey, tried out his English-language skills at a high-profile press conference in a Manhattan hotel and struck the now apparently obligatory Times Square neon sign background photo pose.
I have no doubt, however, that Matsui would by now have become a member of the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants if manager Tatsunori Hara had not stepped down. I believe Matsui was headed from Seibu Dome to Tokyo Dome until Hara resigned, and he then turned his sights directly to North America.