Matsui-Mania was a thing for a few weeks in Durham back in 2012. I am not quite sure how I have never sat down and typed a few words about the long-time Yomiuri Giants and New York Yankees star. He was far from his prime and clinging to his professional career, but it was still fun to see him a few times in-person. One of those games was against Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice K) who was on an injury rehab assignment for the Red Sox.
Here is a grainy video of him launching a ball out to centerfield at the DBAP, only to get robbed of a home run. It's a tough park to hit a home run.
Hideki Matsui only played stateside for a few years, but I think one of the biggest reasons I have never written about him is the fact that his cards were always seemingly out of my price range. It's hard to justify a three digit number for an autograph of a player who was only on the Bulls for a month at the end of his career.
I was surprised recently in an uptick in Matsui cards on social media, blogger, etc. Matsui has signed a lot of cards for Topps in 2023 and they are a fraction of the price they used to be. When you factor in his profile as a Japanese player and the fact that he was a World Series MVP for the Yankees, it's a pretty reasonable number.
First Matsui post, first Matsui autograph.
Hideki Matsui was easily the biggest name missing from my collection of Durham Bulls autographs. This card feels really satisfying.
Congratulations on your get. The only thing I remember about him is/was his extensive porn collection. And the only reason I know about that is because a place I used to work had the local sports station on all day, every day, and one of the shows that I was forced to listen to every single day was Jim Rome's program (I was not a fan btw), and I can remember one day where that was the topic-du-jour for seemingly the whole three hours!!! It felt like 10 though. Why anyone would ever willingly choose to listen to that show, I will never know. Anyway, that's all I know about old Hideki.
I was unaware of Hideki's extensive porn collection. I was only aware of Carlos Martinez's (former Cardinals pitcher) love for porn on Twitter. I agree, Jim Rome is horrid. Wasn't there an NFL quarterback who beat him up mid-show?
Yeah, Jim Everett. Although that was long before I was forced to listen to the show.
And on an unrelated note, I went to try and send you an email, only to find that I apparently don't have your email address. I could've swore that I did, but I guess I was thinking of the old days with the Twitter DM's. Anyway, if you're not comfortable posting your email here, could you send me a message (jtef82@gmail.com). I've got a couple of cards to see if you want.
I discovered that Matsui played for the Bulls a few years ago... when you sent me his Durham Bulls card in a care package. It's definitely one of my favorite cards of his in my collection. I'd like to add an auto one day... but with my limited budget I need the price to come down a wee bit more.
Congratulations on your get. The only thing I remember about him is/was his extensive porn collection. And the only reason I know about that is because a place I used to work had the local sports station on all day, every day, and one of the shows that I was forced to listen to every single day was Jim Rome's program (I was not a fan btw), and I can remember one day where that was the topic-du-jour for seemingly the whole three hours!!! It felt like 10 though. Why anyone would ever willingly choose to listen to that show, I will never know. Anyway, that's all I know about old Hideki.
ReplyDeleteI was unaware of Hideki's extensive porn collection. I was only aware of Carlos Martinez's (former Cardinals pitcher) love for porn on Twitter. I agree, Jim Rome is horrid. Wasn't there an NFL quarterback who beat him up mid-show?
DeleteYeah, Jim Everett. Although that was long before I was forced to listen to the show.
DeleteAnd on an unrelated note, I went to try and send you an email, only to find that I apparently don't have your email address. I could've swore that I did, but I guess I was thinking of the old days with the Twitter DM's. Anyway, if you're not comfortable posting your email here, could you send me a message (jtef82@gmail.com). I've got a couple of cards to see if you want.
I discovered that Matsui played for the Bulls a few years ago... when you sent me his Durham Bulls card in a care package. It's definitely one of my favorite cards of his in my collection. I'd like to add an auto one day... but with my limited budget I need the price to come down a wee bit more.
ReplyDeleteMatsui autographs have plummeted in value over recent years. Hopefully they come down a little more for you.
Delete