WHY GODZILLA WAS OUR UNSUNG HERO

I was bored with nothing to do yesterday and I was going through my iPod, and being the insane Yankee fan I am, I have every game the Yankees won in the '09 World Series on it. I decided to turn on Game 6 to relive some of that old glory.

As Joe Buck and Tim McCarver were going through the Yankees lineup, I read Hideki Matsui's name in the 5 spot. All of a sudden, so many old memories went through my head to his first home run as a Yankee, that sweet Grand Slam, to his greatness in Game 6 of the '09 Series.

Most of you already know this stuff about Godzilla, and your probably wondering why I'm writing this, right? I just think Matsui is the unsung hero of the New York Yankees and there is so much credit he really and truly deserves.
Although he won the MVP in the 2009 World Series, the Yankees did not make any serious attempts to resign the Godzilla. That was a big mistake in my opinion, as he would have definitely been a better DH option for 2010 then Nick Johnson or Marcus Thames provided. In fact, he would have been a better option then Jorge Posada, as much as I hate saying that, as I respect Posada a whole hell of a lot.

Hideki was always a steady player, he, as well as other Japanese ballplayers such as Ichiro and a South Korean superstar named Shin Soo Choo, all display supreme consistency and discipline that most American or Hispanic ballplayers lack and that discipline goes all the way back to the Yomiuri Giants.
(Photo: Agence France-Presse)
Godzilla never really got into long slumps. He was a consistent high .200's- low .300's hitter as a Yankee. As you may have noticed, Hideki's swing was always the same and never had to be adjusted which explains his great mechanics as well.

He was never one of the Yankees biggest producers or MVP's like A-Rod or Jeter, but whenever the Yanks needed a big hit, he was almost always there to supply it. Being clutch is a huge part to being a ballplayer, and Hideki supplied that night in and night out.

Why do I love the Godzilla? Well, first of all, he was my brother Adam's favorite player on the Yankees ever since they signed him out of Japan and he was devastated when he went to the Angels. Secondly, because one day when I was at Barney's in New York just looking around, I turned around and there he was, Matsui himself. He was standing there looking at some ties with the woman whom I assume was his girlfriend at the time. I approached him and shook his hand, and although he didn't speak much English he looked at my Yankees hat and gave me a smile. I love him simply for those 5 seconds.

Godzilla definitely deserved more credit than he received, and I wish the Yankees had resigned him. To me, he was a proud Yankee when he wore the pinstripes and showed it every day. But that's just me getting sentimental. What do you think? Comment and let me know.



--Will Cohen, BYB Staff Writer

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