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The story
It made news when Ichiro commented “I was floored” about his close friend Hideki Matsui’s appointment as the Giants’ new manager, sending his encouragement with “There’s nothing I’m prouder of — I truly hope he gives it his all.” On 5ch, comments stood out contrasting how Ichiro and Matsui — once rumored to be on cool terms — had quietly grown close over time, with the fact that between these two former MLB players, Matsui got an immediate offer to manage while Ichiro has never received one. Some posts also touched on his connection to Shigeo Nagashima, making the backstory behind the managerial appointment a topic of discussion too.
[Video]
Ichiro speaks on Hideki Matsui’s appointment as manager
Ichiro: “I Was Floored” — Cheers On Close Friend Hideki Matsui’s New Manager Appointment, “There’s Nothing I’m Prouder Of, I Truly Hope He Gives It His All”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Wasn't it the Rikkyo University baseball team manager who got floored?
Apparently once they actually talked, they suddenly got close
Kintetsu spirit 🔥 (Kintetsu Buffaloes, his old team before it merged into Orix)
"I was floored. Can't believe the offer to manage the Ma_iners landed on my desk. Any reason to turn it down? None — I'd be the first Japanese MLB manager, even before Ohtani." (names censored as a joke: Ichiro / Mariners)
NPB would be one thing, but no legend wants to manage in MLB with all that brutal travel — he knows it firsthand. Lose and the media and fans tear you apart, and you've got to keep the players happy too.
Never heard of a Hall of Famer becoming a manager in the majors
He's not about to manage Orix, the team that ditched Kobe to merge with Kintetsu of all teams
If someone like Akira Ogi were still around it might be different, but he's gone now
If Kobe ever got its own team in an independent Kansai league, there might be a shot
Was he just satisfied slapping infield singles in meaningless late-season games?
Did you see his Hall of Fame induction ceremony?
That says it all, doesn't it
He went there to become a legend with the third-highest vote share in Hall of Fame history
Of course the Giants would offer Matsui the manager job
Still, going straight to manager instead of coach was the surprising part
In the end, sorry to former manager Abe's daughter and Chappy, but thanks, dad lol
That really was a hollow ceremony lol
The two of them are getting along great, yet totally unrelated people mocking it is just laughable
You think 9 innings is normal for a women's team?
No way that's realistic
Ichiro was a complete victim of it too
That was like the single ugliest thing in existence, concentrated and boiled down
No need to preserve the legacy of a garbage team like Kintetsu
This is the team that offered a pay cut to Nomo right after he won the most-wins title
That's a permanent stain on NPB history
Some people say they were close way back, but they really weren't on good terms
I want them to play Chiben Kobe vs. Chiben Wakayama every year and get wrecked (two baseball powerhouse schools)
Still, I'd like to see it keep going until the boys actually lose to a women's team once
Takayuki Shimizu: "…" (the Giants' actual batting coach, now left speechless)
Background and Talking Points
During his playing days, Hideki Matsui was seen as the heir to Shigeo Nagashima, the legendary “Mr. Giants,” and some posts in the thread referenced a promise made to Nagashima. This managerial appointment is viewed as a handover from the previous manager, Shinnosuke Abe. Where opinions in the thread diverged was over exactly when the once-rumored-distant relationship between Ichiro and Matsui actually grew close, and over the contrast that while Matsui — also a former MLB player — got an immediate offer to manage, Ichiro has never received a managerial offer from either NPB or MLB. The thread also contained a number of posts mocking the practice games Ichiro continues to hold against girls’ high school baseball teams, but those have been left out of this article since they lean heavily into personal mockery. It’s worth noting that little has been confirmed in actual reporting about whether Ichiro has managerial experience or ambitions, and much of the thread doesn’t go beyond speculation.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News Express+) thread “[Baseball] Ichiro: “I Was Floored” — Cheers On Close Friend Hideki Matsui’s New Manager Appointment, “There’s Nothing I’m Prouder Of, I Truly Hope He Gives It His All”“.
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