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The story
Kiyoshi Nakahata (72), chairman of the Yomiuri Giants’ alumni association, named Hideki Matsui (52) as a candidate for the team’s next manager during TBS’s “Sunday Morning” broadcast on the 18th, saying, “The promise I made with [Shigeo] Nagashima… it feels like the timing has finally ripened.” The club is reportedly set to pick its next manager mainly from among its alumni, with Yoshinobu Takahashi (51) and Masahiro Kawai (62) also seen as candidates. On 5ch, a thread reacting to the news split over whether Matsui genuinely wants the manager’s job, with optimists facing off against skeptics who said, “He’s had chances before and never taken them.”
Kiyoshi Nakahata Names Hideki Matsui as Candidate for Next Giants Manager: “The Promise to Nagashima… It Feels Like the Timing Has Ripened”
Kiyoshi Nakahata (72, a columnist for this paper), chairman of the Giants’ alumni association and former manager of the DeNA BayStars, appeared on TBS’s “Sunday Morning” (Sundays at 8:00 a.m.) on the 18th and commented on the team’s next manager.
The club is expected to select the new manager mainly from its alumni going forward, with candidates reportedly including Hideki Matsui (52), who starred for the Yankees and other teams; former manager Yoshinobu Takahashi (51), who led the team for three years starting in 2016; and defense chief coach Masahiro Kawai (62).
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
I get the feeling Manager Matsui isn't really wanted that much.
Personally I'd rather he just stay laid-back and easygoing.
Becoming manager means getting ripped apart by critics way more often.
He's had plenty of chances before and always dodged them with nothing but nice-sounding excuses.
This guy never had any real intention of doing it in the first place.
Hideki Matsui: "I developed [Aaron] Judge."
Me: "Pass."
Unless you're like [Shinjo], who ran out of money,
or like [Honda], who's turned becoming a manager into a business.
Outside of that, there's not much chance of it.
And if the criticism gets that soft, it'll just stress the fans out.
Hashigami could just stay on as-is, that'd be fine.
But is he motivated?
He probably won't do it, since he might lose his green card.
He'll do it.
He's always been motivated.
He just didn't because of some emotional friction.
And that's been cleared up now.
Nakahata's one of the few alumni Matsui's actually close with.
First I've heard of a rule like that. What's the reasoning?
Oh and Horiuchi both became manager [despite never going to college], didn't they?
Egawa, who turned down every manager and coaching offer his whole career (aside from temporary stints), isn't about to accept a manager job now at 71.
Matsui's been dragged along to join in on that and it's gotten too awkward for him to back out now, so he's not going to become manager either.
Ichiro and Matsui really do get along well, huh — especially when they're playing baseball against high-school girls.
Maybe he'll just do both.
…Nah, impossible!
Favorite: Ibata
Dark horse: Kudoh
Long shot: Nomo
And my prediction [for the Giants] is:
Favorite: Matsui
Dark horse: Hara
Outside long shot: Uehara
I think the Giants are honestly in a critical state as a franchise right now. They don't have a single star player.
They've become such a forgettable team that you can't even guess who'd bat DH.
Only Matsui or Hara can turn this around. My guess is they'll sign Reyes and also reach out to someone like Yamakawa.
Reyes has basically agreed to a contract renewal with the Fighters (Nippon Ham).
Can a guy with zero coaching experience even function as a leader?
Even if he becomes manager, he'll get beaten up by criticism and end up quitting.
The manager isn't the one playing — the players are.
Well, Matsui himself probably knows that, which is why he's hesitating… probably.
Huh?
Shinjo didn't have coaching experience either, though?
You never know how being manager will go until you actually try it.
Not totally sure, but since Shinjo's been doing surprisingly well, maybe people figure Matsui could too?
Go check out "Takasare" — they're incredibly close on there.
Well, even if Reyes falls through, they'll definitely go after a DH/cleanup hitter.
Could be from MLB, could be a big trade. There's no real big fish left in free agency.
If Chunichi hadn't gone with Kudoh, it might've been someone like Uehara, but now that it's Kudoh, I think the Giants feel the pressure too.
My guess is it ends up being Matsui or Hara.
Isn't this happening because Hara's running away from Kudoh, who thrashed him in the [Japan] Series?
Background and Key Points of This Story
The Giants’ managerial succession has been proceeding behind the scenes, centered on team alumni, and the pattern of insiders’ remarks leaking out ahead of any official announcement has repeated itself here. One thing readers can easily miss is that the “promise to Nagashima” Nakahata mentioned isn’t the club’s official position — it’s based solely on his own remarks. The thread split over whether Matsui genuinely wants the manager’s job: optimists argued “the emotional friction is gone now, so he’s motivated,” while skeptics countered, “He’s had chances before and never acted on them.” A misconception also circulated that “only college graduates can become Giants manager,” but as the cases of Sadaharu Oh and Tsuneo Horiuchi show, no such educational requirement actually exists. Candidates also include Yoshinobu Takahashi and Masahiro Kawai, and it’s worth remembering that at this stage Matsui is just one name among several candidates.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geisokuhō+) thread “[Baseball] Kiyoshi Nakahata Names Hideki Matsui as Candidate for Next Giants Manager: “The Promise to Nagashima… It Feels Like the Timing Has Ripened”.”
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