He's ready for his closeup

After watching Hideki Matsui hit two bombs and drive in five last night (that's right, I stayed up for the whole game for some reason), it got me thinking about his future.

It has been seen as a foregone conclusion that the Yankees and Godzilla will part ways at season's end, and the theory that he could go back to Japan seems a little bit of a reach. Though it has been speculated upon, I can't see him ending up anywhere other than Seattle. Last night's audition did nothing to discourage my notion.

Looking at the Mariners' roster last night, two things jump out: first, management's affinity for Asian players (no shit, considering they are owned by Nintendo). Second, the team is hard pressed to put asses in seats; so much so that they bring in washed up players like Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Sweeney to take hacks in the twilight of their career. The fact is that Hideki Matsui meets BOTH of these needs for the Mariners franchise. He's half washed up and he's Asian. In Seattle that's like working at a Starbucks and listening to shitty grunge music. Now all he has to do is grow a soul patch, and he will be a God of Chris Cornell proportions in the Northwest.