IT DON'T MEAN A THING¡¦

Here are some first impressions of Godzilla Matsui's swing:

"He's very compact for a power hitter," Torre said. "Normally, a lefthander has an uppercut. He's level. When you're compact, it's less likely that a pitcher can punch holes in your swing. There's less a pitcher can exploit, less moving parts.

"His approach seems sound. Like Tino (Martinez), he seems to have the ability to hit the ball with authority the other way."

¡¦"His swing is built for all the forkballs they throw over there," [Jason] Giambi said. "He's a great low-ball hitter."

"I told him that standing ovation when he strikes out, that [bleep] is gone," Giambi said. "I told him I got booed for the first month, but it was fun, the ultimate place to play."

Booing a baseball player in Japan isn't common. Yet Matsui understands when he fails to deliver a hit in a key situation he is going to hear it.

"I guess I can't help it if I strike out," Matsui said. "I will look at it as an awakening."

This is how Joel Sherman saw it:

Matsui keeps his feet at about shoulders width and strides very little into the ball. The knob of his bat is held out about a foot from his heart, and his hands drift back a few inches as a pitch is delivered. Between pitches, he begins by staring into the opposite batter's box before shrugging his shoulders and slowing swiveling his head to face the pitcher.
...Hitting coach Rick Down, after eyeballing his new pupil for the first time, said, "There are not very many moving parts. Maintenance will be easy."

Down mentioned the thickness of Matsui's legs and the power he derives from them, and even within the confines of a meaningless batting practice session, Matsui pulled enough balls with authority to hint at his power potential. In fact, Ventura, who played as a Met against Matsui in a 2000 exhibition in Tokyo, said, "People don't realize just how strong he is. This is not a small, thin guy."

IT'S OKAY WITH ME

Don't count on Jason Giambi to stir shit up with The Boss. The Yankees best hitter played choir boy yesterday when asked about the restrictions placed on his personal trainer:

"I don't think it's a punishment," Giambi said. "I know Mr. Steinbrenner loves to win, and when things don't all fall into place, he starts looking for things to make it better. This is just one of those things where we could be more focused. I don't know, but I don't think he's trying to punish me. I just think he wants to win the World Series."