Gothamist: Matsui's Marriage Will Cost Jeter Some Money

March 27, 2008

Matsui's Marriage Will Cost Jeter Some Money

Photo of Hideki Matsui holding up a drawing of his wife by the AP

Hideki Matsui is sneakier than he looks. First, he disappears Wednesday to get married. On Thursday, it transpired that earlier this year, Matsui, while already engaged, had joined a bet with Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, two other Yankees bachelors. The three would award the prize to the one that got married first. Matsui won, tying the knot with his girlfriend, a woman he said is "a 25-year-old civilian and had formerly been working in a reputable position at a highly respected company. I cannot go into further details at this current time." Such mystery!

As for the bet, Jeter wasn't pleased he got played for the fool. “That’s not hilarious, that’s sad, that’s real sad,” Jeter said. “If he wanted the money, all he had to do was ask. He didn’t really have to do it.” Technically, Jeter has a year to get married himself -- Abreu has only six months because he has a girlfriend -- but his only hope of keeping his money is to extort Matsui. Jeter knows the name of the anonymous bride, and he said he'll reveal it if Matsui doesn't fork over the money. But he also told reporters, “I got one year? No chance. I’ll give him the money today. That’s pretty good. How do you say sneaky in Japanese?"

Abreu already conceded. Should his girlfriend be worried about a fear of commitment? Should women in New York be even more on the lookout for Jeter?

By Tom Boorstein in News | Link | Comments (29) | Recommend this! (5) |

Tags: baseball, Bobby Abreu, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Sports, wedding, Yankees

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Comments (29) [rss]

[1] | 03/27/08 02:12PM

that's so strange. come out into reality, mrs. matsui!!

[2] | 03/27/08 02:24PM

WTF? I call shenanigans.

[3] | 03/27/08 02:25PM

Heh, love the new photo. That woman? Totally not real.

[4] | 03/27/08 02:26PM

He married an anime character?

[5] | 03/27/08 02:27PM

"He married an anime character?"

No, he married the police sketch of an anime character.

[6] | 03/27/08 02:29PM

so this is the part where jeter tells matsui's bride to be that it was all a bet and so she calls the whole thing off. matsui then has to try to explain to her that while it started as a bet, he afterwards realized he really loves her, but she won't believe him and he has to do something crazy to prove his love and win her back. hilarity may or may not ensue.

[7] | 03/27/08 02:33PM

That's a pretty funny story

[8] | 03/27/08 02:36PM

Jeter - call me!

[9] | 03/27/08 02:38PM

i'm pretty confused.

[10] | 03/27/08 02:50PM

Yeah I'm also confused.. I don't understand Jeter's anger/dismay. The bet was to get married, and Matsui got married.

[11] | 03/27/08 02:54PM

He spent like three hours on the shading on her upper lip.

[12] | 03/27/08 02:59PM

In somewhat related news, Derek Jeter still refuses to change his lame hair style.

[13] | 03/27/08 03:02PM

$25,000 to them is like 25 cents to most people. Jeter should just nail Hideki's spikes to the clubhouse floor, and call it even. All and all, a total fluff story.

[14] | 03/27/08 03:13PM

Politburo, Jeter was joking.

[15] | 03/27/08 03:24PM

The possibility of Matsui stringing that many words in English together is impossible. It's a scam.

[16] | 03/27/08 03:27PM

I feel like Matsui made the sketch by using himself as a model and then adding long hair.

And ChampionOfTheSun - TOTALLY.

[17] | 03/27/08 03:41PM

Snoopy - he used a translator.

[18] | 03/27/08 04:09PM

I can't for the life of me work out what the hell this story is about, but I do know it's unimportant.

I'm just too bored at work to do anything else. So who wants to get married?

[19] | 03/27/08 05:01PM

Is there anyone in this city who doesn't know someone who Derek Jeter slept with?

Or at least knows someone who knows someone?

[20] | 03/27/08 05:28PM

It sounds like Jeter gets the last laugh here.

[21] | 03/27/08 05:50PM

If they finished the drawing, I bet she would have huge breasts and a katana sword strapped across her back.

[22] | 03/27/08 06:52PM

I hope the prize is a digital camera.

[23] | 03/27/08 07:48PM

More props to ChampionOfTheSun. I've been killing Jeter's hi-top fade for years...

[24] | 03/27/08 07:57PM

But he also told reporters, “I got one year? No chance. I’ll give him the money today. That’s pretty good. How do you say sneaky in Japanese?"

Hey Derek... it's pronounced Pearl Harbor.

[25] | 03/27/08 08:08PM

Couldn't Matsui find a mail order bride that provides a picture and not a sketch? It appears like he's looking for a missing person.

[26] | 03/27/08 08:17PM

Derek's got a huge fan base in the Bay area. I'm sure he could find a life partner there.

[27] | 03/27/08 11:01PM

Jeter and Abreu could have headed Matsui off at the pass by getting married to each other. But to make it official, they would have had to do it in Boston and that would have resulted in a most uncivil union. The Rivalry cost them $25k. That's how serious Baseball gets.

[28] | 03/27/08 11:54PM

Jeter, just think: Heather Mills McCarthy and chill.

[29] | 04/01/08 07:50PM

what man would even place such a bet? that they would get married sooner than the other? that whole thing does not sound right...... btw Matsui is big into porn so maybe the woman he married really is the drawing