 |
||||||||
 |
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
 |
The Japan connection; toast to easy money
© St. Petersburg Times By this time next month, you will know the name Hideki Matsui. And a lot of people in Japan are going to know the name Tampa. Matsui is the latest addition to the New York Yankees. Even if you don't follow baseball, you are likely to notice his presence in Tampa next February. That's because there will be an enormous Japanese media throng following him wherever he goes. How large? Last week, when Matsui arrived in New York to sign his three-year, $21-million contract, there were more than 300 reporters in attendance. That included local New York reporters, but the Yankees' Howard Grosswirth said the Japanese contingent was sizable. "The Japanese reporters were definitely overwhelming," said Grosswirth, the director of marketing for the Yankees and Legends Field. "We don't know how many we're expecting. I know Nippon TV is going to report live four times a day every day. They've already shown up. Other reporters also have shown up." Similar reporting entourages have followed the Seattle Mariner's Ichiro Suzuki, but Grosswirth said the Japanese consider Matsui their best player. His nickname is Godzilla because of his home run hitting ability. Pitchers and catchers are set to report Feb. 11 and Grosswirth expects the throng to be in full force by then. The team already has added electric and telephone outlets to the Legends press box. "Not only is it turning the Yankees global, but for six weeks it's going to turn Tampa Bay global. People are definitely going to know Tampa back in Japan." An impressive list of dignitaries, headed by U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, came out Tuesday night for Gold Bank's grand opening in downtown Tampa. Officials said the $4-billion Kansas City bank already has garnered $20-million in deposits since quietly opening in October. So what distinguishes this bank from all the others that have come and gone over the decades? Gold Bank community president Roy Hellwege says it's the local connection. "We have a local team here with a lot of individuals who left longtime careers at other banks to come," said Hellwege, a Winter Haven native and former SunTrust and Colonial Bank executive. "They wouldn't have left if they weren't certain about the longevity of Gold Bank's investment." Similar proclamations have come from other banks, but the support garnered Tuesday -- and Hellwege's ties to groups such as Bay Area Legal Services -- suggests Gold Bank is here to stay. Interested in winning a share of $15,000? Go to a bar in Hillsborough County on Sunday. Just make sure it's the right bar. Budweiser and Pepin Distributing have a special Bud Bowl promotion in which they will walk into a bar just before halftime of the Super Bowl, lock the doors and give everyone over the age of 21 a share of $15,000. Last year, KD's Pub on Racetrack Road was the lucky winner. The trick is being in the right bar. Here's the only information I could glean: 241 bars are participating and they dot the county from Riverview to Plant City to Tampa. Most are sports bars, and any establishment charging a cover or having a private party is not allowed to participate. First there were the Bayshore Patriots. Now there are the Bayshore Buccaneers. Sort of. Times staffer Mike Readling came across Caitlen Corbett, 12, Caitlin Dziubek, 11, and Mason Manney, 12, as they encouraged drivers to honk for the Bucs. The kids said they're going to be on Bayshore Boulevard every day this week stirring up spirit for the team. After I critiqued participants in last year's annual MacDonald Training Center fashion show, some vengeful person came up with the idea of including me among this year's models. The sales pitch for the Feb. 14 show at the downtown Hyatt Regency mentioned the good cause and my charitable spirit, but I know I'm being set up. I just hope I don't trip and fall. That's all I'm saying. -- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or hooper@sptimes.com .
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
Times columns today From the Times Metro desks |
