**********

Hideki Matsui of Japan found a new home in the Major League Baseball  (MLB) as he finally signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Matsui, the 2009 World Series MVP while playing for the New York Yankees, was affirmative with the deal worth US$6 million. The acquisition of Matsui finally put an end to the ‘Guerrero era’ with reference to the aging hitter Vladimir Guerrero of the Dominican Republic.

*********

South Korea’s Park Ji-sung has been selected to join other football stars including retired French striker Zinedine Zidane and Pavel Nedved of the Czech Republic on the European team to play against African-born All-star players in the Idolo Cup. The ant-racism charity event will take place in Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy early next year. Park Ji-sung is the only Asian footballer invited to join the squad.

*********

Song Bo-bae became the fifth South Korean to win the Rookie of the Year award on the Japan LPGA Tour. The 23-year old native of Jeju has added her recent feat to her already impressive resume. She won Korea LPGA Tour Player of the Year award in 2004 and 2005.

**********

Football great Hong Myung-bo of South Korea has been named to manage the national team of his native country for the upcoming Asian Games in 2010. Hong has earned to lead the team in the games scheduled in November 12-27 in Guangzhou, China following his impressive stint leading the under-20 team in the World Cup quarterfinals in Egypt.

**********

Pongsaklek Wonjongkam of Thailand has expressed his desire to face newly crowned WBC flyweight champion Koki Kameda of Japan. The 32-year old native of Nakhon Ratchasima is currently the number one contender in the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings in the flyweight divsion. The handlers of Wonjongkam are aching to do the title bout within 90 days as they are confident their prized ward can overcome the Japanese champion.

**********

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao filed his Certificate of Candidacy before the Commision on Elections for a congressional seat in the Philippine southern province of Saranggani. With this development, his much anticipated bout with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may be moved a little later in the year. Both promoters of Pacquiao and Mayweather are currently negotiating the terms of the possible blockbuster match-up.

**********

Thailand will gun for its 9^th straight football title in the South East Asian Games (SEA)Games with Kawin Thammasajjanun as its starting goalkeeper. Steve Darby, Thailand’s English coach is confident to thwart all criticisms by local media for dropping a couple of high profile players in its roster for this regional competition.

**********

Japan’s Hisanori Takahashi told local media that he wants to follow the footsteps of his former teammates Hideki Matsui and Koji Uehara who are now playing in the Major League Baseball in the United States. The 34-year old Takahashi recently filed for free agency.

**********

Kim Joo-sung of the Dongbu Promy became the first player in the Korean Basketball League to record 700 blocks. He had two blocks while playing against SK Knights in Seoul, South Korea.

**********

Malaysia’s national football team coach K. Rajagobal is optimistic about the future of the national team despite the setback against Uzbekistan in the Asian Cup. The defeat virtually knocked Malaysia out of contention but Rajagobal is confident that the Malaysians can perform better in the next two or three years.

**********

Venezuelan Alex Ramirez of the Yomiuri Giants and Yu Darvish of Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were voted MVPs in their respective leagues this season in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Ramirez won his second successive plum in the Central League while Darvish had his second in htree seasons in the Pacific League.

**********

World Series MVP Hideki Matsui has officially become a free agent. Together with five Yankees and one hundred fifty more in the MLB, Matsui can now accept offers from any team following the end of his contract.

**********

Chan Ho Park of this year’s runner-up Philadelphia Phillies has joined three other teammates in filing for free agency.  It is expected that a handful of teams will chase the right-handed Relief Pitcher from Gongju, South Korea.

**********

Real Madrid winger Christiano Ronaldo has accepted the libel damages from Daily Mirror.  The tabloid newspaper was sued after it reported that Ronaldo drank heavily and danced in a night club in Los Angeles while he was recovering from his injury.

**********

Wayne Rooney of Manchester United has been warned of his future conduct after he criticized game officials following their loss to Chelsea.  He was seen of his remarks on television cameras intended primarily on referee Martin Atkinson.

**********

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez refused to concede their team’s title hopes even though trailed in the standings and hounded by injuries to key players.  In an interview last Monday, November 9, he told scribes that they are taking one game at time and a championship dream is still realistic at this stage.

MVP! MVP! MVP! These were the chants that bounced around the ball park of the new Yankees’ Stadium on the seventh inning in game 6 as Hideki Matsui came to bat. True indeed, he tied Bobby Richardson’s 1960 record for RBIs in a World Series game as he led the New York Yankees to its 27^th Title.

All photos are with courtesy to Yahoo.com

Hideki became the first Japanese to win the World Series MVP trophy. Nicknamed “godzilla” back in Japan, the 35 year old Hitter overcame the tough season battling through bad knees. As the whole city of New York celebrates the victory, Matsui has drawn a lot of admiration in his native country including the legendary Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese who played in the Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants back in 1964.