It's only opening day but Hideki Matsui is picking up where he left off, this time with the Angels. He drove in a pair of runs with a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth and a homer in the eighth, in a 6-3 triumph over the Twins Monday night at Angel Stadium. His home run fueled Hideki mania in Anaheim where there were 104 Japanese media members tracking Matsui's debut, and over 43,000 fans cheering on the Japanese legend. The fans have quickly forgotten about Vladmir Guerrero and have embraced Matsui with "cult like" attention. In fact they have already established "Matsuiland" in the right field stands.Now I read this on The Angels website:
ANAHEIM, CA -- On Tuesday April 6, 2010, the Angels will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the "largest gathering of people wearing fleece blankets." All fans in attendance at the Angels vs. Minnesota Twins game (7:05PM) will receive a complimentary Hideki Matsui Blankie courtesy of Konica Minolta."We are very excited about this special opportunity," team spokesman Tim Mead said. "Setting this world record will be a unique and memorable experience for our fans, the first of many in 2010."
During the game, an anticipated sellout crowd of over 40,000 will be prompted to wear their red "blankies", featuring Matsui's name and number, for five consecutive minutes. After completion of the five minutes, a Guinness World Records Adjudicator will officially certify the new record. Later in the game, Guinness World Records will hold a short ceremony to recognize the record breaking attempt.This is the first Guinness World Record attempted by the Angels. The current record for the largest gathering of people wearing fleece blankets is 17,758 set by the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 5, 2010.
Rally monkeys, thunder sticks, Matsui Blankies, Guinness World Records. A slightly different atmosphere than Matsui was used to after 7 years at Yankee Stadium. If Matsui continues to perform, who knows how much further the Angels fans will take it?
