NEW YORK -- Two New York City policemen tried to keep warm outside the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square, blowing on their hands even though they were wearing gloves. At 25 degrees, the wind cut right through the cops. Still, they had no choice but to man their post -- especially since history was being made seven stories above.

That's where Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui officially walked through the gates of the Yankee empire, greeted by general manager Brian Cashman, manager Joe Torre, pitcher Roger Clemens and even New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

	Hideki Matsui hit 50 homers and batted .334 for the Yomiuri Giants last season.

This really was history, too -- the largest media event the Yankees had ever staged, approximately 400 reporters, photographers and camera-crews, most of them from Japan.

It was two hours of photo-op orgy: Matsui posed and smiled, nodded and gave the thumbs-up, wearing the Pinstripes for the first time. That set off a shutter-frenzy that had Matsui blinking helplessly. Still, he kept his composure. After all, the man was being officially anointed The Man.

"I played for a great team (Yomiuri Giants), and I had a great life but after 10 years I wanted to see how I would do in the No. 1 league in the world," Matsui said through a translator. "I will do the best I can to help the Yankees win."

Matsui arrives with great-looking numbers, including his 50 home runs and a three-year, $21 million contract which prompted Cashman to boast, "we're big-game hunters." But only a few Yankees officials admit to actually knowing much about the Japanese slugger's hitting skills.

Torre, for example, has never seen Matsui swing. Not once. Not ever. Not even on videotape. Asked where Matsui would bat in the 2003 lineup, the manager waived away the question and said, "I'll decide what kind of hitter he is in spring training."

Until then, Matsui remains a trans-Pacific mystery: how many of those home runs he hit last year will actually translate into Bronx blasts? Even though Matsui bats lefty, the Yankees don't dare call him the next Barry Bonds, or even another Jason Giambi.

They know that Matsui played in a hitter-friendly dome in Tokyo, and that baseballs used in the Japanese leagues are smaller and more tightly-wound, which greatly enhance a hitter's performance.

But despite the relative absence of in-person scouting, the Yankees still have higher expectations for Matsui than Hideki Irabu, who arrived in the Bronx in 1998 as the next Nolan Ryan. It didn't take the Yankees long to realize they'd been conned, as Irabu's two trademarks were underachieving and overeating.

Matsui, on the other hand, is younger and stronger than most Japanese players, and as Cashman said, "totally legit, according to the people we trust." That's why Yankee officials are privately hoping Matsui can clone, say, Bernie Williams' numbers.

	“	Will he hit 50 home runs? No. Will he hit 40? Probably not. But he could hit 25-30, because he's got power and he's disciplined. In our ballpark, that helps a lot. You can build your team around hitters like that. ”
		— Brian Cashman, Yankees GM, on slugger Hideki Matsui

"Will he hit 50 home runs? No. Will he hit 40? Probably not," Cashman said. "But he could hit 25-30, because he's got power and he's disciplined. In our ballpark, that helps a lot. You can build your team around hitters like that."

Just as critical to Matsui's assimilation will be his ability to filter out the tidal wave of attention he'll attract. Think the scrutiny hasn't already started? The very first question he was asked on Tuesday was about his disastrous performance in the series against the major league All-Stars in November.

Matsui smiled, promising "I will do better" as a Yankee. He has to. That's the mandate every Yankee faces from owner George Steinbrenner. Not even Torre and Derek Jeter are immune from the Boss' need to wound his employees.

Steinbrenner is already questioning Torre's coaching staff -- his favorite weapon for debilitating a manager, dating back to the Billy Martin era. And the owner is wondering whether Jeter's declining batting average in the last three years is tied to his nightlife.

No one has a problem with Matsui. Not yet, anyway. But there will be no grace period for either him or recently signed Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras, since they represent Steinbrenner's vision of a worldwide Yankee empire -- fueled by the YES Network's broadcasts to Japan.

So much for the Boss' insistence on smaller economics. Not that it was ever a realistic goal. As Torre himself said, "every year we talk about spending less, and every year we spend more."

That's because Steinbrenner's fury about the Yankees' early-exit loss in the 2002 playoffs has finally kicked in. He's running this team almost single-handedly from Tampa, pushing Torre and Cashman farther outside of the decision-making process.

And he's got a sense of humor too!

Top 10 reasons I, Hideki Matsui, signed with the New York Yankees: 10. Tokyo was fine, but I'm more of a big city guy 9. I want to see "Cats" at least once before it closes 8. I fell in love with a woman from Manhattan who I thought was a rich socialite but it turns out she's a maid 7. Yankee Stadium -- nachos don't come any cheesier 6. Jeter said he'd hook me up 5. On days off, I can hang by TRL's Times Square studio 4. Every Japanese child knows the legend of Jorge Posada 3. In New York, there's no pressure to speak English 2. I wanted to meet Regis 1. Dude, this city never sleeps! -- from the "Late Show with David Letterman"

Steinbrenner is so obsessed with strengthening his roster, he's instead created a multinational corporation which will likely have a $160 million payroll by Opening Day. And Steinbrenner's excess has become Torre's nightmare, since he's being handed eight starting pitchers.

This unbalance has Torre worried.

"I told Jeff Weaver last year that he's going to be starting for a long time with this club," Torre said. "How do you go back on that? I don't have a clue how we're going to put this together."

Torre actually seems more preoccupied with choreographing his starting rotation than creating breathing room for Matsui. The outfielder might need help, though, since there could be as many as 40-50 Japanese reporters following him game to game, day to day, city to city throughout a crowded summer.

The Yankees wouldn't say if Matsui would have to conduct separate interviews for the Japanese and American press, or how they'd fit that many reporters into a clubhouse that's already crowded.

In fact, the Yankees aren't even sure how Matsui will blend in with his new teammates, since he speaks no English. All Cashman knows is, "everything's workable."

That means a full-time translator, non-stop batting practice, even his own web site, if necessary. Anything and everything for the man to become The Man.

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) covers baseball for ESPN.com.