Talking the Bronx 01.02.13

Talking the Bronx 01.02.13

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Former Yankee Hideki Matsui retires 

Former Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui announced Thurs., Jan. 27^th that he would retire from baseball. Matsui, nicknamed “Godzilla”, spent seven seasons with the New York Yankees (2003-09), combining to bat .292 (977-for-3,348) with 536 runs, 196 doubles, 140 home runs and 597 RBI. Originally signed by the Yankees as a free agent on January 14, 2003, following a 10-year career in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants, Matsui became first player in franchise history to hit a grand slam in his Yankee Stadium debut, doing so on April 8, 2003 vs. Minnesota.   The two-time All-Star (2003-04) did not miss a game over his first three years with the Yankees, playing 518 consecutive games – which remains the longest streak of consecutive games played to start a career in Major League Baseball. He also drove in at least 100 runs four times during his MLB career, including each of his first three seasons. In his final game as a Yankee, Matsui went 3-for-4 with a home run and 6RBI in the Yankees’ World Series-clinching Game 6 win vs. Philadelphia on November 4, 2009. The 6RBI is tied the World Series record for a single game (also the Yankees’ Bobby Richardson in 1960 and Albert Pujols in 2011), and sealed Matsui’s unanimous selection as the World Series MVP.

NYBG’s Grow More Vegetables Certificate Series

The Bronx Green-up of The New York Botanical Garden will be hosting the Grow More Vegetables Certificate Series.  The Series is an edible gardening course designed to equip community gardeners, teachers, and city residents with the best organic techniques for growing vegetables safely and effectively, particularly in an urban setting. The program consists of six classes, both in the classroom and with hands-on gardening instruction in the field. Each student will have the opportunity to design his or her own urban vegetable gardening project as a final component of the course. The projects are open-ended with two main goals: to grow more food and to pass on what will have been learned to an identified group in the community. There is an application process for the Certificate series; preference will be given to community, school, and resident gardeners of the Bronx. Bronx applications are due no later than January 28^th. The series will be held on six Wednesdays, February 27–April 3 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at The New York Botanical Garden’s Watson Education Building. For more information, call Sara Katz at 718.817.8026 or e-mail skatz@nybg.org.