Believe it or not, there was a baseball life for Hideki Matsui
before the New York Yankees, but you'd never know it.  Blame it
on the Reggie Jackson thing.  Quick. When you think of Mr.
October wearing a baseball uniform, what do you see, and how
striking are the pinstripes?  Just so you know, Jackson played
21 seasons in the Major Leagues, and he spent most of that time
with the Oakland A's, his team for the first 10 years of his
career. In addition, there was his season with the Baltimore
Orioles, and he also was with the California (now the Los
Angeles) Angels for five seasons, which is interesting.  That
was the same amount time Jackson was with the Yankees.  Even so,
you say "Reggie" to those ranging from casual to ardent baseball
fans, and they see Yankees visions. Three home runs on three
pitches at old Yankee Stadium during the 1977 World Series.
Nose-to-nose (ahem) chats with Billy Martin. The Boss.  They
also see drama -- a bunch of Yankees drama, involving the self-
proclaimed straw that stirs the d