Don Mattingly speaks, and it becomes a two-continent controversy. If Mattingly wanted to create a commotion, he picked the right newspaper. His comment about wanting to play in Japan quickly reached that country because it appeared in USA Today, which appears almost everywhere.

In this country, Mattingly's proclamation was received with some interest. But in Japan, it became the biggest thing since Hideo Nomo.

Mattingly says now that he didn't mean to create such waves. He says he is "embarrassed" about the commotion. He says now he just as easily could have been talking about playing in the soon-to-be-launched United League or for a low-level team in his hometown of Evansville, Ind.

Only now it is too late. Now, he is the talk of Japan. Now, he is almost as big as sushi. If Mattingly doesn't have the same power he once did with his bat, his name still does. And if Japan has its own Mike and its own Mad Dog, you have to know they're talking about the merits of Mattingly right now.

Meanwhile, Mattingly says his comment - "I've thought about Japan a little bit" - was merely light conversation. He says it shouldn't be taken too seriously. That part is probably correct.

It is difficult to imagine Mattingly playing there. For someone who barely knew about Lou Gehrig when he signed as an 18-year-old, Mattingly has grown to love the tradition of the Yankees and the major leagues. And he also has to know that if he has any illusions about the Hall of Fame, Japanese League stats won't count in his favor.

Over there, they don't know what to make of Mattingly's supposed small talk. If some aren't taking it too seriously, others still are in a stir. That Mattingly has only five home runs and 36 RBI is irrelevant. The fact he has a bad back and that he is 34 years old and that he hasn't had one of his monster years this decade also have little bearing. Apparently, what counts most is the star factor. And Mattingly has that.

Ray Negron, a liaison / consultant for one Japanese team (Negron declined to say which one), voiced skepticism about Mattingly's claim. He is interested, but skeptical. "I don't think it's real," Negron said. "I don't think Don Mattingly would go over there. He's too Yankee Doodle Dandy. It's like [Dave] Righetti. Remember when he was talking about Japan? They played it like a negotiation.

"Clubs over there are going to be very leery of getting involved with Mattingly. Number one is the back. Number two, they don't want to be used."

When it comes to negotiation, Mattingly is no bumpkin. He may be from Evansville, but he can play with the big boys in New York. He has smarts and charm. Five years ago, when Mattingly was seeking a long-term deal from the Yankees, all he had to do was set a spring-training deadline for his discussions and mention a few teams he might like to play for (the White Sox, with hitting coach Walt Hriniak was one), and the next thing anyone saw was George Steinbrenner sitting in the stands in West Palm Beach with Mattingly's agent Jim Krivacs. Pretty soon, Steinbrenner was agreeing to hand Krivacs large stacks of cash, $19.3 million over five years.

It might take a little more ingenuity to create any type of leverage for Mattingly now. It is difficult to say how the Yankees will view this. They might be relieved to see him leave on his own. Forget Mattingly's stats; Steinbrenner doesn't want to be seen as the guy who pushed the greatest Yankee of the Steinbrennerian Era out of town. Mattingly said there were times he never thought he'd leave the Yankees but it's a possibility he is preparing for.

In any case, Mattingly insisted, "This is no negotiating ploy for me. It was just a casual conversation that got bigger than I ever thought. To tell the truth I must be naive. I'm befuddled. I didn't want it to come out like this. I really was just talking about having fun playing baseball.

"I feel embarrassed it went like this. I want the focus to be on the field. What happens to me this winter shouldn't be the focus," Mattingly said. "I haven't even thought about it. I'm concerned about what's going on here right now."

Mattingly says he doesn't want to become a distraction. Assuredly, he doesn't want to be viewed as baseball's Pat Riley, who negotiates in midseason. Nor should he be.

"I am embarrased about it being this big a story."

Yes, he must really be embarrassed.

No matter, it is way too late for a retraction. The wires already are burning. "Would he be popular in Japan? Boy, would he ever," Negron said. "Would they love him? Boy, would they ever. As long as he stays healthy. The minute he goes down, it will be a whole different story." Injured players aren't viewed with the same sympathy over there as here. When Kevin Mitchell got hurt, he had to leave the country.

Other star players have tried Japan, including Bob Horner and Shane Mack, who got $8 million for two years. The belief is that Mack and Mitchell went because they were concerned about the strike. As soon as the strike ended, there were signs they wanted out. Mack, a .300 hitter in the U.S., is batting about .250 over there.

These are nice players and these players are in their prime. But none of them carries Mattingly's star. "I don't think Mattingly's in that class," Negron said. "He's made a lot of money. He's put it away [Negron did not say how he came to be aware of Mattingly's spending habits.] I don't see why he would go over there. He's too loved over here. Any team would love a Don Mattingly."

That may not be so true here, where teams may wonder whether Mattingly's star, his fine fielding, his superb past and his wonderful leadership ability outweigh his sagging numbers. Mattingly probably would have an interest in the White Sox, Cardinals and Reds, with the latter two teams being particularly attractive because they are within driving distance of Evansville. Some big-league team should take Mattingly. However, at this point there are no guarantees. Maybe he's worried about that.

Copyright 1995, Newsday Inc.

Heyman, Jon, BASEBALL Don Won't Exit With Sayonara., Newsday, 08-30-1995, pp A61.