"Oakland has had its share of high-profile players join the team late in their career: Nomar Garciaparra, Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas.

But Hideki Matsui is a sensation on a different plane. He's an international phenomenon who comes with his own media, his own entourage, and seemingly nonstop activity. From landing Friday night at the Phoenix airport, where he was greeted by Japanese reporters who'd waited for five hours, to his father's news conference on Saturday afternoon, the vibe was one of massive celebrity.

"The market we're playing in doesn't really have a sense of star power," A's left-hander Dallas Braden said. "And then you bring in a guy who is an international megastar, like Lady Gaga."

Most of the A's are eagerly anticipating Matsui's arrival at the park today, but Braden is tops in that category and he's designated himself as the welcoming committee. He ordered a 6-foot tall inflatable Godzilla and on Saturday, he and relievers Andrew Bailey and Craig Breslow dressed it in a Matsui jersey, an A's cap, white cleats and various other bits of equipment. It's a tribute to the new DH, long known as "Godzilla."

"There is definitely excitement in the air," Braden said. "For me, it's someone with a championship pedigree, and now he's with our team. Why can't he be the nucleus in the atom that is the Oakland A's?"

That might sound like hyperbole until one sees the bustle around Matsui."