Gary Matthews Chooses Angels To Be Close To Family
By Michael Williams (4/2/2007)
Gary Mathews Jr. is playing at home and will be close to his mother, grandparents and his 8 year old son. He is playing for the Angels who have given him a $50 million contract for 5 years and he decided on the team so that he can be close to his family and also have the security for the first time as a baseball player.
According to Mathews, playing for the Angels gives him the time to be close to his family while concentrating on his game. He could not have asked for a better deal.
Mathews is 32 years old and has been playing in the Major Leagues for 9 seasons. Out of these 9 seasons, he has changed his team 8 times. He has never played two full seasons in the same city.
In 2006, after the All Star season with Texas, Mathews became a free agent. He was offered more money by the Giants when compared to the Angels. If he had joined the Giants, he would have been following his father’s footsteps. In 1968, the Giants picked Gary Mathews Sr. in the first round draft pick and he played for them from 1972 to 1976.
Mathews said that he wanted to follow his father’s footsteps and the temptation was there. However, Angels pursued Mathews and finally because of various reasons, including personal, Mathews decided to join them rather than the Giants. Mathews’ mother is suffering from lupus, an autoimmune disease. While Mathews’ son, Gavin, lives north of Los Angeles with his mother and step father and Mathews’ grandparents live in the high desert just two hours from the Angel Stadium.
As soon as Mathews signed the contract with the Angels, he bought himself a house in Newport Beach and thinks it is a good place for his mother to recuperate, his son to play and his grandparents to relax.
While he was playing for the Texas Rangers he averaged .313 with 19 home runs in 147 games and that put him in a position where he could pick and choose the team he wanted to play for. Mathews has now conceded that the biggest reason he decided to play for the Angels was to stay close to his family. |