Reading old articles is one of those things I don't think any of us do often enough. We're always on the lookout for what's brand new, or what happens next, and it's because of our ceaseless push forward that we leave so much behind, forgotten the instant it's finished.
So you can imagine my delight when, during a search for information on the posting system, I stumbled across this Sports Illustrated article by Michael Farber from December 2000. It's an article about Ichiro's transition overseas from Japan to North America, and you'll recall that December 2000 was the December prior to his rookie season with the Mariners. Needless to say, a lot has happened since then, and it's interesting to read something written before the whole Ichiro phenomenon ever came to the States.
I recommend you read the whole thing, because it's fascinating, and it's not very long. But I'm going to go ahead and highlight three choice excerpts:
Ichiro plays to the crowd and sometimes with the crowd. While his manager interminably argued a call last season against the Nippon Ham Fighters, Ichiro charmed the Nippon fans in the rightfield seats by playing catch with them.
Can you even imagine him trying the same thing here? The first time he'd throw a ball into the stands, some superfan or soulless collector would pocket the ball and run away. Alternatively, if Ichiro kept it up, someone would inevitably get hurt, and Ichiro would face a fine and suspension.
Seattle general manager Pat Gillick, who has seen Ichiro play only on tape, calls him a "Kenny Lofton-Johnny Damon type," but Ichiro, who probably will bat first or second for the Mariners, doesn't have Lofton's whippet body.
These were two very flattering comparisons. Lofton was one of the best leadoff men in the 90s, and Damon - who had just turned 27 - was coming off a year that saw him bat .327 with 16 home runs. Based on video, Gillick figured that Ichiro would be among the league's most effective table-setters. All he's done since then is bat .331 over nearly 7,500 trips to the plate. Ichiro didn't just equal Lofton and Damon - he surpassed them. Sure, he doesn't have Lofton's patience or Damon's late power. But the worst Ichiro's ever hit is .303.
Ichiro had been asking out since playing against touring major leaguers in the the autumn of 1996. "I wanted a change of circumstances in my life," Ichiro said last week. "I saw these good American players, and I wanted to play against them."
Ichiro said he wanted to play against those good American players. He didn't say anything about wanting to play with them. Mission accomplished.
9 recs | 25 comments
Has there been a Hall of Famer yet who doesn't speak English?
Guerrero and Ichiro may be the first.
Rangers100 - November 8, 2010
Yogi Berra
CapSea - November 8, 2010
Yeah, no one has ever come here from a foreign country and had a Hall of Fame career.
Mariner John - November 8, 2010
Ichiro does speak english.
chezbergrur - November 8, 2010
Ichiro doesn't speak English?
harkening - November 8, 2010
Well he's knows it and can speak it, but most of the time doesn't speak it.
Mainly to fuck with people’s heads.
SethGrandpa - November 9, 2010
Or maybe he is worried about his image and doesn't want to say something he didn't mean in english and then have it be broadcasted everywhere.
Maybe he really likes his interpreter or he wants to stay true to his Japanese roots and doesn’t want to appear Americanized. Maybe he wants the questions he answers to be easily broadcasted in Japan. Until Ichiro says why he continues to use a interpreter we will never know.
“August in Kansas City it’s hotter than two rats in a fucking old sock”LeftArrow2 - November 9, 2010
Maybe he just feels more comfortable speaking Japanese
I mean, I speak French decently, but unless pressed, I’ll talk in English.
Craig341 - November 9, 2010
Your probably right but I think there is some truth to him not wanting to apear Americanized.
I was just throwing out a lot of reasons on why he chooses to speak Japanese over english.
LeftArrow2 - November 9, 2010
or on why he MIGHT choose to...
Ike Clanton - November 9, 2010
There is a funny interview where Ichiro spoke english.
Back in 2005 Bob Costas interviewed Ichiro and he went on the daily show and he talked a bit about Ichiro
I just found it amusing what he chose to speak in English.
LeftArrow2 - November 9, 2010
Probably and Ichiro isn't going to change that either way
seattlebruin - November 9, 2010
Ichiro said he wanted to play against those good American players. He didn't say anything about wanting to play with them. Mission accomplished.
This part me made me laugh so hard. I guess we need to be careful what we wish for
Jose Lopez's swing - November 8, 2010
I bet he was so pissed when we traded for Lee
Milendriel - November 9, 2010
Yeah, or when we called up The King
egreenlaw9 - November 9, 2010
I can't find this to link to, so forgive the size:
Quick bat gives Ichiro edge
The Daily Yomiuri, Nov. 18, 1995
It took 60 years for Japanese pro baseball to have its first 200-hit season by a player. The great Oh never did it, nor did Nagashima. And to top it off, Ichiro Suzuki was just 20 in 1994 when he passed the milestone.
What edge does Suzuki have over the former greats?
Kagemoto Yuasa, a professor of sports biomechanics at Chukyo University in Nagoya, wanted to know and, using a computer-generated analysis, found the answer—an extraordinarily fast swing.
Yuasa, who also did an analysis of pitcher Hideo Nomo, said the Orix BlueWave outfielder takes only 0.17 seconds to swing at a pitch, the fastest ever recorded.
According to Yuasa, Suzuki’s swing surpasses the bat speed of former Yomiuri Giants slugger Shigeo Nagashima (0.19 seconds) and the 0.18 seconds recorded by Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who was said to have taken the fastest swing in major league history.
An extraordinary bat speed like Suzuki’s gives him more time to decide whether he wants to swing at a pitch. Even an advantage of a few thousandths of a second can make a vast difference.
In the case of a 140 kph pitch, it takes 0.437 seconds for the ball to reach home plate. That means Suzuki has 0.267 seconds to decide, subtracting 0.17 seconds for his swing. For the average batter, the figures are more or less reversed.
His fast swing also accounts for the almost inexplicable power that Suzuki draws from his 1.80-meter, 71-kg frame. In 1995, the two-time Pacific League MVP swatted 25 home runs and 80 RBIs.
“That he can hit 25 home runs with his body structure is due to his fast swing and that he optimally transfers his shift of weight to the swing,” said Yuasa.
Despite his outstanding success, Yuasa said don’t look for Suzuki to continue it should he decide to try his hand at the Major Leagues—at least until he bulks up a bit.
“It is 100 percent impossible,” said Yuasa, noting the faster pitchers overseas and the long distances teams travel for games. “With that body, he won’t manage unless he undergoes extraordinary muscular development.”
msb - November 9, 2010
Thanks for some great reads, this article and the following!
Ichiro’s bat speed and hand-eye coordination are awesome.
NeighborTom2 - November 9, 2010
Ok, I'll stop with this excerpt, which has the classic pre-MLB quote:
International Herald Tribune, Nov 20, 1998, Friday
Tim Noonan
The Japanese propensity to heap praise on star athletes is not limited to [Sammy] Sosa, however. For Ichiro Suzuki, a 25-year-old outfielder with the Orix Blue Wave, the media circus consuming Sammy offered a welcome respite.
In his first five full seasons, the lanky Suzuki has won five Pacific League batting titles and three most-valuable-player awards. Telegenic and engaging, Suzuki has a .350 career batting average and a devastatingly accurate and powerful throwing arm and may run the bases better than any professional baseball player in the world. He also carries the considerable burden of being the most celebrated and recognizable sportsman in Japan.
While almost all the Japanese all-star players were simply hoping to make a good showing against a team of U.S. major leaguers they played in exhibition games over the past couple of weeks, Suzuki was auditioning for a larger role.
‘’I want to be the first player to show what Japanese batters can do in the major leagues,’’ Suzuki said. Buoyed by the recent success of the pitchers Hideo Nomo and Hideki Irabu, a number of Japanese professionals are eager to follow them to the U.S. major leagues. While a number of scouts are impressed by Kazuhiro Sasaki, a Yokohama Bay Stars relief pitcher with 45 saves and an earned-run average of 0.54 last season, no everyday Japanese player has yet been signed by an American team.
Jamie Moyer, a Seattle Mariners pitcher who played for the visiting U.S. team, said he was impressed with Suzuki. ‘’Ichiro is very composed and has good bat control,’’ he said. ’’I’m not sure there is anyone in the major leagues faster from home to first base.’’ Moyer said he felt Suzuki was ready for the majors.
According to the ranking system used by scouts from U.S. teams, Suzuki would be among the top four or five defensive outfielders in the majors. There are doubters, however, Sadaharu Oh, the Japanese home-run legend, said players in his country were still far behind American major leaguers when it came to bat speed. But he said that with more exposure to superior competition, Suzuki could develop the necessary skills. – Mike Hargrove, the Cleveland Indians’ manager and skipper of the visiting U.S. major-league squad, was not overwhelmed with Suzuki. ’’He’s above average as a runner, and he has an above-average arm in right field,‘’ Hargrove said. ’’Still, I would see him as a fourth outfielder on a major league team.’’
[snippage]
Suzuki, who hit .380 and stole seven bases in the [All Star] series, recognizes that his fate is tied to his club’s willingness to release him. Under the Japanese system, a player is not a free agent until he has completed nine full seasons. ‘’I would just like to play at the highest level in the world,’’ he said ‘’I don’t need to be the No. 1 player to be there. I just want to play where I can be relaxed off the field as well as on.’’
msb - November 9, 2010
Hargrove must have been super thrilled to have such a good 4th outfielder.
perfectstrat - November 9, 2010
Holy shit how did we not win more games with Grover when our fourth outfielder was 5 WAR?
seattlebruin - November 9, 2010
Was Hargrove ever asked about comment after he became the Mariners' manager?
KC Mariner - November 9, 2010
Yup-- from the PI in 2004
“In fairness, Hargrove was hardly the only one who failed to see the potential of the Japanese players, and it’s safe to say he’ll probably play Ichiro every day. The comments have come back to him a few times thanks to reporters, and yesterday was no different. “Only mistake I’ve ever made in my life,” he joked.""
msb - November 9, 2010
Thanks!
KC Mariner - November 9, 2010
...and Ichiro just won another Gold Glove
Plus one for Guti this year!
theslothking - November 9, 2010
You are so right Jeff, about us mostly wanting "news", not history.
The Farber article was a good read, as was this post.
TrustBaseball - November 9, 2010
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