Ichiro’s World

Our good friends at Gaslamp Ball pointed to this USA Today article on Ichiro Suzuki. Seattle’s star outfielder isn’t just a hit machine, he’s a quote machine. Some of my favorites from the article:

Once I turn 40, I can become a pitcher. I’m kind of serious about it. But I’ll have to learn to throw a knuckleball. Right now, I could be a ‘normal’ pitcher.

I think he probably can become a pitcher at age 40. The only thing he’s lacking is confidence, but maybe that will come with the knuckleball.

I feel the way I did when I was 20. I was told my body would change when I hit 30, but it hasn’t. But I am afraid, when I turn 40, of perceptions about me. That’s an artificial standard — don’t consider me the same as everyone else.

I’m learning all kinds of things here. I didn’t realize that the body doesn’t change over time. Good to know. It’s not making my knees hurt any less, but it’s good to know.

When you take steroids, it’s not as if wings grow out of your back, and you start flying all over the place and stealing home runs (from hitters). The word ‘cheating’ doesn’t apply for me regarding steroids.

Um, er. Awkward silence. So, if it wasn’t the steroids, then why exactly are there wings growing out of my back? Wait, did I say that out loud?

Anyway, there’s all kinds of good stuff in here. Ichiro covers pretty much everything from golf, to designing his own underwear, to Pete Rose, to the differences between Japanese and American cultures. Not all of it makes sense, but then, a lot of what Ichiro does makes no sense. Seriously, 262 hits in a season? That’s just nuts.