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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Seattle Mariners (External Link) • Schedule (External Link) • Player Stats (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, February 21, 2008 M's spring training McLaren asks more of Ichiro By Kirby Arnold Herald Writer PEORIA, Ariz. -- He wore a green and white backwards baseball cap, a polo shirt with sleeves that didn't reach his biceps, jeans of his own design with a pink button at the waist and multi-colored tennis shoes that he might have worn to paint a room. Seattle Mariners center fielder Ichiro Suzuki spent his first full day at spring training Wednesday wearing the look of, well, Ichiro. "My teammates don't think that what I'm wearing is good fashion," he said after the Mariners' first full-squad workout. "A lot of times they can't believe what I'm wearing. But if you ask my opinion, everything they're wearing is a crime." The Mariners will look past his sense of fashion if he performs again like, well, Ichiro. He batted .351 last year, recorded at least 200 hits for the seventh straight season and stole 37 bases. This year, manager John McLaren is asking for Suzuki to take risks beyond his attire. He wants his star leadoff man to show more aggression on the bases, saying he's capable of 70 steals. And McLaren would like Suzuki to become a more vocal leader, saying his English is good enough to have a greater clubhouse presence. "I have encouraged not only him but other veterans to step up," McLaren said. "He stepped up last year, reached out to his teammates and they reached out to him. I think he speaks (English) well enough that he can converse well with us at any time. When you're the best player and have something to say, it means a lot. I think he's moved up to where he's comfortable talking to his teammates. Before, I think he just worried about getting himself prepared for the game, not really getting into anyone else's business or someone getting into his business. But I think now he can share things with his teammates and they can share things with him." To all that, Suzuki says wait a minute. "I think that my English is getting worse," Suzuki said, his words to U.S. reporters translated by Ken Baron. "I think there are many ways to be a leader. One person might be good at leading vocally. Another person might not say anything. If you try to do something you're not good at and try to force something, that's not being a good leader." As for doubling his steals, that would require taking more chances, and Suzuki is a cautious runner. His 45 steal attempts were the fewest of the top 10 base stealers in the major leagues last year. Jose Reyes of the Mets, who led the majors with 78 steals, attempted 99. "I think 70 steals is definitely possible, but if I get 70 steals I'll probably get thrown out 70 times also," Suzuki said. "Running 80 times and getting 70 steals, that's not possible. There's a risk involved." Meanwhile, he praises the Mariners for the risk they took in trading for starting pitcher Erik Bedard. The M's traded away outfield prospect Adam Jones, relief pitcher George Sherrill and four minor league pitchers. "To gain power, sometimes I think we need to try to take big risks, and I think the Mariners showed that," he said. "During my seven years here, this is the year I feel the organization coming together as one." Suzuki's biggest task at spring training is to become accustomed to new right fielder Brad Wilkerson, just as he had to do with Jose Guillen last year. He hopes he and Wilkerson play a majority of their exhibition innings together. "I want to know him very well," Suzuki said. "I want to get to know him not only as a player, but his personality also. I said the same thing for Guillen last year. "But no matter how much we try in spring training, once we get into the season, movements change. I'm going to have to be aware of that. I'm going to try to learn as much as possible in spring training, but also the month of April until we get to a comfortable position." Read Kirby Arnold's blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com

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