HeraldNet: Upset teammates should accept Ichiro for what he is



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Mariners Blog

September 25, 2008

Upset teammates should accept Ichiro for what he is

Posted at 8:40 pm by By Kirby Arnold

There's trouble in loserville.

A story in the Seattle Times today contained a few juicy paragraphs about some Seattle Mariners who are upset that Ichiro Suzuki seems more enthralled with getting his 200 hits every year than helping this sorry team reach the 60-win plateau. Quoting an unnamed "clubhouse insider," the story said one player talked about "going after" Ichiro, presumably to turn him into a pretzel.

If the clubhouse tension ever got that far, I can only imagine the supple Ichiro springing back to his feet and getting three hits.

This is great stuff and keeps us interested during the final days of a miserable season. But clubhouse groans about how Ichiro plays the game, especially with nothing at stake in the standings, are nothing new.

I've covered the Mariners all of Ichiro's career here, and every year it seems someone would like him to (a) hit for more power, (b) take more walks, (c) steal more bases, (d) take more aggressive routes to fly balls and (e) get a grass stain once in a while in the outfield.

For eight years, I've seen players mutter, roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders about it, then accept the fact that Ichiro gives them more than 200 hits, 100 runs and 30-40 steals. Now I hear that one player -- presumably a pitcher -- has hinted at getting physical with him.

Ichiro can frustrate everyone with the caution that he throws into his game. But what he does is pretty darned incredible and to expect him to become anything else at this stage of his career is wishful thinking.

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