Amazing Ichiro

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Just up watching the Yankees-Mariners game. My main fantasy team this year includes Jeter, Cano, and Teixeira from the Yankees and Ichiro from the Mariners. I try to get Ichiro every year. He's one of the best players ever, I think, and it's such a joy to watch him play -- at the plate, on the bases, and in the field. And yet I think he's often taken for granted -- his ability with the bat, his defensive prowess, his speed, even his occasional power, it seems so easy for him, and he does it all without the flash that characterizes so many of the game's superstars -- so much so that what is often overlooked is just how good he is. Indeed, even I was amazed at what I read at Yahoo! Sports a couple of days ago:

RF Ichiro Suzuki enters play Tuesday 34 hits shy of 200 for the season and 29 hits shy of 2,000 for his Major League career. He's bidding to become the only player ever with nine consecutive 200-hit seasons. Wee Willie Keeler (1894-1901) also has 200 hits in eight consecutive seasons. Along the way, Ichiro hasn't gone hitless in consecutive games since Aug. 13-15, 2008 (Aug. 14 was a day off). That's a span of 145 games, the longest in the big leagues in 65 years, since Stan Musial played 174 games for the St. Louis Cardinals without back-to-back hitless games.

Baseball fans, you know just how amazing that is, how historically great those numbers are. In an era defined by PEDs and the long ball, by Bonds and Clemens, Sosa and McGwire, Manny and Big Papi, A-Rod and the rest, Ichiro is what this beautiful game is all about.