The Ichiro Suzuki appreciation thread.

Originally Posted by Ichiro

\t "I love baseball, but being here (in the United States), I've been able to play golf every day. I can't play in Japan because every course has caddies, and the caddies all want autographs and don't want to let me golf." - Ichiro Suzuki in Seattle Post-Intelligencer Report (February 21, 2000) Explaining why he missed catching a fly ball: "The ball became the same color as the sky. So, I wasn't able to see it ... I was sending mental signals for the ball not to come my way, because during that time of day it's impossible for me to see the ball so I lacked mental signals. I lacked in that area. Usually, I don't send mental signals. So, because this is the first time, I thought, please don't come my way." "I can do that (foul off pitches) intentionally. They were borderline. And I was trying to get the pitcher to make a mistake." Source: Associated Press (June 15, 2002) "I didn't know I hit that way (.625 with runners in scoring position). Maybe not knowing is my secret. If I chased numbers, maybe I wouldn't have as good results." Source: Seattle Times (May 16, 2001) On playing in Cleveland: "To tell the truth, I'm not excited to go to Cleveland, but we have to. If I ever saw myself saying I'm excited going to Cleveland, I'd punch myself in the face, because I'm lying." "If that is true (Joe Torre's comment, 'Do not let Ichiro beat you. He is the key to Seattle's offense.') it would give me great joy. But I don't believe it." Source: Baseball Digest (November 2002 Issue) On his personal toughness: "I'll walk on my hands before I use crutches." "I'm anxious to face them (major league pitchers) all, but in reality I'm looking forward most to (Boston's) Pedro Martínez. He was with the major league team that came to Japan in 1996, just before he became a superstar. I'm anxious to see how much he's improved. And I'm anxious to see how much I've improved against him." Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Report (February 21, 2000) On his personal battles with Dice-K: "I hope he arouses the fire that's dormant in the innermost recesses of my soul. I plan to face him with the zeal of a challenger." "I'm not a big guy and hopefully kids could look at me and see that I'm not muscular and not physically imposing, that I'm just a regular guy. So if somebody with a regular body can get into the record books, kids can look at that. That would make me happy." Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Report (August 14, 2004) "I'm told I either look bigger than I do on television or that I look smaller than I look on television. No one seems to think I look the same size." Source: Tacoma News Tribune (May 23, 2001) On how he wants to become a pitcher at age 40: "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," who can top out at 95 mph with a fastball." When asked what he would do if third base and first base were switched, meaning he'd no longer have the advantage of getting out of the box quickly as a left-handed hitter: "I'd retire." On winning over everything else: "I want to be the kind of player who people feel it is worth paying the money to come out and watch. ... When I meet players who are playing just to win, that angers me." "In baseball, even the best hitters fail seven of ten times, and of those seven failures there are different reasons why. Some are personal failures, others are losses to the pitcher. You just get beat. In those personal failures, I felt I could have done better." Source: Baseball Digest (November 2002 Issue) "When I came here to play, I didn't know where I would be (in respect to breaking George Sisler's single season hit record) or where I wouldn't be." Source: Associated Press (June 11, 2001) On speeding up the game: "Yesterday when I played, inside my head I said 'I want to go home quickly,' and I swung and I was able to get a hit because I wanted to go home. Today I thought, 'I want to hurry up and get something to eat,' and I swung and got a hit today." On great athletes: "Tiger is a great golfer, but ... when you say athlete, I think of Carl Lewis. When you talk about (golfers or race-car drivers), I don't want to see them run. It's the same if you were to meet a beautiful girl and go bowling. If she's an ugly bowler, you are going to be disappointed." "When I look at the records and see where my place in the history of the game (in Japan with Orix) might be, I guess you could say it was a good decision to come here. It's not just me. Maybe I'll have an effect on others in the international part of the game." Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Report (August 14, 2004) On Pete Rose: "No one can deny his 4,000-plus hits. The gambling thing is something different. ... On the front of his Hall of Fame plaque they should put all of his records and amazing feats. When you flip it over, it should say, 'He gambled on baseball.' But I would vote for him."