I didn't know Ichiro absolutely had to be the team's "leader." He gets on base, steals bases, and is a great outfielder, but that's not enough apparently. Give me a break. I think the Mariners do have a fairly decent offensive team, but they need to put the players around Ichiro who will drive him in, and not expect he's going to turn into a power-hitter, too.
Really Caple, do you think Suzuki is dogging it? Sure, he's deliberately trying to have a very ordinary year, just so he can have a chance to be worth a few million bucks less when free agency rolls around. Get a clue, will you, pal? ucla512, the writer feuding with Ted Williams was, I think, Cliff Keane. I don't recall reading that he had left Williams off an MVP ballot, but then my memory is faulty, and I don't have the time to research right now. I am sure that Williams did not "flip a bird" at the press box after his last home run. The video is shown occasionally, and there is nothing in Curt Gowdy's call or on the video to indicate any gesture. He did that in a game several years before he retired. Again, I don't recall the exact circumstances.
I don't even think Grover is the real problem in Seattle. Bavasi has flat thumbs from sitting on them all the time, and I'm not certain anyone from the Nintendo ownership has seen a game in Seattle in person. OK, maybe I made that last part up, but I'll bet practically nobody in Seattle would recognize the owner if they bumped into him (them) on the street. Kinda obvious that Ichiro isn't the problem.
howard t, trust me I was sitting in the stands with my father and he did give Keane that gesture. He walked across homeplate tipped his hat to the fans and then turned towards the sportswriters box and to quote you "flipped him the bird". Years later, when he took over the Washington Senators, I asked him at a Angel game as he was standing on the dugout steps if he remindered doing that. He just smiled and winked at me. i just asked my brother and he said as he entered the dugout was when he looked up and gestured something to that writer. '
The problem with todays' sportswriters is that they only want to write something that impresses the readers. I haven't seen a writer lately that is anything special except TJ Simmers who may write something you don't like but is fair and does ask the questions that most of the other writers haven't got the guts to ask. Keane was a moron and took a lot of crap for not putting him on the MVP ballot. Hell, if he had had a vote for the Hall of Fame he most likely wouldn't have voted for him either.
I haven't seen a writer lately that is anything special except TJ Simmers who may write something you don't like but is fair and does ask the questions that most of the other writers haven't got the guts to ask. Do you mean T.J. Simers? The writer of this piece of petulant crap?
ucla, you must be as old as I am to remember Cliff Keane. You may be right about the "bird", but I know you are absolutely right about Keane being a moron. Actually, to paraphrase an expression I have heard, calling Cliff Keane a moron is an insult to morons everywhere. What really gets me about sportswriters, talking-head broadcasters, and even those who report "serious" news is how when one of them makes an absolute idiot of him or herself, and is taken to task for it, all of the others rally around him or her. It is usually "journalistic freedom" or the "public's right to know". To me it is that most of them are trying to boost ratings or circulation through sensationalism. They seem to have the attitude that their subjects are some sort of unfeeling robot who is fair game for the most vicious and unfounded criticism.
Guys like Ichiro, who play literally flawless outfield, hit a constant .300 and add luster to a money green-tinted game screw things up for the Chris Duncans of the world...the ones who field wall caroms better than grounders or line drives. Leave, Ichiro, while there's still time... Jesus!
Ichiro leads by example. He doesn't have the kind of personality to be the fire and brimstone, holler at your boys kind of leader. Some of the evidence of this is the oft-repeated rumor in Seattle that he speaks pretty decent English but always uses his interpreter. It allows him to keep a distance from all those around him. The guy who's gonna end up leading this team is Ichiro's countryman, Kenji Johjima.
Sorry Howard T, Didn't mean to insult you... Yeah, you are completely right about all the "journalistic freedom-public's right to know" crap.... Ratings mean money and the bottom line is now money... There is a old saying "people who can do people who can't write" to something of that effect it still fits..Ichiro leads by example, as does a lot of other players, but the writers want to sell papers to pay there salary whether the story is true or not or even worth while. Ratings,circulation, sensationalism, press, coverage and absolute stupidity of the sports writers of todays' game is what is causing all the bad journalism. But it cost to much for the players to go after these individuals in court so they just let it go and move on.
Go after them in court? What are you talking about? Some sportswriter writes a column saying he doesn't think you're being a leader, and you want to sue him? Yeah, that's gonna fix things.
ucla, no insult perceived, nor any offense taken. I've had a really bad feeling for the basic dishonesty of the press/media for many years, ever since a good friend lost his job because of shoddy reporting and research by a reporter for a local newspaper. He had no legal recourse because of the libel laws here in the US. He might have had a case in the UK, but not here. He couldn't even sue his company for reinstatement because the story caused him to lose a security clearance. He changed careers and eventually landed on his feet, but it cost him a lot of anguish and loss of self esteem. It is indeed all about the money for those who like to root about in the slime. Their attitude seems to be one of not caring what they destroy, as long as circulation and ratings go up.
