Question about Ichiro Suzuki

[jtex316]

Isn't Ichiro the absolute MAN when it comes to batting? Didn't he bat .380 or something like that one season?

How come you NEVER heard about him? Ever? Is it because he plays in Seattle and they are god awful, or is it because he isn't a media spotlight guy?

I remember in 2000 or whatever when he came into the league that he was amazing and could hit anything...is this still the case or is he an average player now?

[BigDaddyFin]

He's been hurt a lot lately hasn't he?

I don't think they give credit to guys who hit for average like they used to.  I think if Ted Williams hit .400 today instead of 1941 you wouldn't really hear about it except for the box score in the paper.  Robbie Alomar made a big stink one year because unlike Ted he sat out to protect his average. 

I think the homerun guys and the guys who drive in a lot of runs get more press plus baseball if you look at it, isn't getting the same amount of print space it once did, at least not in my local rag.  There used to be full writeups of every game, two full pages in the paper, top ten guys in each league offensive category and they printed it every single day during the season.  Now they have the standings, the box scores and maybe an around the league blurb that amounts to a glorified injury report. 

So you've got less column space, more and more of the column space that is available going to steroids and then here they write about three things, A-Rod, Big Papi and how the Mets suck again, and that's it. 

Doesn't leave much room for a slap hitter who is actually a really good player but isn't getting busted for roids/hitting 2 homeruns a night/driving in 10 runs in a game/pitching a no-hitter/in a ridiculous slump. 

Also look at what your newspaper is printing in terms of minor league stuff.  Rochester is the Twins Affiliate but we were the Orioles Affiliate for like 50 years before that, so all the guys write about is Joe Mauer, or they kiss Cal Ripken Jr's ass non-stop but then you only get the little bit of writing if someone does something big.

Run-To-Win I think lives in Washington, he might be a guy to ask in terms of how much they cover him.

[bsmooth]

They absolutely worship in Seattle.

[jtex316]

They absolutely worship in Seattle.

Well that's good, but on a national level, he's invisible. Derek Jeter isn't a guy who hits a lot of homeruns, but his face is everywhere. I think if Ichiro played in NY and Derek Jeter played in Seattle, it'd be the other way around.

[SCFinfan]

I love Ichiro. He does it all. Even pitching:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvp-kuAX5Bg&feature=related

[BigDaddyFin]

He's a great player.  I hope he gets the recognition he deserves for it.

[Denver_Bronco]

Ichiro is lost in Seattle and he gets about 250 hits a season. He is completely wasted there.  He's had 2 hits steaks this year of around 30 games. He hits the ball wherever he wants and there is no defense for him.  And no, he hasn't been injured, ever.