Mariners bring back 44-year-old Ichiro

It’s amazing that he can still play at the pro level at that age! Good for him!

A very interesting look at Ichiro worth the read if you are a fan of his!

http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22624561/ichiro-suzuki-return-seattle-mariners-resolve-internal-battle

A nice story and a nice ending to his MLB career. The Mariners were my favourite team when Wizard played for them.

@Yubaru, that is superb writing with its portrait of people struggling in the desolate winter Kansai/Chubu settings. I wondered if the white guy who runs like a wounded animal after Ichiro in his daily training is actually the author (a little self deprecating humor if that is true). But it is also a very dark portrayal of how his father, a fanatical taskmaster who was alive during some of WWII and was shaped by the hardships of occupation, ended up destroying his relationship with his son Ichiro, partly through financial mismanagement, to the point that they don't have meals or apparently meet or speak any more, even when they are in the same town (the hometown sushi chef being saddened that he never sees the two come in to his restaurant at the same time). Surprising that Ichiro has nothing to do with the museum that his dad manages, described in the article as a dusty place housing his childhood toys. Ichiro has promised all his MLB things to Cooperstown, which he visits often. The saddest part of the article for me is the line about the workout annex of the museum, which his dad imagined would be used by his son every off-season.

I for one hope Ichiro will be able to relax someday and the family can work things out after the pressure of handling media scrutiny and a large fortune are not such as issue. That is the follow up article I plan to look for in about ten years.

Sheesh, I posted a rambling synopsis with too many spoilers--sorry. The main message of the ESPN article seems to be that Ichiro's father set out to mold a great ballplayer but also inadvertently ended up warping the son socially. The hall of fame career is not the 24/7 adulation that the father may have imagined, as we can be certain busloads of fans are visiting his home museum in Toyama especially after the happy family facade is rejected by the subject of the museum. And this is why the dad cries in interviews.

That should read "busloads of fans are NOT visiting"

Mariners may beat Angels in AL West Champ race this coming season.

He is a hall of Famer. Not good weather but fans are warm.

To Mariners fans: Where are Iwakuma and Aoki now?