I love his consistency in hitting. I truly hope he breaks Pete Rose's record for most career hits. He's a machine, and even though he plays for the Seattle Mariners (team that entered the American League back in 1977 with the Toronto Blue Jays), I cheer for him.
My only complaint is that on his Seattle Mariner's uniform, rather than display his surname like it does for every other single player in Major League Baseball, his jersey only shows his first name. Ichiro.
I'm unsure if that was his doing or what. It may have been a mistake by the guys/gals who sew the names onto the uniforms, because his name when presented may have appeared in standard Japanese fashion - surname first - and what they would look at would be how the non-Asian world views names (surname last)... and so they assumed that Ichiro was his surname.
Why no one has corrected it after that very first game or month or season or subsequent decade, I have no idea. I find it annoying and now, it must be self-satisfying. He has become different from his teammates.
Having said all of that, we have come not to bury Caesar, but to praise him... uh, Suzuki, that is... or is it Ichiro? Whatever. Now he has me confused.
Being a MLB player comes with lots of perks - especially if you are a well-paid star like Ichiro Suzuki is (writing out his full name might be less confusing for me). But, it does take a special type of person to say he's donating $1-million dollars to a good cause.
Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki is donating $1.23 million to the Japanese Red Cross for earthquake and tsunami relief efforts that hit the northeastern part of Japan on March 11, 2011.
Now that might seem like a large dollar amount--and it is--but it's an odd dollar amount... until you figure... hey... he's Japanese, and he's donating to the Japanese relief efforts... he must be donating in Japanese yen... and he is.
Ichiro Suzuki is donating Y100,000,000 yen. Now there's a number that makes sense.
Apparently some Japanese folks - probably the media and politicians - are wondering why this baseball player hasn't made a public announcement about what's going on in his home country. Geez. Relax people! He doesn't have to say anything. He did leave Japan to play baseball in North America. We know he loves Japan, but he loves the chance to make a few extra bucks, too.
Just because he knows how to hit a 98-miles-per-hour fastball doesn't mean he has to say anything about a disaster.
And besides... Y100,000,000.
Actions sometimes speak louder than words.
And... just so you know, the Mariners right-fielder has contributed to relief efforts in his home country a few times previous.
Last month, he gave $125,000 for Miyazaki-ken (Miyazaki Prefecture) after it was struck by repeated eruptions of the Shinmoe Peak volcano. Hell, I didn't even hear about that one! Sorry.
He also donated $125,000 to Kobe-shi (City of Kobe), the home of his former Japanese club the Orix BlueWave, for disaster relief following the 1995 earthquake there.
In 2000, he sent clothing items worth more than $150,000 to Aichi-ken (Aichi Prefecture) after it was hit by destructive rainstorms.
Actions...
Not to be outdone, but in actuality being outdone, the Seattle Mariners baseball organization is asking fans and front-office personnel to contribute to Japanese relief funds as well, saying it will match all donations made at its Safeco Field during their opening six-game home stand. Red Cross volunteers will be outside the gates of Safeco taking donations for games against the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays from April 8 through 13.
As well... the Seattle Mariners will make a separate minimum donation of $100,000 to the Red Cross. I guess they're a little short on cash considering they have to fork out some $18,000,000 to some generous Japanese fellow this year.
And... if you are keeping count, Ichiro Suzuki's donation is about 8% of his salary.
Ichiro Suzuki doesn't need to talk about the things going on in Japan--that's my gig.
Somewhere Ichiro's talkin' baseball,
Andrew Joseph
Today's blog is by Terry Cashman. The song isn't rock and or roll, but it's a really neat little song: TOUCH'EMALL
PS: Teen Japanese golfer Ishikawa Ryo (surname first!), 19, is donating his entire winnings of 2011 to the disaster relief effort in Japan. Excellent. I hope he wins something. Often. But not the Seattle Mariners, though. I hate them.
PPS: The card up above... that's Ichiro Suzuki's rookie card - from Japan. I have complete sets of the first three years they made baseball cards!
