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World's eyes on one name

Weathering pressure here and in Japan, the man known as Ichiro has become the biggest star among All-Stars.

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 9, 2001

SEATTLE -- His flexibility sets him apart. The limber exercises before each at-bat. The graceful movements in the field. Watch closely, you can even see Ichiro Suzuki stretch the imagination.

In baseball's first century, no position player has ever emigrated from Japan to crack a major-league lineup. Now, in little more than a half-season, Ichiro has become the biggest star in America's most hallowed sport.

Step off a plane at Sea-Tac Airport and his is among the first faces you see. On T-shirts. In newsstands. On posters. At Safeco Field, they are selling Ichi Rolls in the concession stands, a $9 spicy tuna dish.

Already he is on a first-name basis with America. His jersey is the only one in the majors to feature his given name printed across the back.

Ichiro-mania has gripped Seattle and it is about to go national. The No. 1 vote-getter in fan balloting, the Mariners rightfielder will be the most popular player among the 60 assembled for Tuesday night's All-Star Game.

"When you hear so much about a player before you see him, he almost never lives up to expectations. This guy has been even better than expected," Yankees manager Joe Torre said during a recent series at Tropicana Field. "He just does everything so well. It's hard to find many flaws in his game."

He may be the fastest player in the majors. His arm is as strong as any outfielder's. His dexterity with a bat has drawn comparisons with players from future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn to 1930s Hall of Famer Paul Waner.

Ichiro, 27, enters the All-Star break hitting .347 (second in the American League), with 28 steals (tied for first in the AL), 76 runs (first in the AL) and 134 hits (first in the AL). He is mounting a bid to overtake George Sisler's record of 257 hits in a season (Ichiro is on pace for 250), a standard that has withstood challengers for 80 years.

"Right now, he is the best player in the big leagues," Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

He also is the most watched. To get an idea of Ichiro's popularity in Japan, think Michael Jordan. And then take the National Enquirer and multiply it by 10. More than 180 members of the Japanese media were issued credentials by the Mariners during spring training. About 20 reporters and photographers from Japan are covering Ichiro daily. Just Ichiro.

Mariners games are broadcast in Japan, leading to grumbling that Japanese league teams are being ignored at home.

In a recent poll in Japan, the emperor was voted the country's second-most popular person behind Ichiro. And, as far as can be determined, no one is clamoring to see the emperor naked.

Rumors spread earlier this season that a Japanese tabloid was offering $1-million for a photo of Ichiro in the nude, so he now dresses in a separate room in the clubhouse. When he got married two years ago, the ceremony was held in Los Angeles to avoid the Japanese paparazzi.

"I don't know how much more pressure can be put on a guy then what the Japanese media has done," Mariners catcher Tom Lampkin said. "I mean, how many different ways can a guy walk out of a clubhouse and onto a field? He's got live cameras filming him walking out of the clubhouse every day."

As intense as the attention has been during his first year in the U.S., it pales when compared to what he went through in Japan. And that is one of the reasons Ichiro made the move.

After seven straight batting titles, Ichiro had eclipsed mere sports celebrity status. With his good looks and obtuse nature (he is intensely protective of his private life) he had become a cultural phenomenon. While he was eager to test his skills against major-league players in the U.S., he was equally enthusiastic about escaping the scrutiny of his home life.

"Even off the field, in my private time, they watch me closely, only me, no other players," Ichiro told the Seattle Times. "I get stressed out by them following me with their eyes.'

The son of a tool manufacturer, Ichiro (which means First Son) honed his skills in daily workouts with his father. He became so proficient while working in batting cages near his home, he began moving closer and closer to the mound to increase his bat speed.

The result is a swing that is both quick and remarkably precise. Rays hitting coach Wade Boggs, a five-time batting champion and a fanatic about hitting mechanics, has marvelled at the balance in Ichiro's swing. He rarely swings and misses and nearly always keeps the ball on the ground to take advantage of his speed. Ichiro is so adept at finding holes in the infield, his stroke has been likened to a tennis player hitting drop shots.

"It's almost like he just serves it wherever he wants," Mariners manager Lou Piniella said.

Although he sometimes is accused of carrying himself with a rock star aura, Seattle teammates say Ichiro has been remarkably accessible for someone dealing with the demands put on his life. Although he does interviews through an interpreter, and usually only after games, teammates says he already has a good grasp of English. Much of it has been learned at the ballpark and from listening to hip hop music, which means his vocabulary is a mite colorful.

Yet for all the attention he has received as a pop phenomenon, the bottom line is his production on the field. And there no longer are any questions there.

In spring training, when Ichiro was adjusting his timing because major-league pitchers have quicker deliveries to the plate, there was some question whether he had the talent to survive. ESPN baseball analyst Rob Dibble told Piniella, his former manager in Cincinnati, that he would run naked through Times Square if Ichiro won the batting title.

"You'd better start working on your tan," Piniella responded.

- Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report.

ALL-STAR GAME: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Safeco Field, Seattle. TV: Ch. 13.

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