Asides

Ichiro the Great

Everything livens up in spring, and perhaps nothing is as emblematic of this as the return of baseball in cold weather climates. We at the Vernacular have spent our spare moments this spring musing over box scores and the oft-overwhelming assortment of baseball reviews and analysis. One of our favorite articles from the Boston Globe concerns Japanese youth baseball and excerpts an essay by OV favorite and Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki, written when he was in sixth grade: “I started practicing when I was 3. From the age of 9 I have practiced baseball 360 out of 365 days a year, and I practice hard. I had only five or six hours [in a year] to play with my friends. That’s how much I practiced. So I think I surely can become a pro.” Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Ichiro handle the vagaries of right field or beat out a well-placed base hit could do well to remember the discipline and work ethic behind his talent and grace. Read it here. (JRB)