Eww. Ichiro In a Yankees Jersey.

Yea, so… I bought an Ichiro jersey last week. Like, Mariners Ichiro. And, here’s the thing: I’d do it all over again.

Sure, he’s a Yankee. Sure, the Pinstripes are somehow evil in every other Major League market. Whether or not you actually hate NY or not, it’s just a uniform that you can’t help but scoff at. “Oh, look at Andruw Jones… he would go there,” Atlantians are thinking. “Oh, Raul Ibanez, eh?” Yea, Philly.

(Think about what you first felt when you saw Steve Nash posing gleefully in a Lakers jersey. Come on, even Lakers fans kind of cringed at that one.)

And, I mean, Ichiro in a Yankees jers? Despite the fact that the Yankees are, like, the most Japanese team in baseball, it look funny. Odd. Weird. Like you never imagine Ichiro being one of those sell-outs that joins the big boys when his career turns stale and sour.

——————–

“Ichiro Suzuki deal could be masterstroke move for New York Yankees,” by Wallace Matthews, ESPNNewYork.com (July 23, 2012)

——————–

Of course, Ichiro doesn’t speak, really, so who knows what he thought. I always found his loyalty to Seattle odd, because he never proclaimed it. But, there always seemed to be something extremely genuine and subtle about the man. He went about his business, and he always seemed to feel grateful for the chance, even though you know he knew he deserved it.

On Monday night, Ichiro got both the trade and his homecoming out of the way at the same time. Seeing him wearing No. 31 was as weird as seeing him in the jersey it was sewn onto.

When Ichiro came to the plate, they cheered, and he bowed, and then it was done. No hard feelings, no nothing. One player out, and a few more in return.

And so, yes, I would buy that jersey all over again. This is the best Mariner of all-time, and Ichiro is still a Mariner. At least, he’ll enter the Hall of Fame as one. Well, damn, he better.

——————–

by Kolby Solinsky
White Cover Magazine