I like all opinions, as long as they're not vicious, and I've been asking
nearly every Yankee fan I know about Ichiro coming to the Bronx,
assuming the majority of the people out there love the idea...especially
if you're a Yankee fan. I was wrong.
My one buddy was sitting with me at a get together recently and I went for it, I
asked: "
How do you like Ichiro coming to the Yankees?" He sat there,
then shoulder shrugged, and gave out an "
Eh." Could it be I found the
only guy in Yankeeland not pleased with the Ichiro deal? Then... He
expanded in what was a pretty valid reason. A reason I didn't think of,
probably because I was blind to it all because I'm "sucked in" to
everything good about the New York Yankees.
He explained. "
Look, Ichiro is a good hitter but he's going to be your
typical 1 for 4 guy, he'll get on base sometimes and have a .600 OPS.
For me, he reminds me of another Raul Ibanez and we already have one of
him. Sure Ichiro can help the club, but not too much. His superstar days
are long gone and if he can contribute, great, but I'm not so sure.
Put it this way, you have Ibanez who hits for alittle bit more power and
can't run. Plus he can only play an OK outfield. Then you have Ichiro who plays a
great outfield and runs, but he's really a singles hitter these days. They're kind of one in
the same."
I sat there... Stunned. Look, maybe he's right, or maybe he's wrong...we'll see. I mean, think about it,
Ichiro is good, but he has slowed down a bit, and what if he only has 1
hit, or none, each game until the end of the season and "just gets by"?
That won't exactly help our club. The best thing Ichiro had for himself
with Seattle was youth. This year was definitely a down year and much
like my buddy, many are wondering if he can pick up the pace in New
York. Look, he may, but like my pal said, you just don't know. If we
want a 1 for 4 guy each game, then we should be happy, but if we want
something more, well, who knows if we're going to get that.
I love Ichiro and I sure as hell have a ton of confidence in him, but
there is no question what my pal said the other night made me think. I
guess we'll just have to see. Stay tuned...
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