A message to the guy shilling shiatsu: Stop trying to piggyback on Ichiro’s awesomeness, please.

Dubious western medicine!

On the case of Erik Bedard, he had issues that doctors think is a torn Labrum in his shoulder, but now seems to be coming back faster than had been expected.

Probably due to the surgical repair of the torn labrum.

But watching Ichiro take batting-tee practice is what I remember, even more than his regular batting practice (which was, no exaggeration, magical). As fast as the coach/assistant could pop the ball on the tee – and it was fast – Ichiro would stride into the ball and just destroy it. And unlike his regular batting face, during the tee-ball work I was literally frightened at how he looked and the physical effect it produced.
I thought the effect might be less the second time, but it wasn’t at all. Upsetting my expectations made it even a little more frightening.
Those are among my strongest memories of Ichiro while he played here.

I am certainly glad Ichiro is a baseball player and not, say, playing rugby, or boxing, or a gladiator. I would never like to be on the receiving end of the sort of coldly insane concentration he put on those baseballs.

I believe his success is due a unique combination of hard work and intelligence. Lots of people work hard, but not as smart, not as insightfully.

Compared to people like Bo Jackson, Ichiro has practically no natural gifts at all. And heaping praise on his “natural ability” short changes the amazing effort he has made to maximize the ability he has.

It would be hard to not consider Ichiro the most complete player in the history of the sport, at the plate, on the bases, and in the field.

Wow, I love Ichiro, but I gotta suggest you at least consider Mays, Ruth, DiMaggio, Aaron, Cobb, Musial, and a few others I’ve heard could play a bit.

Ichiro’s a natural righty. He did not develop hitting right handed. He developed hitting left handed at a young age.