Ichiro Reminds Us Why He's Worth $20 Million/Year
The scene in the basement of Seattlest HQ last night when FOX showed Ichiro rounding third and heading home on his inside-the-park home run was what I imagine an old-time political convention looked like after they nominated the hometown candidate after 86 ballots.
There were eight of us packed down there, but we all found room to jump around, wave our arms frantically so we looked like a giant third-base coaches convention, and, eventually, exchange jubilant hugs when Ichiro crossed the plate.
We were all jazzed about Ichiro anyway, because earlier in the day reports said he was re-signing with the Mariners. Then he established himself as a possible All-Star game candidate with hits in his first two at bats. The inside-the-parker--first in All-Star Game history, seemed to seal it, if the AL could hang on.
Which they barely did, no thanks to the incompetence of Orioles "infielder" Brian Roberts, who evidently has the range of a range. His bobble of a Dmitri Young grounder kept the NL All-Stars alive in the 9th, Soriano's homer on a decent pitch by Putz (it was a little up, but, hey, it's Alfonso Soriano) brought them within one, and Putz was out after he walked J.J. Hardy in the first J.J./J.J. battle in All-Star Game history. F-Rod saved the day for the AL and for Putz (with an assist from Tony LaRussa--you don't pinch hit Pujols there? Huh?).
Photo: REUTERS/Richard Clement
