Ichiro got a bunch of fantastic goodies along with his $90 million Mariner contract, according to the AP, including:
--A housing allowance, which will be $32,000 next year.
--Either a new Jeep or Mercedes SUV each year.
--Four first-class plane tickets to Japan for his family.
He also deferred $25 million of the $90 million contract, so the Mariners will be paying Ichiro until 2032, when Francis Bean Cobain is 40 years old. Yowza.
Ichiro talked about the practice of deferring money in the book Ichiro on Ichiro.
I was pretty amazed by the "deferred payment" system. That surprised me ... I was told most American players want the whole amount paid to them. I opted for the deferred-payment plan.Ichiro's putting the non-deferred portion of his contract to good use--while at the All-Star game in San Francisco he and his wife dined twice at Quince, a top-rated San Francisco restaurant. Via MenuPages, the SF food blog Tablehopper reports how Ichiro spent his post All-Star game evening:
He celebrated his MVP status and his home run at the All Stars Game [sic] late into the evening, feasting on risotto with squash blossoms stuffed with lobster, local halibut carpaccio, risotto with petrale sole and extra vecchio balsamic. He was reportedly very gracious.Steak houses are about as haute as most ballplayers' cuisine gets, so even in his culinary taste, Ichiro is exceptional.
Anyone know where he dines in Seattle?

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In the 2004 Mariners cookbook, Ichiro was asked what his favorite restaurant in the U.S. was. His response? "I prefer to dine at home."
He’s stated that his favorite restaurant in Seattle is El Guacho. Apparently, he likes their private dining area.
Deferring payment is dumb. In 2032 when he gets that last check, it'll only be worth half of what it's worth today. Why would you want to give your employer a free 25 year loan to pay your salary? In the end, inflation will totally end up eating half of the buying power.
the deferred payment is with interest. Assume and .. well you know the rest.