The craziness surrounding the signing of "Dice-K" to the Boston Red Sox this year seems to be paying off. Daisuke Matsuzaka so far has a respectable 5-2 record, and the Red Sox have built up quite a comfortable 9 game lead over their arch rival Yankees in the American League East. With Japanese and other Asian imports having such a significant impact on the American Pastime, it was interesting to read this USA Today interview of Ichiro Suzuki, the 33 year old center fielder for the Seattle Mariners, who started this wave of Asian talent crossing over the Pacific Ocean when he became the first Japanese position player in the Major Leagues back in 2001.
Most impressive about Ichiro is, despite the fact that he's considered a god back in his native Japan (and probably by some rabid Seattle Mariners fans, as well), he's pretty humble about his abilities and continues to have an enviable work ethic:
"It's a weakness to try to show yourself to be more than you actually are. To me, it's cooler to hide yourself, even if you're better than that," Ichiro says. "That's a big difference between Japanese and American cultures. Sometimes, (Americans) try to make themselves out to be bigger than they are."His only vice seems to be overindulging on food, cars, and clothes. The funniest part of the article? When Ichiro comments about his teammates making fun of his progressive fashion sense:
"The majority of people in the clubhouse make fun of my clothing - but I make fun of their clothes 100 times more," he says, with an animated laugh.
"Anytime they say they like my stuff, that's when I start to worry. When they make fun of it, I think, 'OK, I actually look good today.' "
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