Ichiro by Tim Davenport

In Japanese the word “Ichi” means “one” and the suffix “ro” means something akin to the word “mister.” “Ichiro”—said to be a relatively common name for first-born sons—thus means something akin to “Mister Number One.” Yeah, that's him. If anybody is gonna hit .400 in our lifetime, this is the cat. I'm not quite sure how he does it, but Mister Number One is capable of beating out a ground OUT to shortstop. I've seen it five or six times at least—not to mention the dozens of infield hits to the hole that fast mortals are capable of beating out... I'm talking about regular GROUND OUTS that Mr. Number One can turn into hits. I saw Rod Carew in his prime, I saw Ricky Henderson in his prime, and Mr. Number One is faster--or, should I say, quicker? He's definitely the most exciting player I've seen and a genuinely nice guy off the field, it would seem. Oh, and did I mention he has an arm? Or that he's a contact hitter who strikes out infrequently? Or that he's capable of putting on a long ball stroke when the situation dictates it? Or that he's a significantly BETTER hitter with runners in scoring position???

He’s gonna be a Hall of Famer despite “breaking in” as a 27 year old “rookie.” Best player in baseball, actually...