Goodnight, Sweet Prince
As the true hit king walks into the sunset, Oddball steps to the plate
For the first time since 2001, Major League Baseball started the (not-played-in-Japan) season without Ichiro Suzuki on a roster and though he was past his prime and a bit long in the tooth, we are all of us the poorer for it.
Advanced stats disagree, but it’s pretty plain that Ichiro was probably the best (and at worst, the third-best) player of his generation — but to explain Ichiro’s importance only in statistical terms is to miss the point completely. Aside from his thousands of hits, dazzling outfield assists, and wins above replacement, Ichiro is a cultural icon and touchstone, a first-rate ambassador for the game, and with apologies (but not really) to Cardinals fans, an object lesson in how to play the game the right way.
All of our sons should be named Ichiro. Also, our daughters.
We are pleased to report that his inimitable hitting style and rocket arm were with him until the end — as was Ken Griffey Jr., whom he will join in the Hall of Fame as soon as is possible.
Isn’t it going to be great when some idiot leaves him off their Hall of Fame ballot for no discernible reason?
(Spoiler: it won’t be.)
AREA 51
If you’re still thinking about Ichiro even after that intro, here are some links you can click to numb the pain:
hitting a homer at the Koshien tournament
pitching the final out of the 1996 NPB All-Star Game
dropping profanity-laced pep talks in the All-Star locker room
making spray chart art
being great and staying great
and of course, talking about rats, wool socks, and Kansas City
It’s hard to contemplate Ichiro disappearing from the game without thinking that the overall health of the game has declined, somewhat.
Welcome to Oddball, a sports-interested newsletter written by Jonathan and Dave. As Trivial Pursuit was also the product of a Toronto-Montréal friendship, our expectations are high for this endeavour. And while we assume we’ll strike out a lot, we’ll definitely go yard a few times as well. Think Khris Davis, not Chris Davis.
Oddball doesn’t have a proper mission statement, but if it did it would include that we will aim to:
catch sports fans up on things they may have missed
offer context to things they already know and care about
drop the odd pop culture reference (and maybe some even ones)
make fun of the Red Sox, Celtics, Yankees, and Knicks (and their fans)
share trivial facts and figures and eye-opening statistical oddities
showcase new perspectives on sports and the culture that exists around them
In short, Oddball is going to be pretty similar to Ichiro’s spray chart in the list up there: colourful, entertaining, informative, and a little bit all-over-the-place.