On Knocking Out Ichiro

Quick thoughts about the story of the week that isn't about bailouts or debates.

1) I like Geoff Baker's stuff. He's got a standing gig on KJR-AM that's a reliably good listen, even for a fair-weather fan like me. And bully for him, getting the story to begin with. But he, or his editor, buried the lede on this one. When you've got a teammate looking to take a swing at the city's most popular pro athlete, and management calling a meeting to cool things off, it at least ought to be mentioned in the subhed. Yes, clubhouse tiffs are a hardy perennial. But this one doesn't belong halfway down a 1,600-word story.

2) Whoever's mad at Ichiro, they haven't made much of a case for it. At least not to Baker.

While Ichiro is said to have recovered from his injury, his stolen-base totals dropped as the season progressed. He also did not get to some balls in the gap and the right-field corner at times, prompting more clubhouse complaints that he cared only about piling up hits instead of sitting out to heal properly.

Since when does playing hurt make you selfish? Brett Favre gets up slowly after a sack and every sportscaster in the country gets in line to give him a reacharound. Besides, who was about to make up for all those hits while Ichiro was sitting out?

Come to think of it, this gives me an idea. I think I'll help out my team at the office by not coming to work on Monday. It's the selfless thing to do.