Ichiro's quote of the week

The Seattle PI had this nice blog post with Ichiro handing out love to Miguel Cairo and doling out a subtle put-down to just about everyone else who is not Japanese. Not to question Ichiro's insight, but Miguel is hitting a robust .231 with an OBP of .307. He's not exactly So Taguchi.

''I personally think that Japanese make the best No. 2 hitters,'' Ichiro said. ''But he (Cairo) is as good as anyone in Japan batting second. Of course, Jose Lopez has done a good job for us batting second, too.

''But Miguel is the first real No. 2 batter I've seen since I came to the U.S.''

Asked what constituted a ''real No. 2 batter,'' Ichiro just tapped the side of his head.

''He understands the mental side of the game.''