I attended 2 of the 3 games the Mariners played while in San Diego. I've never seen Ichiro close up at practice and I decided to get there early and watch him. There were about 10 people from the Japanese press there following him and keeping track of how he is doing. Ichiro didn't sign autographs at all, but he didn't appear to be a jerk, he really honestly seemed focused on getting ready to play. He took BP for about 10 minutes hitting at least 5 balls into the right field seats, displaying that he can drop the shoulder and turn on the inside pitch (the very thing Ted Williams told Tony Gwynn to do late in Tony's career). When he was done with batting practice, he walked in, grabbed his glove and ran out to right field. For 15 minutes, he practiced running in and scooping ground balls and tracking down flies. It was very impressive to see a 10 year veteran out there practicing like a young player playing for a starting spot.
The next time you get a chance, watch Ichiro prepare for a game. It may not seem that exciting, but it explains why he has has a stellar career. The Casual Fan was impressed.
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