"For his first decade in Seattle, Ichiro was the least of the Mariners' concerns, often the brightest note in otherwise dismal seasons and a shining light in an initial great one.

His production was as constant as the winter drizzle in the Puget Sound. Oh, there were occasional grumbles about some of his unconventional methods, and complaints that he was commanding too large a percentage of the M's payroll.

But you always knew where Ichiro would be at the end of the year: with an average above .300 (often well above), 200 or more hits (way more, usually, including a major-league-record 262 in 2004), a Gold Glove, and unchallenged status as one of the game's elite players, someone headed to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot."