"All of us wish that the great athletes could be eternal. That Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer could mount charges at this week's U.S. Open. That Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe could play at least one more Wimbledon final.

We wish that Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird still were competing for NBA titles. That Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were training for one more thrilla. That Hank Aaron still could hit against Sandy Koufax, and Joe Montana still could hit Jerry Rice over the middle.

We wish the best could last forever.

But in the battle between age and athlete, age always wins. Talent erodes. Skills diminish. Steps are lost. Speed dies.

And so it is happening with Ichiro.

The Mariners right fielder, who has had more than 200 hits and batted better than .300 in each of his 10 previous seasons, is hitting .258 this year.

Equally dramatic, he hasn't played his typical Gold Glove right field. It appears as if he has had problems tracking fly balls. He doesn't get the jumps he used to get. He hasn't run down balls in the gap the way he once did.

The playmaker isn't making plays.

Ichiro has looked tired in the same way he did in 2009, when he was drained after playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He started that season on the disabled list, suffering from severe fatigue and a stomach ulcer.

Maybe he needs a thorough physical. Maybe something's physically wrong."