Regarding the July 25 front-page Kyodo article "Mariners deal Ichiro to Yankees": A player of firsts in a sport of records, Ichiro Suzuki elicits exaltation. It's a testament to this man's grace that he, in a matter of hours, took the field that had been his home for 11 years (Seattle Mariners' stadium) in a New York Yankees' uniform — a hero who offered a chance for fans to bid him farewell and, as it turns out, a chance to wish him well.
He was how I distinguished my home state of Washington from Washington D.C., when people asked where I was from. An outstretched arm with a tug on the shoulder sleeve did it. Maybe I've lost my place mark, but Ichiro remains first in our hearts.
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