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Rating: 
Summary: The Rookie's MVB
Review: I have never been a 'die-hard' baseball fan till this year when Ichiro stepped up to the plate. He put the fun back into baseball. Thanks to David Shields we now have an idea of just how much fun Ichiro is having as a baseball player. This book of Ichiro's quotes on baseball- from lighthearted and whimsical to thought-provoking words of wisdom- can be applied to our everyday life. This is a must-have book for any baseball fan. You'll want to share this one with your friends.
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Summary: 120 pages of Ichiro saying nothing through a translator.
Review: This book is called "The Understated Ichiro" but I think the author mistook "understated" for "having nothing to state". The book is a collection of Ichiro quotes from interviews with people other than the author. Each quote is framed dramatically on a single page with the thoughts of Ichiro Suzuki highlighted for effect. Just a few of the pearls of wisdom contained in this book:
Asked how he thought he'd be affected by the grind of the major-league season, which is 32 games longer than the Japanese season, Ichiro said, "I can't say how it will affect me, because I've never experienced it before."
Asked before the season started, what he thought major-league baseball would be like, Ichiro replied, "I have no idea what it's going to be like. I can only imagine what it might be like, so I'll just have to experience it." I can only imagine what the author could have been thinking when deemed these and the other 115 similar quotes in the book worthy of print. I haven't seen such a pure example of fanatical drivel since I used to read my sisters Teen Beat profiles of Lief Garrett. A polished gem.
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Summary: He's Just Here for Baseball
Review: This book, especially for Mariner fans, was a nice look at one of Seattle's most loved baseball players. The book holds a nice variety of quotes from various newspapers from the East coast to Japan. By reading this amusing and highly enjoyable book, the reader is able to learn a number of different things about Ichiro, such as his success in Japan to his struggles (not many, but some) in spring training. A nice touch to these quotes is that each time Ichiro speaks, his words are put in italics. This book portrays Ichiro as who he is: a man here to play baseball.
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Summary: Great stocking stuffer
Review: What a terrific way to find out about the inscrutable superstar! His batting average is matched by his efficiency with language. Even my 3-year old son enjoys the short quips in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Tao, Schmao
Review: When Ichiro Suzuki signed with the Seattle Mariners, NHK Television, Japan's equivalent to PBS, in an unprecedented move, negotiated to broadcast not a few, as is the norm, but ALL of the Mariners games in 2001. (Even Hideo Nomo, a local hero in his own right, who went to the LA Dodgers, didn't receive this much broadcast coverage.) Now the two most watched baseball teams in the Land of the Rising Sun are the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants and the Seattle Mariners. As a long-time resident of Japan I have watched Ichiro make behind-the-back catches since he was in high school. I was amazed when, during one of the All-Star games (they play a series), Ichiro shifted from the outfield to the pitchers' mound and threw like he did such a thing every day. While friends and I attend a few games a season, I'm just not a big baseball fan...until Ichiro plays on TV. After-work cocktails with "the boys" more often than not starts with someone asking, "Did you see what Ichiro did today?" Expletive-deleted comments are usually centered around "unbelievable!" Now these sessions include "Baseball is Just Baseball". Ichiro is a hero to all of us here in Japan and this book shows, beyond the remarkable playing skills, why. In a time when big bats are usually accompanied by big mouths, Ichiro shows the world that it just doesn't have to be that way. Great reading and here's hoping David Shields can put out a new volume every year.
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