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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2018)
Page 8 n THE ASIAN REPORTER SPORTS March 19, 2018 Mariners bring back 44-year-old Ichiro Suzuki PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki’s wish was granted. He is back in the familiar white and blue jersey of the Seattle Mariners. “Even in the offseason when I would go back to Japan, I always came back to Seattle. This was my home ... has always been my home,” the 44-year-old outfielder said through a translator after finalizing a $750,000, one-year contract. “Somewhere deep inside, I wanted to return and wear this uniform again.” Almost six years away, Ichiro returned to help patch an injury-depleted outfield on the team he played for from 2001 to 2012. The 10-time All-Star can earn an additional $1.25 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances: $200,000 each for 150 and each additional 50 through 350, and $250,000 for 400. Suzuki earned the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP with the Mariners and won a pair of AL batting titles. He was traded to the New York Yankees midway through 2012, played parts of three seasons with the Yankees, then spent three seasons with Miami. He has a .312 average and 3,080 hits, not including the 1,278 hits he amassed in nine seasons in Japan. Suzuki appeared in 136 games last year for the Miami Marlins and hit .255 with a .318 on-base per- centage. “I still have things that I want to do and I want to accomplish,” Ichiro said. “I’m really thinking about this year and what the Seattle Mariners need, what I can do to help. Everything that I’ve gained, every- thing that I’ve done in my career, I want to just give it all right here in Seattle.” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said discussions about Suzuki’s return intensified in early March, when the club’s injury situation became a greater concern. “It did not take very long to put a deal together that brought Ichiro back home,” Dipoto said, adding that Ichiro’s presence will help a young outfield and veteran Dee Gordon, who is playing center field for the first time. “It’s huge for our club and our ability to step forward,” Dipoto said. Projected left fielder Ben Gamel is sidelined for at least a month with a strained oblique muscle, Right fielder Mitch Haniger is dealing with a hand injury that has limited his activity for a couple of weeks, and Guillermo Heredia is still in the final stages of recovery from offseason shoulder surgery. Ichiro underwent a physical in Seattle. His return is similar to the Mariners’ reunion with Ken Griffey Jr. in 2009 that was good for one year but had an ugly conclusion. Seattle has significant concerns about depth in the outfield. Other options were ICHIRO RETURNS. Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners arrives at a news conference at Seattle’s spring training baseball complex in Peoria, Arizona after signing a one-year contract with the team he played for between 2001 and 2012. Ichiro had 2,533 hits with the Mariners, including 262 in 2004 when he set the big-league season record. (AP Photo/Matt York) available, including free agents Jose Bautista, Carlos Gonzalez, and Jon Jay. “Bringing him in, what he can do on the field, still think he’s got plenty left in the tank there,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “What he adds in the clubhouse I think is very, very valuable.” Suzuki is slated to play left field. Suzuki had 2,533 hits with the Mariners, including 262 in 2004 when he set the big-league season record. His trade to New York during the 2012 season was a stunning conclusion to his time in Seattle, but gave him a chance to play in the postseason for the first time since his rookie season. Ichiro reunites with former Yankees teammates Robinson Cano and David Phelps, and he played with Gordon and Phelps in Miami. Third baseman Kyle Seager, pitcher Felix Hernandez, and hit- ting coach Edgar Martinez, were his team- mates in Seattle before he was traded. A stall in the Mariners’ spring training clubhouse awaited Ichiro, situated between journeyman outfielder Kirk Niewenhuis and starting shortstop Jean Segura. The team shop at the Peoria Sports Complex was already stocked with shirts and jerseys bearing Suzuki’s No. 51. After Olympic win, Chloe Kim puts fame, fun in perspective OLYMPIC AFTERMATH. Women’s halfpipe gold medallist Chloe Kim of the United States poses during the medals ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Several weeks after winning at the Olympics and transforming herself from a mere snowboarder into a full-fledged celebrity, the 17-year-old Kim conceded she never realized what a big deal her victory would be. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) By Eddie Pells AP National Writer AIL, Colo. — In between the dozens of media appearances that have suddenly become her new day job, Chloe Kim slipped away from the lunch table, disappeared into the restroom, pulled the gold medal out of her bag ... and just sat there and stared at it. “My parents were like, ‘Why did it take you so long?’” Kim said. “I said, ‘Just looking at it.’ I was thinking about what this means to me and letting it sink in.” Several weeks since the 17-year-old transformed herself from a mere snowboarding sensation into a full-fledged celebrity, Kim concedes she never realized what a big deal her victory would be. She’s just as in touch with the idea that she’s not really sure what to make of it yet, either. “I don’t think you’re supposed to know how to feel,” she said in the lead-up to the Burton U.S. Open, where she went for one of the most prestigious halfpipe titles this side of the Olympics — and took first place. “It’s something I’d been working on for so long that when it happened, it was, ‘What do I do now? What am I supposed to do with my life now?’” In that respect, she’s not unlike the 100-or-so champions who emerge from the Winter Olympics every four years — niche-sports stars who suddenly find themselves with mainstream cred. But Kim’s backstory — her folks were born and raised in South Korea, which just happened to be hosting the Olympics — to say nothing of her once-in-a-generation talent and her made-for-Instagram personality, transcends beyond that of the typical gold medallist. It’s why, since her gold-medal run in PyeongChang, she has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, been on set with Jimmy Fallon and James Corden, and had her face splashed on the front of a Corn Flakes box. It’s why, within six days, she received a shoutout at the Oscars from Frances McDormand during her acceptance speech for best actress, and also had a Barbie doll fashioned after her as part of a line of V “Inspiring Women” that also includes Amelia Earhart. “Really rad,” Kim said, before revealing an awkward truth about herself and Barbie dolls. “I personally didn’t play with dolls much. I was more into doll animals. I had a giant (stuffed) horse in my room. But I always walked by them in the store and thought they were super cool.” With that disarming blend of authenticity and charm, it’s no wonder the sponsors are as drawn to her as her fans. Since she left South Korea, Kim’s following on Instagram — and, yes, she keeps track — has doubled once again, to 753,000 and counting. Meanwhile, going out on the street, or going out to eat, has become more of a challenge. “I can still go to a restaurant, you just turn a lot more heads,” Kim says. “But I hate it when people watch me eat. I literally eat like a lizard.” Kim got into snowboarding because she loved snowboarding. Becoming famous was not part of that plan, and she says there’s a downside to it, as well. Over the past month, she has been hounded by paparazzi: “TMZ was outside my hotel. I wasn’t expecting it at all,” she said. And she has seen the less-than- inspiring messages from people who question her American-ness because of her Asian heritage. “It hurt to hear that,” she said. “At the same time, it feels good to represent Asian Americans who deal with that and it’s good to see the true fans who defend me and say, ‘She won a medal for America. Would you rather she did it for Korea?’” In the lead-up to the Olympics, Kim came off, at least publicly, as much more scripted than she is now — not all that unexpected given her age and the journey she was embarking on. Something changed, beginning with her engaging, hilarious news conference after the gold medal, in which she called out her dad for his seeming lack of emotion after her win: “My dad didn’t cry, which I don’t get at all. I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’” she said. She claims to have done 600 interviews and become so deft at the craft that “I can definitely have a 17-year-old answer, and I can have a 35-year-old answer.” One of the “35-year-old answers” had to do with the unexpected ups and downs of becoming more famous than she ever imagined. It had to do with the first time she ever saw an avocado. “I didn’t want to eat it, but I ate it and it was amazing,” she said. “That’s kind of how I felt with fame. Some of it does kind of suck. One person screams your name, people come running at you, and you can’t go where you want. But at the same time, you get to make those people happy, listen to their stories. I think that’s important. You meet really rad people who love what you do and have the same passion as you.” Department of Consumer & Business Services Building Codes Division The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division (BCD) ensures safe building construction while supporting a positive business climate. Hiring a licensed electrician or plumber helps ensure that the person doing the work is qualified. To check on whether a person you wish to hire is licensed, visit our website at bcd.oregon.gov, then click on “license holder search.” For more information about obtaining a license, please call (503) 373-1268. BCD also wants to remind you that permits help protect the safety and value of your home. You may need a permit if you are: a room n Building a fence taller than 6 feet n Remodeling a kitchen or bathroom n Adding electrical circuits n Building a deck 30 inches above ground n Building a shed n Adding Call your local building department or check our website, www.PermitsProtect.info, to find out when you need a permit for your building or remodeling job. www.bcd.oregon.gov