PEORIA, Ariz. -- While Mariners fans and baseball followers across the globe ponder whether the ageless Ichiro Suzuki can and will play beyond Seattle's two-game Opening Series in Tokyo next month, the man himself prefers not to let his mind venture that far down the road.
Ichiro has reached a point where few ballplayers have dared to dream, competing for a roster spot at age 45 for the franchise that gave him his first shot in the Major Leagues in 2001. But there's a reason he checked in after Mariners physicals this weekend with the lowest body fat of any player in camp at 7 percent.