On this blog there have been quotes from Rob Zombie and Donald Rumsfeld, Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Bruce Lee. Now, we can add Ichiro Suzuki, of the Seattle Mariners. Slate.com has an interesting article describing some of the weird things he has said (below is an excerpt):
When Ichiro held a press conference earlier this month to discuss the deal, he divulged that a key advisory role in deciding to remain in Seattle was played by his dog Ikky. “He said, ‘Woof, woof, woof,’ which meant, ‘Stay, stay, stay,’ ” Suzuki told reporters in Japanese. “Of course, I listened.”
It was a curious revelation, and not just for the obvious reasons. When he first arrived in the United States in 2001, Ichiro would not even share his pet’s name with a curious reporter. “I do not have the dog’s permission,” he explained.
…After starting this season with a run of multihit games, Suzuki was asked whether he found his performance surprising: “It’s not surprising. At the same time, it’s not that usual. It’s somewhere between usual and surprising,” he said.
… Before facing off against Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka in April, Ichiro said, “I hope he arouses the fire that’s dormant in the innermost recesses of my soul. I plan to face him with the zeal of a challenger.”
Asked recently about a road trip to Cleveland, he admitted: “To tell the truth, I’m not excited to go to Cleveland, but we have to. If I ever saw myself saying I’m excited going to Cleveland, I’d punch myself in the face, because I’m lying.”
And about Tiger Woods, he said, “Tiger is a great golfer, but … when you say athlete, I think of Carl Lewis. When you talk about [golfers or race-car drivers], I don’t want to see them run. It’s the same if you were to meet a beautiful girl and go bowling. If she’s an ugly bowler, you are going to be disappointed.”