Ichiro is back and I am awash in emotions.
Happy. How can you not be happy? For so many years, Ichiro was the bright spot in dreary season after dreary season, a player unlike any other in baseball history. His bat control was impeccable, his speed daring, his arm strength a force of nature. He was a sensation for so long, and just seeing him play in the outfield at Safeco Field again will be an emotional boost.
Saddened. That player that I just spent a paragraph praising? Yeah, he’s not actually coming back. Prime Ichiro last surfaced in 2009 when, at age 35, he hit .