What rapport is that?
This is the lead paragraph in Jim Street’s latest clubhouse chemistry article:
PEORIA, Ariz. — The relationship Ken Griffey Jr. has with Ichiro Suzuki could go a long way in bringing peace and harmony back to the Mariners clubhouse, former Seattle manager John McLaren said Saturday.
It also contains an editorial endorsement of Buhner-as-leader, a quote about Guillen-as-leader, some other random stuff including Chuck Armstrong talking about his days as a lawyer (I thought he was an engineer).
But here’s my question — there’s no mention at any point of a relationship Griffey has with Ichiro. And it’s not “The relationship Griffey and Ichiro will have could help bring the team together…” or “Together, Ichiro and Griffey could bring together the team…” It’s “they have a relationship and it’s going to help…”
We know Ichiro admired Griffey, because he talked about it when he joined the team. But I’m unable to find anything about them being friends now, or talking, or… or anything, really. Ichiro attended a couple of weeks of spring training before the 1999 season as part of an exchange program with Seattle’s sister city Kobe, but finding articles about that’s tough. Still, it’s the only time when Ichiro and Griffey would have been around each other, and we don’t know if they got along. Oddly, it’s not mentioned in the article.
So here — is there anything out there that indicates that Ichiro and Griffey are current friends/friends-of-friends/archenemies? That they have any kind of current relationship at all?
Update the first: Here’s a youtube video of Griffey and Ichiro chilling at dinner. I thought it was 1999 initially, but (as noted in the comments) it’s probably earlier than that, if you try to match his Japanese stats to what he’s saying.
Right? I was just reading that and wondering the same. It’s funny when I have e-mail exchanges with journalists about chemistry, and they don’t understand why I give it such little value.
It’s stuff like this. Totally made up crap that isn’t going to help them win games.
Meh. When is the press conference?
I saw them eating at Daniel’s yesterday. They were sharing a dessert.
there is a great YOUTUBE video of Griffey and his family having dinner with Ichiro…check it out.
Art Thiel writes such a rapport exists:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/400838_thiel20.html
Found.
See? I knew if I asked we’d find stuff. Wooooo!
Hahaha. Junior telling him “Don’t be nervous.” That’s great.
In the video Ichiro said he hit 25 HRs and stole 49 bases that season, which was in 1995 according to japaneseballplayers.com.
‘meekly raising hand’ Um, I hate to spoil the party here, since I’m impressed people were able to dig up that stuff as well. But back to Carson’s initial comment, What difference is going to make? (But it is interesting.)
Does he say the 49 was last year? The audio’s terrible. Listening to it the second time, I thought maybe he was talking about 1996, and then mentioned the previous year’s more impressive totals.
Griffey and his dad were both on the 1990 MLB exhibition tour (Ozzie Guillen was the shortstop!) bt that’s way too early.
Yeah, 1996 too, the “All Star Series” played in Japan against Team NPB (Japan won, again)… looking for the MLB roster, but Griffey had to have gone over.
I suppose we could play “Two Degrees of Ken ‘Bacon’ Griffey, Jr,” — what players, if any, have played with both him and Ichiro?
Griffey was an AllStar in 2004 and 2007, so they would have both been at those events (though obviously on opposite teams, I don’t think the vicious rivalry between the leagues would prevent them fraternizing).
Ichiro, in the video, is 22. So the video is from 1995, right before Christmas.
Meeting the Griffey family was just one stop on the tour of America. Ichiro meets Michael Jordan in another video. Ichiro can’t even look Jordan in the eye he is so excited/nervious.
The video looks like it was an hour long show having Ichiro meet the best American athletes. Man, Ichiro has been a star in Japan for a long time.
But, but, but, but, but, wasn’t he the cancer we had to have removed? So much so that we had to trade him twice?
The translator said:
“This year he hit 25(HRs)”
Griffey Sr – “Last year?”
Ichiro – “13”
Then the translator said:
“This year he was #1 in stealing bases as well…41”
“41”?
“39”?
“Oh, 49”
That’s how I heard it anyways.
In 1995 Ichiro hit 25HRs and stole 49 bases according to that Japan stat website.
Here I was having a grand time reading up on MLB exhibition tours of Japan, and you guys have to go nail it down.
Over-under Griffey starts the Mariners’ home opener in CF? Awesome!
That is not an over/under type of event. It happens on a specific date or it doesn’t.
I was confused when I read that this morning…thanks for the research guys…
Off to mlb.com to watch Griff’s press conference…
So, basically, it’s NOT smoke they’re blowing when they say Ichiro and Griffey have a relationship, and only Thiel had the journalistic competence to put this into context for folks who aren’t hyperlinking this stuff to death.
Mike Sweeny and Junior–finally we have some clubhouse leaders. I sure hope they play the game the right way, thus making every player on the 40 man roster worth an extra .5 wins! Respectability here we come!
In the presser, Jr mentioned the last time they visited was the 2007 ASG, and gave the impression that they’ve eaten dinners along the way — he is planning on making Ichiro buy dinners across the AL this season.
So, other than being on the same field during that All Star game, these guys haven’t seen or apparently talked to each other in person in a decade or so.
But we’re still supposed to believe that somehow their ‘chemistry’ is going to lead to a better clubhouse?
You could call it good natured ribbing…but it certainly didn’t seem like the ‘buying me dinner’ and ‘skinny ties’ comments showed much love. As I remember, I didn’t hear him say anything about looking forward to playing together.
That omission will not be overlooked by Ichiro.
Over-under Griffey starts the Mariners’ home opener in CF? Awesome!
If anything I think Griffey would start in LF that game then DH the rest of the series.
Did anyone watch the Press Conference? I thought I heard Griffey say he met Ichiro in 1995 when he came over to see him and Jordan play.
interesting, Dave N. just brought the relationship up on the Hot Stove show, talking about how evident it was during his ST visit that Ichiro worshipped Jr. Pelekoudas then said he thought it would likely be the way it was when Cameron was around, and drew Ichiro into the clubhouse.
I’m not following. What did he mean?
It means that Ichiro is a fan of African American outfielders.
That Cameron (and Boone and Buhner) used to tease Ichiro, josh with him, make him turn away from his locker and be more of a part of the team. The feeling seems to be that in the last few years Ichiro has retreated, mostly because the current players didn’t make the same kind of effort to draw him in, and that Ichiro doesn’t have the kind of personality that allows him to do that sort of thing on his own.
You must have missed all the teasing related to Ichiro’s fashion choices through the years.
No, that’s part of what I was talking about. Yes, Griffey teased him…but never said he was looking forward to playing with him. Maybe an oversight..we’ll see.
This raises the same issue we’ve been hearing about for over a week. Was Ichiro withdrawn, and if so, who’s fault was that? My feeling is, would you want to communicate with the likes of JJ Putz?
The other contrast I’d draw relating to Griffey was this comment today from Hickey: “some of the teammates who have complained about Ichiro have been difficult for the media to find after bad games. Ichiro has always been available…”.
Hickey goes on to say that’s something Ichiro has in common with Griffey…but historically that’s simply not true. Griffey himself talked about how much he liked having his locker close to the exit…and knowing all the back entrances and exits in that clubhouse. This is his MO–he disappears unless he doesn’t want to.
You saw how he reacted to any question today that was the least bit direct–he turned on the reporter, or feigned ignorance. And I’d be interested to know who decided he wouldn’t take questions about other players and steroids–whether the team or Griffey, shame on them.
The Griffey as clubhouse leader meme is going to take a beating.
Meh, who cares. 220 hits, 50 SBs (only 1 CS) for Ichiro, 40hrs for Griffey and they can be at each other’s throats every night.
All the focus on this is just annoying and embarrassing really.
And those choices demand teasing, at the very least.
Yeah, that’s what I’m expecting as well. Given the home team starts the game in the field, they can’t hide Griffey in dugout as soon as play starts. Though they might do something cute where Gutierrez initially runs out to LF and then they swap places before the first pitch, I expect Griffey will be in LF for the opener. Which is one of the reasons I took the “over” on the “G anywhere in the OF” line in Mike Snow’s wagering post.
Well, if you’re going to dream, you might as well dream extra large.
Well, as msb notes later, two weeks in spring training in 99 is a long way away from “they have a relationship that’s going to help the team. And it’s certainly a ways from the opening paragraph in a story that hinges on a strong, helpful relationship currently existing… which I still don’t know that we have.
Is that a slam? Should we not be curious?
See, if we’re not curious, we’re not real fans. And if we’re too curious, we’re not real fans. Because, you know, random people posting on this blog get to decide that. (Oooh, wait, I hyperlinked. I’m not a fan.)
Does anyone have a take on how Wakamatsu evaded the question about how he is going to use Griffey?? I was hoping he would just come out and say regular DH.
“He usually can be found at his locker after losses to answer the media’s tough questions. But after victories, he is among the first to leave so his teammates can get the attention.”–Ron Cook, ca. ’95
“He’ll talk expansively about anything except baseball or himself. When he’s hurt, he’ll do just about anything to avoid talking, period.”–Joe Kay, 2007
well, you know all he’d say is “They made their decisions, I made mine.”
by the way, Drayer just said that she’d requested statements from Ichiro & Joh from Japan- Ichiro’s begins, “In 1989, when I was 16, I bought a Ken Griffey Jr jersey … “
isn’t it the same thing he’s said since the signing was announced?
Yes, but I was thinking about whether they legitimately don’t know yet or are keeping with the theme that everyone should compete in spring training….. but nevermind since we should speculate about personal motives.
^should not
From an old Jerry Brewer column:
Nice thread!
Plenty of lighted-hearted good cheer and humor, clip to a video even I had missed – somehow, pleasant unserious speculation on the effects of that Borges’ unicorn of “team chemistry”, and even a Baseball Grinch with a heart “two sizes too small”.
Love you guys and gals!
It’s a slam on paid journalists not being able to dig this out before now and place this in context.
From today’s Herald
Actually, aren’t skinny ties about due to come back? My friend’s tweener daughters have rediscovered leg-warmers, so it’s only a matter of time.
That You Tube was from 1995 as CC03 and others have pointed out but DMZ correctly points out they first met on an All-Star tour. 2004 if I remember correctly, but it could have been 2002. I remember Ichiro being interviewed on NHK having a serious man-crush on Junior and seeing video of them shaking hands. That was the prelude to the Cincy trip he made in 1995.