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...was the reaction of the fans. Fans in other cities paid extra to see him play, cheered him for his exploits as long as they weren't blowing up the home team's chance to win (except in Oakland, which is well known for hooliganism and boorish behavior) and the media praised him from day one once his contract was signed. If anything, the Seattle fan culture was a little TOO FORGIVING of some of Ichiro's personality quirks that might have harmed the team in some instances (minor though they may have been). Robinson was denied access to public restrooms, pelted with garbage and debris in enemy stadiums, intentionally decked by players in the nastiest way imaginable, etc. He did have support from his Dodger teammates...but they were about the only guys to get with the program in that first year or two.
That's the only reason I balk a little at calling it racism. What it is is elitism. We think the American game is the only valid version and people who do it differently are looked at as weird. People look for reasons those guys might fail or not be as good as their numbers seem, etc. Ichiro is definitely an anomaly in the American game...but that's why I love him. He proves that it can be played countless ways to produce championship caliber results. But I try not to be a cultural/intellectual snob.