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Now I admit it could have been a tsunami-induced funk last year, or a combination of that and a team-induced funk. But to me, whether age, or funk, or whatever, Ichiro simply declined last year.
Some are persuaded that it's an aberration. But if you look at the set produced to show it's an abberation, you cannot escape the fact that the aberration-season is the last season in the set. You can deny it is relevant in this case, but you cannot escape the fact. And you cannot escape that it corresponds with aging and losing a step. You can deny it portends further erosion of skills, or you can say that compensating skills will be developed, or you can say that Ichiro body-types will postpone serious age-decline by a number of years, but you cannot escape the fact.
2012 will be a very interesting season in this regard, that it will go a long ways towards either confirming or refuting the notion that Ichiro will defy normal aging and remain an elite or very good player for several years.
I think some admire Ichiro's unique skills so much that their fervor regarding him borders on the kind of religious devotion that is so intolerant of criticism that it simply must lash out at any critics as racists. Others just really believe he is himself so unique in his physique and skills, and so devoted to his game that he will overcome any obstacles.
Count me among the skeptics. To me, Ichiro is just not the player he was up through 2007. If you look at the set of his seasons, to me it's more easy to explain 2009 as the aberration among his recent years, and that 2008 (his first year slugging less than .400), 2010 (a near mirror of 2008), and 2011 (the first signs of serious decline, but affecting both offense and defense), three out of the last four years, are a trend, and one that corresponds with what we might expect for someone Ichiro's age.
Regarding stolen bases, a slower Ichiro is still a fast Ichiro compared to most MLB players, but we need to reckon with the fact that Ichiro seems to engage in stealing only in optimum situations (for his success rate, not the team), and that he rarely attempts to steal the tough base when game circumstances warrant the attempt but the odds of success are reduced.