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But count me among those who are skeptical that Ichiro has any significant bounce-back left in him. I hope he proves me wrong, I'd be glad to import the crow and the utensils to eat it.
One thing I will disagree with you on, it sounds in the interview like Eric Wedge is ready, indeed itching to lead the charge into the post-Ichiro-is-our-star-and-face-of-the-franchise era. He clearly said Ichiro's game is not what he wants from a leadoff hitter, and implied that previous attempts to have Ichiro conform to Wedge's agenda have not been successful. Wedge is not dissing Ichiro. He's just telling it like it is.
When he's mentioning Figgins as a possible TOTO (that's Top Of The Order, I kinda like my acronym!) candidate as an alternative to Ichiro that tells me a whole lot.
Wedge's priority: We've GOT to score runs this year. Wedge's pathos: This is no longer 2011, and in 2012 we're going to subordinate most things to reaching that goal. The end of the era of entitlement in Seattle now, finally includes Ichiro. No disrespect intended, but team goals come first for EVERYBODY now.
When asked about what he wants in a leadoff hitter he first said "he needs to get on base," then he added "he needs to help the number two hitter." The implication in context was that he felt Ichiro has done neither under his tenure as manager.
I think Wedge means business when it comes to using spring training to see if he is happier starting the season with somebody else in the leadoff spot.
Man, Wedge can't work miracles but I sure love the way he talks. And this season he sounds determined to weed out any elements that stand in the way of being competitive with this young team. He said the same thing at the end of last season.