2000

Yeah, there are better players out there, but it’s still another remarkable accomplishment by a remarkable player. Zumsteg, before the fact:

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I would love to see Ichiro! get his 2,000th MLB hit in front of Oakland fans, who are not fans. And I hope when he gets back, he gets the ovation his milestone’s worthy of.

I don’t care if anyone thinks Ichiro! is over/under rated, or over/under paid, and my scorn for the “Ichiro’s bad for the clubhouse” crowd and their leaders is well-known. But if you can’t watch Ichiro! play and appreciate his ability and take some joy from it, I’m sad for you.

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Ah yes, the “Ichiro is bad for the clubhouse” crap. The fact that a lazy, inept, dyed-in-the-wool loser like Carlos Silva could accuse Ichiro of being a selfish drag on the team’s efforts and be taken seriously in some quarters…you’ll rarely get a better example of a team’s failures being irrationally blamed on its best players than that.