Still unsure exactly what to expect from the Japanese newcomer, Lou Piniella kept waiting for the rookie to pull a ball. Too many hits sprayed to left field, Sweet Lou thought, too easy for defenses to adjust.So the veteran Seattle manager summoned the translator and told him to deliver a message to Ichiro Suzuki: I want to see some bat speed.Piniella saw them huddle in the dugout and share a laugh. A couple of innings later, Suzuki led off with a home run into the bullpen in right-center.He rounds the bases, he steps on home plate, and he says, `Happy now? when he shook my hand, Piniella recalled. I said, `Yeah, yeah, you can do whatever you want.All these years later, with Suzuki on the verge of joining the 3,000-hit club in the big leagues, his first skipper in the majors is taking a lot of pride in watching the pursuit. As much as Piniella believed in Suzuki from the start and was in awe of those early accomplishments with the Mariners, he never would have guessed the outfielder would still be playing at age 42 and going for such a lofty perch.Suzuki hit .335 with a .412 on-base percentage in 164 at-bats over the first half with Miami. He stood at 2,990 career hits as the Marlins returned from the All-Star break to open a weekend series at St. Louis.Now gray-haired and no longer a regular in his 16th major league season, Suzuki might have lost a step, but not much. Credit his commitment to an intense regimen that has long included an on-deck routine that features a deep warmup squat, then a one-of-a-kind stance and a sweeping twirl of his bat.Suzuki was 27 and had 1,278 hits in Japan before he came to the big leagues. Piniella got so excited after Suzukis two-hit debut in 2001 that he kissed him.I was so happy for him, thats why, Piniella said. Its hard for a player to come here from Japan, especially with the scrutiny that he had. Im an emotional guy. I got caught up in the moment. I gave him a hug and at the same time I gave him a little peck. Look, I really enjoyed watching this young man play and I knew from seeing him in spring training that he was a special player.At the time, Suzuki did not come cheaply. Seattle paid $13 million just to secure his rights, and signed him to a three-year, $14 million contract. The Mariners got their moneys worth and then some.Suzuki, better known just by his first name, has long prided himself in preparation.So much so that Piniella had been around no other player like him, with that meticulous stretching before stepping into the batters box to the foot rubdowns he gave himself at his locker with a small wooden tool before and after games.I had never seen it, quite frankly. I was quite amazed by the things that he did, the stretching especially, Piniella said. Here in the United States, we go through a rigorous spring training, but once the season starts prior to the games we have our stretching exercises and then the kids play.He took it to a totally different level. He was fanatical about that and thats probably one of the big reasons that hes playing here at age 42, he said.That first season was a memorable one for many reasons. The Mariners won an AL-record 116 games, clinching the division shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Yet Seattle failed to reach the World Series, losing in five games of the AL Championship Series to the Yankees.Still, Suzuki won AL Rookie of the Year and MVP. Suzukis ability to beat out infield hits at times left Piniella shaking his head.He did have a special year. The team had a special year that year, Piniella said. We won 116 games and Ichiro was a big part of it. Ichiro was a special player. He had really good speed, he had that uncanny ability to put the ball in play. In the outfield, he played as well as you can expect, great throwing arm. He made the adjustment to American baseball very quickly, became one of the leaders in our clubhouse and was accepted by the players. He had a tremendous impact on our team that year.Hes going for his 3,000th hit now, and Im so proud of him. Hes had just a wonderful career. I look forward to the time when hell be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he said.Some of the most memorable hits by the 10-time All-Star didnt even count.In 2007, Suzuki hit the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history, winning unanimous MVP honors and helping the American League to a 5-4 victory at San Franciscos AT&T Park with a go-ahead, two-run drive that took a crazy bounce off the right-field wall.Hed never hit an inside-the-park homer during his decorated career in Japan.Hes an amazing guy, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. You just take age out of the equation and if you just looked at him as a player, if you evaluated just what you see, not thinking about age, you see a guy that runs above average, plays all three outfield spots, throws above average, hits lefties and righties.His work habits and everything else, for me, just set him apart.---AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick in New York contributed to this report. Green Jets Jerseys . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Brandon Tanev Jersey . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. http://www.authenticjetsshopnhl.com/bobby-hull-jersey/ . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Patrik Laine Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Tobias Enstrom Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. STARKVILLE, Miss. - On this Wednesday night, Mississippi State was down, but never out. In historic fashion, the Bulldogs (13-17, 5-11 SEC) came back from a 2-0 hole to beat in-state rival Ole Miss (15-13, 4-11 SEC) in five sets (9-25, 18-25, 25-18, 25-17, 15-8) at Newell-Grissom.The win was MSUs first from down 2-0 since storming back to defeat Eastern Michigan in five on Sept. 12, 2009. The win also gave the Dogs their third-straight win against the Rebels, the longest winning streak against their foes from Oxford since winning six-straight from 2004-06.That was an unreal performance by this team, MSU coach David McFatrich said. In all my years of coaching, I have never been a part of a match like that and it was just amazing. The fight in these girls is unreal and they showed what Bulldog Volleyball is all about. Never giving up and fighting to the very end.And also cannot say enough but our fans and the atmosphere they brought, even through the rough first two sets. We are really blessed with an amazing family here at Mississippi State.MSU continued its success at The Griss with the win, moving their season total to 10 home victories. That ties 2006 and 2015 for the most home victories in a season. The total also marks the first back-to-back 10 win home seasons in school history.However, achieving that 10th win was not an easy task. Ole Miss jumped out early and didnt look back in the first set, using stifling defense to take the opening frame, 25-9.Despite more competitive play, MSU went to the locker room down 2-0 following a 255-18 set.dddddddddddd Freshman Emily Hill led the Bulldogs offense before the break with four of her game-high 18 kills.Then the comeback started.The third set saw the State side come alive. Evie Grace Singleton had 6 kills, adding to Hills 7, giving MSU a 25-18 set win to forced a fourth set.In that fourth set, the tides started to turn for good. Riding the wave of Jelena Vujcin, who had 4 kills in the set, the Bulldogs turned on the heat and dominated their in-state foes. Freshman Riley Duzenack landed back-to-back aces to help fuel the fire and propel the Maroon and White to a 25-17 victory, forcing one final frame to determine the winner.After going down 2-1, the Bulldogs put it in gear and jumped out in front for good. MSUs 10-4 lead in the fifth set grabbed a strangle hold on the decisive frame. Vujcin continued to own the net while bringing energy to every point, as the junior had 3 kills to go along with 3 blocks, leading the Bulldogs to a statement win, 15-8.Helping propel States offensive efforts was setter Blossom Sato, whose 47 assists led all players. Four Bulldogs tallied double-digit digs, led by 17 from libero Cheyenne Spell. State was paced by Vujcin (5 blocks) and seniors Bali Leffall-Young (4) and Jazmyne Johnson (3) on the defensive side of the net.The Dogs will now welcome Arkansas to The Griss on Sunday, Nov. 20. First serve is set for 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network +. Cheap NFL Hoodies Stitched NFL Jerseys China NFL Hoodies Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '