Baseball is Just Baseball

Book excerpt: Welcome to the Yankees, Ichiro! An homage to one of the great baseball players of our era, Baseball Is Just Baseball is a wide-ranging selection of Ichiro's most startling and provocative observations. Updated to reflect his move to New York in July 2012, the book also includes a revised Introduction by acclaimed nonfiction writer David Shields. When Ichiro was traded to the Yankees on July 23, 2012, the news made headlines around the world. He will finish out the year in pinstripes before becoming a free agent in 2013. Ichiro is a ten-time All-Star, ten-time Gold Glove winner, 2001 AL MVP and Rookie of the Year, and a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame. Experience reality rather than your expectation of reality. Believe in yourself. Don't take yourself seriously, but find an activity to be passionate about and take that activity very seriously. Don't buy the hype. Dissolve hate into love. Care more about the process than the product. Find joy in the seeking itself. Such are some of the simple but profound ideas embodied in this prize of a little book--a document of not only a popular athlete but an impressively thoughtful human being.