The more that Japanese players go to the big leagues to play and succeed, the more that will serve to inspire young kids in Japan to want to become baseball players when they grow up.

I think if you look at the friends, the kinds of relationships I have, I am not the kind of guy who has many shallow relationships. I think you could say I am the kind of guy who has a few relationships, but those are very deep.

People striving for approval from others become phony.

I've always prided myself in not reveling in past accomplishments and focusing on future achievement, instead. That's been my career motto.

I had a dream. And I made that dream come true.

I'm told I either look bigger than I do on television or that I look smaller than I look on television. No one seems to think I look the same size.

When you mail Ichiro something from the States, you only have to use that name on the address and he gets it (in Japan). He's that big.