August in Kansas City is hotter than two rats f**king in a sock.

I want to be the first player to show what Japanese batters can do in the major league.

Personally, I don't like the term 'success.' It's too arbitrary and too relative a thing. It's usually someone else's definition, not yours.

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.

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

August in Kansas City is hotter than two rats f**king in a sock.

In baseball, even the best hitters fail seven of ten times, and of those seven failures there are different reasons why. Some are personal failures, others are losses to the pitcher. You just get beat. In those personal failures, I felt I could have done better.