I saw Ichiro at SAFECO for the first time last week. The guy is a freaking machine. His pre-AB routine is exactly the same, each and every time, it just never changes. He also does an insane amount of stretching/tension work pre game, which is pretty cool to watch too. I think if he was born quite a bit in the past, the guy would be a samurai. His discipline is amazing. Plus the fans just go bonkers over him, which is fun to experience. And as far as not being liked by his teammates, that's not true. According to my (life-long M's fan) friend, if anything, people probably feel intimidated by him. He puts so much work and effort into his own game, he probably creates some resentment from those who aren't willing to match it. I hear the same sort of things about players like Kobe or MJ. They just demand excellence from those around them, and some people just take that the wrong way.