OK, it's time for this misconception to die, right along with "clutch hitter" and "lineup protection". Thinly built, speedy guys like Ichiro tend to age very well. Barring injury, they don't all of a sudden just get slow. Somewhere along the line somebody blurted out this theory, because at a quick glance it might seem commonsensical, and now people just reflexively repeat it and accept it as fact even though it doesn't hold up under scrutiny. I don't think they're saying that Ichiro is going to become a plodder, but it's quite reasonable to assume he's going to lose a step as he enters his mid to late thirties. For a guy who relies so much on speed to be valuable(infield hits, stolen bases to offset his lack of power), it's a very large concern when you're paying the guy twenty million dollars.