Too often we look at the professional athlete and think, "man these guys are a bunch of spoiled, agent-fueled, media-scared robots that care only for money and don't have fun."
At least I find myself thinking that at times when I can damn near quote interview answers before they are given.
Then I read a story like this and I remember that these guys are really just a bunch of dudes who play a sport for a living, and they have fun doing it.
That's right. The stoic, Ranger-killing outfielder, Ichiro, is actually the Japanese Dave Chapelle.
“I know how important it is to the game,” Ichiro said. “I’m more concentrated at that moment than I am in the game.”
A wide grin spread across his face. Ichiro’s secret had been exposed, so, hey, why not have fun with it?
He crafts his public portrayal similar to the image he projects on the field: a technician, a warrior, a Ph.D. in stoicism. In reality, Ichiro’s All-Star teammates love him for his wicked sense of humor and sly deceit, shown with a vocabulary far more expansive than he leads on.
...
“If you’ve never seen it, it’s definitely something pretty funny,” Morneau said. “It’s hard to explain, the effect it has on everyone. It’s such a tense environment. Everyone’s a little nervous for the game, and then he comes out. He doesn’t say a whole lot the whole time he’s in there, and all of a sudden, the manager gets done with his speech, and he pops off.”
