http://tinyurl.com/8fcges8 MINNEAPOLIS — During a game for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan in 1999, Ichiro Suzuki struck out and returned to the dugout unusually frustrated. In a fit of anger, he destroyed his black Mizuno bat. Embarrassed, Suzuki wrote a letter of apology to the craftsman who had made his bats by hand from Tamo wood, grown on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Such was the respect that Suzuki felt for the process that created the bats, which he wielded with such skill. 一朗過去在日本時 有次被三振後一怒之下把球棒打斷 事後一朗很愧疚的寫了封道歉信給製作球棒的工匠 Today, after a decade in the major leagues, Suzuki still displays that same reverence on a daily basis, caring for his bats like Stradivarius violins. While most players dump their bats in cylindrical canvas bags when they are not using them, Suzuki neatly stacks his best eight bats inside a shockproof, moisture-free black case that he keeps close by his locker at home and on the road. 現在一朗還是一樣地珍惜球棒 他把最好的八支球棒放在防震防潮的箱子裡 像對待史特拉底瓦里小提琴一樣保護球棒 At the bottom of his bat case, which is made for him by Mizuno, the same Japanese equipment manufacturer that still makes his bats, are two bags of moisture-absorbing blue pellets, much like larger versions of the small packets that come with some packaged goods. As the pellets absorb water they turn pink and Suzuki can monitor the level of humidity by how quickly the pellets change colors. 箱子裡有放除濕劑來控制濕度 濕度不對的話打擊感覺也會不對 “In Japan we take care of our instruments, our bats and our gloves,” Suzuki said. “We take care of them well because these things are very important.” 一朗 "在日本 我們會照顧好球具 球棒和手套 因為這些用具很重要"