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MIAMI -- The president of the Baseball Hall of Fame was the grateful recipient Monday as Ichiro Suzuki handed over his gear -- a jersey, a pair of cleats, his arm guard and batting gloves, all items he wore while becoming the 30th player to reach 3,000 hits.When the exchange concluded, the two men bowed to each other, a fitting gesture to celebrate the bridge from Japan to Cooperstown.Suzuki began building that bridge when he came to the major leagues as a 27-year-old rookie in 2001. Three-thousand hits later, hes a memorabilia-making machine.The Suzuki collection at the Hall of Fame numbered more than two dozen items even before his triple Sunday at Colorado, which made him the first Japanese player to reach 3,000 hits. When he and his teammates returned to Marlins Park to begin a homestand, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson was there to collect additional Suzuki souvenirs.Jeff asked me about the stuff, Suzuki said through an interpreter. I was happy to give it to him. I have an agreement with Jeff that when I die, all of my stuff is going to go to Jeff and the Hall of Fame.Suzuki, a baseball history buff, has visited Cooperstown six times.There is no current player Ive encountered who has as deep an appreciation of baseball history as Ichiro, Idelson said. This is a guy who understands his place in history. Because of that, as a sport and as a country, were all the richer.While Major League Baseball celebrated Suzukis achievement, it was even bigger news back home. Several dozen reporters and photographers from Japan had been logging lots of air miles following their nations most famous athlete as he approached the milestone and then went into a slump.With the triple in Denver -- only his second hit in 17 at-bats since July 29 -- he said his overriding emotion was relief that so many of his countrymen would be reunited with their families.For the last couple of weeks there have been a lot of members of the media following me, Suzuki said. Im just so happy they can go back to their homes now.Suzukis characteristically humble attitude regarding his achievement transcended the language barrier. When asked to name the most famous person to congratulate him on 3,000 hits, he responded in English.Justin Bour, he said, drawing laughter.Bour, the Marlins rotund first baseman, is famous mostly in his own family but expressed gratitude for the recognition from Suzuki.I think hes just trying to make me feel better after he blasted me yesterday for being fat, Bour said.Suzuki, Bour and the Marlins are in playoff contention for a change. Miami hasnt been to the postseason since 2003, and Suzuki has made it only twice in his 16-year career.Small things turn into big things, he said. I hope our team can continue to do the small things and theyll turn into big things.Meticulous preparation is a Suzuki hallmark, and he spoke at a news conference more than four hours before Mondays game already in uniform. That included sunglasses atop the bill of his cap, even though he was going to be playing indoors at night.While ready for action, he was in need of a new bat. Suzuki put aside the one that produced the historic triple, one of the few mementoes he has kept.I really dont have much, he said. Most of it is in my home in Seattle. Its something I think Ill enjoy once I become a grandpa.At 42, hes old enough to be thinking about grandchildren -- and retirement. He has often said he wants to play until at least 50 but sidestepped that subject Monday, saying hes taking it one at-bat at time.With Suzukis help, even baseball cliches have gone global. Nike Air Max 97 Günstig . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. Air Max 720 Günstig Kaufen . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. http://www.shopairmaxschweiz.com/air-max-270-fake-kaufen/max-270-herren-billig.html . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Nike Air Max 95 Herren Sale . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Nike Air Max Tn Schweiz . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. How the bloody hell was that? went one of the more memorable yet printable appeals to which I have borne witness. Weve all been there - the intractable umpire, the dead-in-the-water appeal, the shake of the head, the muttering. Then there was the one that resulted in a long silence from the umpire, followed by the words I was waiting for you to walk. It may be a friendly game, but when the batsman is caught flat-footed and back in the crease as the ball raps the pad, plumb as plumb can be, and is yet again given not out, tempers can begin to fray.But then again, any lbw decision is always a travesty so far as one side is concerned: for the bowler, its always out; for the batsman, never. In between these two certainties is the grey area of discretion in which the poor and increasingly beleaguered umpire must wallow, knowing full well that while one side will congratulate them on an excellent decision, the other will scowl and mutter vague imprecations. Not only this but their decision will continue to be questioned during tea, over a pint, the breakfast table, even the end-of-season dinner.At school, maybe (oh lordy) 40-odd years ago, I was told, The umpire is right whether hes right or wrong, but the times they are a-changin. Not only has master Zimmerman become a Nobel Laureate, players now challenge decisions as a matter of course, there are plans afoot for a red-card system, and apparently they even let women umpire now.There has been much criticism of the spurious appeals made during the most recent Test match between England and India. Some armchair commentators have gone so far as to call such behaviour cheating, which it plainly isnt - gamesmanship, yes - but the umpires are pretty much on top of things (Bruce Oxenfords reaction to Jonny Bairstows ultimately successful review in the fourth Test notwithstanding).According to Charles Davis, some 77% of appeals in Tests over the past 16 years have been for the humble lbw, of which 19% have been successful. As he suggests, the low success of lbw appeals can be put down to optimistic bowlers and the complexity of the law: even when bowling teams are confident enough to review under the DRS system, only 20% of not out lbws were overturned.Of course, it is only in internationals that the DRS is available - or so youd think. We have it in club cricket too, it just isnt binding. This second opinion is sought to provide a sort of moral arbitration, a justification after the fact to countermand perceived injustice. And its sought after practically every decision: its a rare batsman who returns to the pavilion mouthing the words I was plumb. Whether or not the batsman is given out, the question How did that look to you? is invariably put to those two players on whose advice, at the highest level, the review is either invoked or forsaken: the non-striker and the keeper. And both involve great dollops of confirmation bias; that is, only seeing that which accords with the outcome we desire.Now I know this will stick in the craw, but other than in the case of travesties of judgement that occasionally manifest themselves, neither keeper nor non-striker reeally has a clue.dddddddddddd. The umpire really does have the best view in the house.First lets take the honest stumper. The only thing you can be sure of from behind the stumps following an lbw appeal is that the ball hit something. You can have a reasonable idea that it wasnt the bat from the noise, but this isnt infallible. When it comes to the line, keepers mostly take their stance outside the line of the off stump, only moving in line if the ball looks to be going down the leg side. Think about it. To be lbw, the ball has to hit your pads in line with the stumps and be going on to hit them (and not have pitched outside leg). As a stumper, you can only ever make an intelligent guess at either of these because - wait for it - when youre in line, you cant see exactly where the ball collided with the pads because theres one of them there batsmen in the way. So much for the keeper. And yes, they may know when its pitched way outside leg, but theyre hardly likely to let on. As for the non-striker, most of the time (and Joe Root at the Mohali Test was a conspicuous exception to this) they are to be found standing outside the return crease as the bowler delivers the ball. Thats about four feet to the right of middle stump. The ball is 20 yards away from them when it hits the pad. The non-striker is therefore at least four degrees off from the line of the ball. Those four degrees equate to approximately four inches: the non-strikers line of sight to the point of impact is at an angle of about four inches to the right of the strikers middle stump. Or, put another way, a ball appearing to strike the pad in front of middle stump is actually shaving the leg stump. If its gun-barrel straight. The non-striker must therefore adjust what they see to take account of their margin of error if theyre to have a hope. And thats before considering angle of delivery or movement, whether its seam, swing or spin, the probability that they werent really paying attention... Oh, it appears that the non-striker doesnt have a clue either.I managed to squeeze a few words from the excellent Fiona Richards, a Sussex Premier League panel umpire (I know shes excellent because shes never given me out lbw). This was what she had to say on the subject: The umpire can only make a decision based on the information at hand. While a DRS retrospective might find that not all decisions were accurate, you cant say that 100 umpires in the same position would not have made the same decision, and that is both the failing and beauty of a human game. Be supportive of your umpires, many of whom are unpaid volunteers. They have been thoroughly trained in how to apply the laws and usually have a lot of experience. Just as you, the players, are out there playing the best cricket you can, they are making the best decisions available.We owe it to the game to respect the umpires role, and their decisions, whether were batting, bowling, in the field or standing. Its not only what crickets about, it actually makes sense. ' ' '