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Still unsure exactly what to expect from the Japanese newcomer, Lou Piniella kept waiting for the rookie to pull a ball. Too many hits sprayed to left field, Sweet Lou thought, too easy for defenses to adjust.So the veteran Seattle manager summoned the translator and told him to deliver a message to Ichiro Suzuki: I want to see some bat speed.Piniella saw them huddle in the dugout and share a laugh. A couple of innings later, Suzuki led off with a home run into the bullpen in right-center.He rounds the bases, he steps on home plate, and he says, `Happy now? when he shook my hand, Piniella recalled. I said, `Yeah, yeah, you can do whatever you want.All these years later, with Suzuki on the verge of joining the 3,000-hit club in the big leagues, his first skipper in the majors is taking a lot of pride in watching the pursuit. As much as Piniella believed in Suzuki from the start and was in awe of those early accomplishments with the Mariners, he never would have guessed the outfielder would still be playing at age 42 and going for such a lofty perch.Suzuki hit .335 with a .412 on-base percentage in 164 at-bats over the first half with Miami. He stood at 2,990 career hits as the Marlins returned from the All-Star break to open a weekend series at St. Louis.Now gray-haired and no longer a regular in his 16th major league season, Suzuki might have lost a step, but not much. Credit his commitment to an intense regimen that has long included an on-deck routine that features a deep warmup squat, then a one-of-a-kind stance and a sweeping twirl of his bat.Suzuki was 27 and had 1,278 hits in Japan before he came to the big leagues. Piniella got so excited after Suzukis two-hit debut in 2001 that he kissed him.I was so happy for him, thats why, Piniella said. Its hard for a player to come here from Japan, especially with the scrutiny that he had. Im an emotional guy. I got caught up in the moment. I gave him a hug and at the same time I gave him a little peck. Look, I really enjoyed watching this young man play and I knew from seeing him in spring training that he was a special player.At the time, Suzuki did not come cheaply. Seattle paid $13 million just to secure his rights, and signed him to a three-year, $14 million contract. The Mariners got their moneys worth and then some.Suzuki, better known just by his first name, has long prided himself in preparation.So much so that Piniella had been around no other player like him, with that meticulous stretching before stepping into the batters box to the foot rubdowns he gave himself at his locker with a small wooden tool before and after games.I had never seen it, quite frankly. I was quite amazed by the things that he did, the stretching especially, Piniella said. Here in the United States, we go through a rigorous spring training, but once the season starts prior to the games we have our stretching exercises and then the kids play.He took it to a totally different level. He was fanatical about that and thats probably one of the big reasons that hes playing here at age 42, he said.That first season was a memorable one for many reasons. The Mariners won an AL-record 116 games, clinching the division shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Yet Seattle failed to reach the World Series, losing in five games of the AL Championship Series to the Yankees.Still, Suzuki won AL Rookie of the Year and MVP. Suzukis ability to beat out infield hits at times left Piniella shaking his head.He did have a special year. The team had a special year that year, Piniella said. We won 116 games and Ichiro was a big part of it. Ichiro was a special player. He had really good speed, he had that uncanny ability to put the ball in play. In the outfield, he played as well as you can expect, great throwing arm. He made the adjustment to American baseball very quickly, became one of the leaders in our clubhouse and was accepted by the players. He had a tremendous impact on our team that year.Hes going for his 3,000th hit now, and Im so proud of him. Hes had just a wonderful career. I look forward to the time when hell be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he said.Some of the most memorable hits by the 10-time All-Star didnt even count.In 2007, Suzuki hit the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history, winning unanimous MVP honors and helping the American League to a 5-4 victory at San Franciscos AT&T Park with a go-ahead, two-run drive that took a crazy bounce off the right-field wall.Hed never hit an inside-the-park homer during his decorated career in Japan.Hes an amazing guy, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. You just take age out of the equation and if you just looked at him as a player, if you evaluated just what you see, not thinking about age, you see a guy that runs above average, plays all three outfield spots, throws above average, hits lefties and righties.His work habits and everything else, for me, just set him apart.---AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick in New York contributed to this report. Adidas Shoes Wholesale Uk . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Cheap Nike Shoes Uk Online . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. http://www.wholesaleadidasshoesuk.com/ .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Adidas Shoes Buy Online Uk . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Adidas Shoes Online Store Uk . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs added one more assignment to his long list of responsibilities.The face of Tennessees program also has become the voice of its offense. Coaches and teammates say theyve noticed a difference in him this year in that regard. He doesnt hesitate to let the entire offense know when something needs to be corrected or when someones done something well.Hes definitely more vocal, senior guard Dylan Wiesman said. He stands up and hell get on guys and call them out. That has definitely improved. That is whats making him a better leader.Dobbs, whose 22 career starts lead all active Southeastern Conference quarterbacks, downplays the changes in his leadership approach. The senior said he has always tried to lead ever since taking over the starting spot for good late in the 2014 season.But he acknowledges he has made a few tweaks to his leadership style.Im just being myself, pushing my teammates, holding them to a higher standard, Dobbs said. Ive always held them to a high standard and have said things when needed, but this year its just holding them to an even higher standard than I have in the past. Im glad theyre seeing that and theyre responding to it well.No. 9 Tennessee has its highest preseason ranking since 2005 as it heads into Thursdays opener with Appalachian State. Tennessee is seeking its first conference title since its 1998 national championship.Dobbs is making sure the Volunteers understand whats at stake.If were not executing, hell let us know, junior wide receiver Josh Malone said. If in a certain period of practice were not executing, well start that whole entire period over and make sure were executing that period of practice.Dobbs willingness to face challenges on and off the field explains why Tennessee coach Butch Jones says that when you look at the definition of a student-athlete, it starts with Josh Dobbs.Dobbs has rushed for 1,160 yards and 19 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He threw for 2,,291 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2015.ddddddddddddHis classroom performance is also impressive. Dobbs majors in aerospace engineering and made the SEC Academic Honor Roll last each of the last two years.Dobbs wants to design airplanes when hes done playing football and has spent portions of the last two summers performing internships for Pratt & Whitney. His latest internship took place in Montreal, and Dobbs said it gave him an opportunity to test out the French he had learned in high school.I could hear it well, Dobbs said. But speaking it, I was a little rusty.Malone decided to sit in on one of Dobbs engineering classes last summer before they started a workout. Malone said the experience left his mind blown.Im just more fascinated he can handle that challenge and still perform on the field, Malone said.Dobbs latest assignment is to improve his passing accuracy. Dobbs threw just five interceptions last season but he completed only 59.6 percent of his passes, down from 63.3 percent in 2014. He has talked about trying to get his completion percentage up to 65 or even 70 percent.Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord says Dobbs still performed well enough that Tennessee ranked second in the SEC in third-down efficiency last season, but he added that the seniors accuracy has really improved this summer.DeBord also described the change in the way Dobbs is communicating with teammates and really taking control of the offense.He knows all of us, he knows how to work with all of us and knows how to talk to all of us, which is a pretty important part of being a leader, Wiesman said. You have to know how to talk to your guys. He has that connection with all of us.Just him getting closer with everybody has allowed him to be a great leader because he knows how to talk to us, how to motivate us.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '