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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip on Sports: Many are outraged, but maybe the M’s are doing the right thing by keeping Ichiro right now

Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki smiles while taking a break from batting practice before a game against the Texas Rangers last April  in Arlington, Texas. (Jeffrey McWhorter / AP)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Getting away for a while is always fun. But returning home is something special. Though it has its own set of challenges. Read on.

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• Want proof? Ask Ichiro.

He returned home to Seattle this spring, a 44-year-old outfielder whose best days are well behind him. He was asked to fill in while the M’s regular – and younger – outfielders healed, to be a stopgap between yesterday and tomorrow.

To give whatever he could give.

Sorry to say, it hasn’t been all that much.

He’s hitting his weight, mainly because he’s still rail thin. He can’t run down fly balls he used to gather in with ease. He rarely looks like a competent major league player anymore, let alone a star.

Besides, is he the guy who will lead the M’s to the end of their long wandering in the postseason desert?

Yesterday, the Mariners needed a starting pitcher. With Ichiro hitting .212 (at the time) and the guy he was supposed to fill-in for while he was injured, Ben Gamel, healed up, it seemed obvious Ichiro would be shown the door. Nicely, sure, but the door nonetheless.

Instead, the M’s sent Guillermo Heredia to Tacoma.

What are the Mariners thinking, you scream. Maybe you’re right. No one is saying Heredia is the next coming of Willie Mays, but the right-handed hitting outfielder is younger (as is everyone in the M’s organization) and was stroking the ball. Maybe it was time to give him a longer look?

There is however, a counter-argument to be made. It’s a simple one.

The M’s starting outfield of Gamel, Dee Gordon and Mitch Haniger needs to play almost every day. 

And Seattle needs to know if Gamel is capable of it. He should be. Though he hits left-handed, his career splits are such his average is better against left-handed pitchers. So platooning him would seem counter productive, especially if general manager Jerry Dipoto wants to be sure he’s the guy for this year, next year and beyond.

So all the M’s really need is a backup outfielder. One who is happy to play occasionally, who will always be ready when needed and can be a mentor to the three starters.

Heredia isn’t that guy. Ichiro probably is.

Anytime Scott Servais feels one of his starters needs a break, he can play Ichiro at one of the corner outfield spots. Haniger can fill-in as the backup centerfielder if need be. It works for a game every week or so.

And if someone gets hurt, Heredia is just a short drive away.

The knee-jerk reaction is to accuse the Mariners of doing what they’ve done often over the years, making a decision based on keeping the fans coming through the metal detectors. It could be argued that Ichiro still does that, at least to a greater degree than Heredia. There has to be the occasional dad who brings his child so they can get one last look at the future Hall of Famer.

But instead of jerking our knees, let’s take a breath, give Dipoto the benefit of the doubt and sit tight for now. Maybe Ichiro has something left. Maybe Gamel will show he needs to play everyday instead of looking over his shoulder at a platoon player. Maybe the clubhouse is a better place with Ichiro in it.

If not, there is plenty of time for the M’s to show their all-time best singles hitter the door.

• While I was doing research this morning about this, I perused the Mariners’ all-time hitting statistics. Did you know Alex Rodriguez is still in the top-10 for the franchise in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, runs batted in, strike outs, stolen bases, average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS, leading in the last two?

For a guy who was only in the area as a youngster, and played less than 800 games in an M’s uniform, he was pretty darn good.

Another oddity. The franchise’s best players at getting on base, all-time, are Edgar Martinez and Ken Phelps. Talk about two guys who clogged up the bases. 

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WSU: The Cougars’ restocking of their basketball roster with junior college players continued yesterday, with 6-foot-5 small forward Marvin Cannon signing up. Theo Lawson has that story. … Stefanie Loh has a piece on Luke Falk’s professional prospects seemingly on the rise. … The Cougars threw another no-hitter yesterday, but this time it took four pitchers to get it done. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Washington is now looking forward to its football opener against Auburn. … Utah’s offense got better over the spring. … Oregon needs to figure out who is its backup quarterback. … California has a defensive back who wants to be the best.

Gonzaga: The baseball team failed to score for the second consecutive game at USF.

EWU: It’s a big week in Cheney, with the Eagles’ athletic department at a crossroads. Jim Allen analyzes Easter’s decision concerning its next athletic director and the budget problems that person will face.

Chiefs: Everett and Tri-City are tied at a game apiece in their battle for the WHL Western Conference title.

Preps: Former Gonzaga Prep star Oti Gildon helped an Oregon group win the national 3-on-3 title.

Mariners: The decision to keep Ichiro overshadowed the fact the guy the M’s called up, Erasmo Ramirez, didn’t do his job on the mound and they lost, 7-4 at Texas.

Seahawks: Luckily for the Hawks, who want a running back, there are a lot of guys at that position available this week at the draft. … The secondary needs some shoring up as well. 

Sounders: Hey, the Sounders won a match. They defeated Minnesota 3-1 on Sunday. … Portland also won for the first time this season.

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• Not only is it great to be home, it’s also great to see the sun back where it belongs. No clouds to block its view. At least not yet. Until later …