Teammates considered hurting Ichiro

[Phlegm]

WTF? from MSNBC.com

Ichiro Suzuki is so unpopular in the Seattle Mariners' clubhouse that teammates considered doing physical harm to the All-Star outfielder earlier this season, the Seattle Times reported Thursday.

The turmoil on the team peaked in May as the team and Suzuki got off to a slow start, the Times reported.

"I just can't believe the number of guys who really dislike him," one clubhouse insider said, newspaper reported. "It got to a point early on when I thought they were going to get together and go after him."

John McLaren, the Mariners' manager at the time, reportedly intervened when he overheard a player talking about Suzuki, saying he wanted to "knock him out." A team meeting was called, the newspaper reported.

In May 2007, then-manager Mike Hargrove also called a team meeting because of clubhouse bickering over Suzuki being a selfish player, the Times said.

This year, Suzuki became just the second player to reach the 200-hit mark in eight consecutive seasons, matching Willie Keeler's performance from 1894-1901. According to the Times, there are clubhouse complaints that Ichiro should have rested to heal injuries, and that he did not get to balls in right field that he should have because he cares only about piling up hits.

Another team insider said Ichiro should not be a scapegoat for the team's problems, the newspaper reported.

"He goes about his business, works hard, sets goals for himself and achieves them every year," the team insider said, the Times reported. "How is that selfish? With him, it isn't about the 200 hits. It's about playing the game the right way and playing it hard every time out."

[brinstar]

being the absolute worst team in the absolute worst division for an entire season must get frustrating lol