In the world of football, there’s not a bigger name than Tom Brady.
But it’s a big world, which contains other sports.
In a profile of retiring baseball icon Ichiro Suzuki, Peter Gammons of The Athletic revealed an anecdote which probably seems outrageous to those enmeshed in the happenings of the NFL or pop culture, but which speaks to the laser-focus of the 44-year-old baseball star.
The Japanese-born Suzuki was reading his text messages one morning during spring training in 2017, when he told his coaches about one in particular which seemed to puzzle him. Some guy had heard about his elaborate stretching routine, and wanted to meet with him to discuss it. The guy said he got Ichiro’s number from Alex Rodriguez, which should have established his bona fides for another international baseball celebrity.
When one of his coaches asked the guy’s name, Ichiro replied: “Some guy named Tom Brady. Who the f— is Tom Brady?”
As deadpan responses go, it ranks up there with Bill Belichick’s description of Brady’s playoff thumb injury, when he said: “But, we’re not talking about open-heart surgery here.”
And even though he’s hanging up his cleats for the rest of the season, 31 other teams in the NFL now have a new favorite baseball player.