Ichiro and Rodney

The (minor) hype around the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki and his quest for 258 hits (eclipsing George Sisler's 84 year old record) sparked much debate. I don't think the record is a particularly stellar achievement in itself (considering how many more games Ichiro took to break the record) but it did bring to my mind the many cricket batting records that are ignored. Much like the home run mania in baseball, cricket is currently obsessed with fastest centuries and highest scores. And the Dravids of the world are always obscured by the Sachins. It's the way it is. For better or worse. Every once in a while though, attention to the stable, consistent workhorses is like a pat on the back of every steady performer in the world. Although I am not one of them (not by a long shot), I am sure it makes numerous people's day to see Ichiro get the applause he did. The same people who associated with Rodney Dangerfield's ' I get no respect...' routine.

And speaking of work horses, I think there was no funnier work horse in show business than Rodney Dangerfield. I was particularly amused by him. He elicited a chuckle from me even when he wasn't saying anything. Those wide-open 'what did i do' eyes did it for me. I thought he was hilarious and disarmingly charming at the same time. He didn't ever have to resort to profanity (although I have no qualms about funny comics using profanity... it's great!) - and that said a lot about the sea of material he had written for performances. He was a funny man.