Congratulations Japan For Winning World Baseball Classic

By Scott McLean

Ichiro Suzuki is a champion at last. Not as a Seattle Mariner but as a member of Japan's baseball team which won the World Baseball Classic.

Most baseball fans remember Ichiro's 262 hits a few years ago that set the Major League single-season record.

Now comes the hard part. It's time to prepare for another challenging season with the Seattle Mariners.

This writer is known to go out on a limb with his sports predictions. That said, Seattle could be much improved this year.

But for the Mariners to win a championship, they must first win their division or be the wild-card team. Either way, Seattle probably needs to win close to 60 percent of its 162 games.

For Ichiro to win a second title in the fall, Seattle pitching must be better than last season or ever before, as the team has never won the World Series. It also would help if the Mariners hit about 40 or 50 more home runs this year.