Ichiro wa, ichiban desu.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki declined for a second time to accept the People's Honor Award from Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for superior achievements in the game of baseball, according to the Asahi Shimbun. Ichiro broke George Sisler's major league record of 257 hits in a single season, which has stood since 1920, with 262 hits this year. Suzuki humbly demurred that at 30 years of age he was too young for such an honor, adding that accepting the award might dampen his energy for the game.