Ichiro signs == Great day for Mariner baseball fans

The rumors were right and it's now finally official. Ichiro is going to remain a Mariner and we all get to continue to watch one of the most unusual players in todays game.

Yes, there will be plenty of baseball "experts" who will say Ichiro is not worth it. Obviously those experts are not in charge of the team, because we all know how important just from a marketing/apparel/ratings/family/asian influence Ichiro has been. For the Mariners, this was a no-brainer. You CANNOT lose Ichiro, no matter the cost. Just like the Yankees needed to step up and pay Jeter, the Mariners had to step up and pay Ichiro, and that's just the way it is. We don't need to bang our heads against a wall and try to convince the world about it, we just need to figure out a way to get the team to win on a consistent basis.

If the team wins the deal becomes inarguable. With a World Series ring on Ichiro's finger, the deal becomes a non issue even to the most vocal critic of singles hitters. The Yankees never had to worry about defending Jeter's salary when he had 4 WS titles on his resume. Now Ichiro needs the same thing.

He's got the money. He's got the fame. Now Ichiro just needs the postseason.