NEU » 2010.The change also favors other

MIAMI -- On Monday,?Ichiro Suzuki?donated the jersey, cleats, arm guard and batting gloves he wore while becoming the 30th player in the history of Major League Baseball to reach 3,000 hits.?The president of the Baseball Hall of Fame was the grateful recipient of Suzukis gear. When the exchange concluded, the two men bowed to each other, a fitting gesture to celebrate the bridge from Suzukis native Japan to Cooperstown.Suzuki began building that bridge when he came to the major leagues as a 27-year-old rookie in 2001. Three-thousand hits later, hes a memorabilia-making machine.The Suzuki collection at the Hall of Fame numbered more than two dozen items even before his triple Sunday at Colorado, where he became the first Japanese player to reach 3,000 hits. When he and his teammates returned to Marlins Park to begin a homestand, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson was there to collect additional Suzuki souvenirs.Jeff asked me about the stuff, Suzuki said through an interpreter. I was happy to give it to him. I have an agreement with Jeff that when I die, all of my stuff is going to go to Jeff and the Hall of Fame.Suzuki, a baseball history buff, has visited Cooperstown six times.There is no current player Ive encountered who has as deep an appreciation of baseball history as Ichiro, Idelson said. This is a guy who understands his place in history. Because of that, as a sport and as a country, were all the richer.While Major League Baseball celebrated Suzukis achievement, it was even bigger news back home. Several dozen reporters and photographers from Japan had been logging lots of air miles following their nations most famous athlete as he approached the milestone and subsequently went into a slump.With the triple in Denver -- only his second hit in 17 at-bats since July 29 -- he said his overriding emotion was relief that so many of his countrymen would be reunited with their families.For the last couple of weeks, there have been a lot of members of the media following me, Suzuki said. Im just so happy they can go back to their homes now.Suzukis characteristically humble attitude regarding his achievement transcended the language barrier. When asked to name the most famous person to congratulate him on 3,000 hits, he responded in English.Justin Bour, he said, drawing laughter.Bour, the Marlins rotund first baseman, is famous mostly in his own family but expressed gratitude for the recognition from Suzuki.I think hes just trying to make me feel better after he blasted me yesterday for being fat, Bour said.Suzuki, Bour and the Marlins are in playoff contention for a change. Miami hasnt been to the postseason since 2003, and Suzuki has made it only twice in his 16-year career.Small things turn into big things, he said. I hope our team can continue to do the small things and theyll turn into big things.Meticulous preparation is a Suzuki hallmark, and he spoke at a news conference more than four hours before Mondays game already in uniform. That included sunglasses atop the bill of his cap, even though he was going to be playing indoors at night.While ready for action, he was in need of a new bat. Suzuki put aside the one that produced the historic triple, one of the few mementoes he has kept.I really dont have much, he said. Most of it is in my home in Seattle. Its something I think Ill enjoy once I become a grandpa.At 42, hes old enough to start thinking about grandchildren -- and retirement. He has often said he wants to play until at least 50, but he sidestepped that subject Monday, saying hes taking it one at-bat at time.With Suzukis help, even baseball cliches have gone global. Connor Murphy Jersey .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Stan Mikita Jersey . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. http://www.cheapblackhawkschinajerseys.com/jan-rutta-jersey/ . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. Steve Larmer Jersey .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Blackhawks Jerseys From China . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. LeBron James has been ahead of the curve on contract management for most of his career, and a provision he helped position himself for in the new collective bargaining agreement means his latest forward-looking maneuver could be worth almost $100 million.The new deal, which still must be ratified by the owners and players union, alters the over-36 rule to the over-38 rule. Previously, teams could not sign players to four- or five-year contracts if the player turned 36 before Oct. 1 of one of the years of the deal. By moving the rule back two years, James is in position to sign a five-year contract in 2018 when he is 33 years old, sources told ESPN.James health, the overall player market and other factors make it impossible to know what he might sign for in 2018, but projections show he could sign for up to $210 million if he stays with the Cleveland Cavaliers and signs for five years at the maximum number. Before the rule change, he would have been able to sign for only three years and an estimated $90 million to $100 million less at age 33.James said Friday that the rule change wasnt about his earning power.Im too much of a present guy to worry about what can happen in the future. If Im blessed and able and the game continues to bless me, then well cross that path when we get there, he said. But theres guys in our league now that are 34, 35, 36 that have an opportunity to sign a longer-deal contract, so I think its great for our league.The rule change also could benefit Chris Paul, who would be eligible to sign a five-year contract with the LA Clippers for up to $210 million this summer. Paul would have been able to sign for four years under the currrent rules.dddddddddddd It could be worth up to $50 million more to him, depending on how the deal gets put together.Paul is the president of the players union, and James is the vice president.James took his time weighing contract options over the summer and didnt come to terms until August, when he signed a three-year, $100 million deal. He has an opt out after two years, giving him the option to return to the market at age 33.The primary points of the CBA were being negotiated by the players union and the league over the summer.James also shrewdly took one-year deals with the Cavs in 2014 and 2015, allowing him to become just the third player in history to make more than $30 million in a season. James is the highest-paid player in the NBA this season at $30.9 million.In 2006, James set a trend when he turned down a five-year offer and instead took a three-year extension from the Cavs, allowing him to become a free agent in 2010.The change also favors other older stars who are headed to free agency in their mid-30s, such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, who can be a free agent next summer after building an opt-out clause into his deal with the Chicago Bulls.Anthony is also a union vice president.The new CBA also included many provisions that raised salaries of lower-paid players. Minimum salaries, rookie salaries and the midlevel and biannual exceptions all were increased by 45 percent across the board.Retiree benefits were also vastly increased, doubling pensions for players who start taking the benefit after age 50. ' ' '