lian team and didnt penalize us for it but, when youve got seven players coming at you, raiding and you try to touch them sometimes you just forget to say `kabbadi -- thats probably the funny pa

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.Ecco Nz Outlet . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Ecco Mens Shoes Nz . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. http://www.eccosalenz.com/ . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Ecco Nz Clearance Discount Ecco Shoes . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue.AHMEDABAD, India -- He goes by the Twitter handle Browndogg-30x and hes a seasoned ex-pro in Australias homegrown brand of football, the son of one of the more infamous players from that game.Campbell Brown is making a mark on the Kabaddi World Cup in India, leading the Australian team despite his very recent recruitment to the traditional south Asian game.Its very unique, isnt it, the 33-year-old Brown said in an interview at the World Cup. I just think its such an exciting sport, from the playing perspective and from viewers as well.Its such a new sport to us. You see theres a few players in our team that have a professional football background, so we picked up the skill component of it pretty easily, but its just the rules and the things like (that) which are the hard part. It has been a steep learning curve for the team in the first two games, but I think we are getting better and better with each minute we spend on the court. Kabbadi is a contact sport that mixes tag and wrestling and developed over centuries on dusty courts in northern India. Its widely popular in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and usually played abroad by expats from those countries.Organizers are trying to increase the sports global appeal and have 12 national teams competing in the World Cup, including the United States, South Korea, Argentina, Poland, Kenya, Japan and Thailand. Pakistans team was a late withdrawal from the tournament.After three games, hot-favorite India was leading Group A from South Korea and England, having recovered from a shocking opening loss to the Koreans. Iran was in control of Group B with an unbeaten run. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals.The basic rules of kabaddi are simple, but the finer arts of the game have evolved over a long time. It is a game between two teams of seven players. The teams take turns to send a raider, or attacker, into the rival half of the field to gain points by trying to touch opponents, who then go out of the game. All the while, the raider chants the word `kabaddi until running out of breath.ddddddddddddPlayers from the defending team try either to evade the touch or get into a grapple to stop the raider returning to his or her half.Brown, who followed in the footsteps of his rugged and controversial father, Mal Brown, and played in the top-flight competition in Australian Rules football, knows how tricky learning the rules of a unique, regional game can be.But hes still struggling to come to terms with the intricacies of Kabaddi.The saying `kabbadi the whole the time you raid, its quite funny, he said, admitting he forgot to do a few times in Australias opening loss to England. The referees were a bit kind on the Australian team and didnt penalize us for it but, when youve got seven players coming at you, raiding and you try to touch them sometimes you just forget to say `kabbadi -- thats probably the funny part of it.England captain Someshwar Kalia also has players whore learning on the go, and having to remember one of the keys is the yoga-like chanting.This is actually a very unique aspect of the sport, he said, adding that it can be difficult combing the physical nature of the game with the finer points. Thats the thing that threw a lot people off.For the South Koreans, its the close connection of the defending team -- a chain-like formation -- that seemed to be most unique part of the game.The most unusual thing for me was that we have to hold our hands while defending, South Korea captain Dong Ju Hong said during a recent training session. Two males holding hands was a little odd for me.After cricket, its one of the most popular sports in India, and the pressure is firmly on the home team at the sixth World Cup.It is very important to win this World Cup as its taking place in our country, and so far we have never lost, India player Deepak Hudda said. We wont settle it without the Cup. Its very important us to win for the prestige of the country. ' ' '