Cool Connections #2: Ichiro Meets Obama

Before President Obama threw out the first pitch at Tuesday's All-Star Game, he met Ichiro in the American League clubhouse.

"My idea, when I saw him, was to say, 'What's up?'", Ichiro explained through his interpreter. "But there was no way I could do it. You know, he has that kind of aura about him. So I got nervous and I didn't say that to him. I was a little disappointed about that."

Instead, Ichiro simply said, "It’s an honor to meet you, sir."

"I realized after seeing him today that presidents wear jeans, too," he remarked after the game. "So my hope is that our skipper, [Don] Wakamatsu, was watching that and we can wear jeans on our flights as well."

Though the players had supposedly been told they couldn't get autographs, Obama offered to sign a ball for Ichiro, who gladly accepted. (Obama reportedly told Ichiro's American League teammate Curtis Granderson that he's a big Ichiro fan.) Ichiro is obviously giddy about the meeting in this video, which is probably how I'd react if I ever met Ichiro.
***