This story appeared in ESPN The Magazines College Football Preview issue. Subscribe today!?This interview was translated and edited for clarity.Ichiro Suzuki is just two hits away from becoming the 30th player in Major League Baseball to reach 3,000 hits -- and his will be one of the fastest journeys ever, just 16 years after winning rookie of the year and MVP in his debut MLB season. We recently sat down with the Miami outfielder, now 42, as he reminisced about his 25-year professional career and considered what the future holds. Turns out, you can expect the hits to keep coming.Does 3,000 hits mean something to you, or is it just a number? I talked about when I hit 4,256. If youre at the end of your career and you are limping toward that number, the goal is just to get to it. But for me, when you are part of a team, youre out there just playing baseball and you [just happen to] get to that number. I am not limping to that number. I am playing the game, and I happen to get to that number because thats where I am.Has getting to 3,000 been daunting or exhausting due to the media attention? Obviously, I have had experiences in Japan and here regarding reaching particular numbers. But right now, I feel pressure every day because I am in a position where if you dont perform, you dont play. I am the fourth outfielder. I am trying to do well today so I can play tomorrow. I think it might be different if I was in the lineup every single day. But youve got to hit in order to play.Is the media coverage overblown? I think the media or the outside is really more into it than I am. Its a bigger deal for them. I like to read the news, but when I pull up a Japanese site and an article comes up with my face, I never read it. If people only knew the huge gap that exists between the attention it gets in the media and how I feel. That gap is a big difference.Was there anything that bothered you about coverage when you passed Pete Rose? I was actually happy to see the Hit King get defensive. I kind of felt I was accepted. I heard that about five years ago Pete Rose did an interview, and he said that he wished that I could break that record. Obviously, this time around it was a different vibe. In the 16 years that I have been here, what Ive noticed is that in America, when people feel like a person is below them, not just in numbers but in general, they will kind of talk you up. But then when you get up to the same level or maybe even higher, they get in attack mode; they are maybe not as supportive. I kind of felt that this time.When you got here, did you think you would have such a long and successful MLB career? When I first came, I had a three-year deal. At that point all I thought was that I want to do the best I can in those three years. But in my first game, there was a play I made that was pretty good. I came in and Lou [Piniella, Seattles manager from 1993 to 2002] gave me a kiss. So I thought, Three years is too long! If I am going to get kissed every day, I dont want to be here!Do you consider yourself a natural-born exceptional athlete or someone who is self-taught? I am not a thoroughbred in any way. My father was just an amateur; my mother is not even an athlete herself. If someone had bet on me, they would have made a lot of money! But what really helped me out to get to this point was that I was able to do things freely, my way.What do you mean by doing things your way? The one that is pretty obvious is the hitting style. Before I came [to the U.S.], I would lift my leg up and go forward. Most managers or coaches would stop you from doing that. A big turning point in my career was when I was 19, my second year as a professional. I was up and down, going from the minors to the big leagues. The hitting coach at the time thought my batting style was different from the way he thought it should be. He came to me and said, Are you going to listen to what I tell you to do? I told him, No, I am not going to. So I got sent down. The following year, the manager allowed me to do it my way. And I broke the all-time hits records in a season. That point is when I knew I had to have the courage to believe in myself, in that what I am doing is right for me.In your years in the U.S., do you think you changed the game? I really dont know what effect I had. But what you can say is that maybe people were only thinking inside a box. Because I was just able to do it kind of freely, do it my way, I believe that box may have been expanded. Maybe they could see that there are other ways.After the peak of the so-called steroid era, it seems like you broadened how people could see a great hitter. When I first came [to the U.S.] I heard a lot of people say, You do all these things and you are so small. But for me, when I first came over I looked at all the players, and I thought to myself, How can you play when you are that big?! Baseball is a game where many, many things come into play. You really have to use your head. The nerves in your body have to react. And if youre that big, that reaction time must slow down. I was actually shocked to see how big the players were. I thought the mindset here in the big leagues was different; size must equal strength.Do you still feel like youre able to perform at a top level? How I feel today, and how I felt in 2004 [when Suzuki set the MLB single-season hit record], there is no difference. Obviously, getting 262 hits, and trying to accomplish that in 162 games, was difficult then, and it would be difficult today. You have to have good fortune, and many, many things have to come together in order to do something like that. But if you were to tell me that I would hit leadoff and play every single day, I believe I could get 200 hits now. There is no reason that I can think of that tells me I couldnt. There is nothing that would stop me from saying yes, I can do it.There was a period when I didnt have good numbers, but it had nothing to do with my physical condition. When you look back at the last three years, it was my first year in the National League; it was the first time in my career I wasnt going to play every day. I had to learn a new role. I had to learn to prepare differently because I wasnt in the lineup every day. What is dangerous about that is that people would say, Oh, [his numbers are not good] because hes old. I believe that as an athlete how you got to the age of 42 makes a big difference. I have learned about my body; I havent gone off only talent until I was 42. Those are two different things; I took a different route.What do you wish you had known 16 years ago that you know now? I think, the words that people say, you cant believe it all. When I first came to over the U.S., a lot of people didnt think I would last a year. Now, 16 years from that day, people are saying, Oh, 3,000 hits, hes a future Hall of Famer, this and that. So I guess not taking everything in or believing everything-only to really take care of those that are close to you, and dont worry about the outside.Who are some of your favorite teammates? The guys that really kind of saved me and helped me were Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Sweeney and Raul Ibanez.What do you mean by they saved you? There was a period when even though we were on the same team, wearing the same uniform, [my teammates] felt like enemies. They saved me from that period. [Editors note: Suzuki explained later that in the middle of his career with the Mariners, when the team wasnt playing well but he was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner, his teammates called him selfish and said that he cared only about individual accolades. After Griffey, Sweeney and Ibanez arrived, he says, they stood up for him and encouraged their teammates to worry about their own play first.]When do you think you will retire? I want to keep playing until I am at least 50.If you get into the Hall of Fame, the first player from any Asian country, what would that mean? I really dont know. But I think you are eligible for the HOF ballot five years after you retire, so I think I will be dead by then [laughs]. I wont get to experience it. Authentic Jordan Akins Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Authentic Martinas Rankin Jersey . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. 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LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. Cheap Texans Jerseys . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room.Ahead of ReUnited this weekend, live on Sky Sports, Aaron Ramsey reveals to Patrick Davison how Arsene Wenger convinced him to join Arsenal instead of Manchester United... Manchester United might have been a huge part of Aaron Ramseys life.As a boy, with his dad Kevin a United fan, he could quite easily have ended up supporting them. As a player, when Sir Alex Fergusons champions came calling, he wasnt too far away from signing for them. Instead, it was Cardiff City that became his main team. The team he would watch and support (though I dont think hed disagree if I suggested there was a bit of affection for United).Instead, it was Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who persuaded him - via a private jet - to entrust his development to the North London club. This Saturday sees Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger resume their rivalry as Manchester Utd host Arsenal live on Sky Sports Born in Caerphilly, half an hour north of Cardiff, rugby had been Ramseys first love. But as other sports came onto his radar - he played cricket and was a school pentathlon champion in athletics - football began to take centre stage.His childhood memories of the Premier League come from a time when Arsenal and United were out there on their own as the leagues dominant forces. From an era when the leagues greatest midfield rivalry was raging.I always remember it being a tough clash and a massive battle, says Ramsey, who I suspect, understandably given his dads allegiances, might not have been supporting Arsenal back then.[Roy] Keane and [Patrick] Vieira, they would just be at each other from the first minute to the last.It was like they hated each other and they wanted to go out and be physical and smash into each other. Watch highlights of Arsenals 1-1 draw with Tottenham But they were really exciting games and things like the incidents in the tunnel would (as a kid) get you massively pumped for them.Really, at just 17, Ramsey was still a kid when, having made waves at Cardiff, he found himself at centre of another battle between two of Englands big boys. Both wanted him. The decision was his - Arsenal or United?I went up there to see the facilities and I went to see Arsene Wenger, says the midfielder, who was close enough to signing for United for the club to announce it on their website. Watch a preview of Saturdays Premier League fixtures including Manchester Utd v Arsenal and Tottenham v West Ham In the end, it was Wenger rolling out the red carpet for a young player he rated highly which won the day.ddddddddddddHe did a lot to try and get me to this club. As a 17-year-old, flying out on a private jet to his hotel (in Switzerland for Euro 2008) was surreal but I think I made the right decision.I just felt a bit more wanted by Arsenal and by the boss. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price Under Wenger, Ramsey has emerged as a top player at Premier League and international level - but, as we all know, its been far from straightforward. In February 2010 he suffered one of the worst injuries weve seen on a Premier League pitch at Stoke.It was only 15 months later, when Ramsey scored the winner and played a starring role against United at the Emirates, that the Welshman finally began to believe he would rediscover his best form. This Saturday sees Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger resume their rivalry as Manchester Utd host Arsenal live on Sky Sports To put in the performance that I did and the team did, it was just a really happy moment for me.You dont feel right up to speed after rehab - even when its a year or two later. That was the game where I felt, Im back!.Games against United have not always been so kind to him. Hes been part of a winning team just once, in the FA Cup, at Old Trafford in March last year. In August 2011, he was part of the side hammered 8-2 there. This Saturday represents a chance for Arsenal to suggest theyre made of sterner stuff than they have been in the recent past. It might also be chance for Ramsey to impose himself on a Premier League season which, largely because of injury, he hasnt started a game in since the opening day.After the Euros I had, I was desperate to get back and carry that on, says Ramsey, who was arguably Wales best player in France. I just felt a bit more wanted by Arsenal and by the boss. Aaron Ramsey Then to get an injury in the first game and a few setbacks after that - its been so frustrating.Its one of those things, you cant get too down, you just have to get on with it. Luckily the team have been doing well, now we just have to keep that going.With Jose Mourinho and Wenger together on the touchline, Arsenal might have to try and keep it going in a battle something like those of the late 90s and early 2000s, that Ramsey remembers as a kid. Wenger: Fergie rivalry forgotten Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he is focused on winning football matches, not managerial rivalries. The game has moved on, some of those challenges you wouldnt get away with these days, he says.But we are in a great position at the moment and have stated the season very well. They have had a lot of change over the summer and have some very exciting players, so Im sure it will be a tasty encounter.We certainly hope so.Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday live on Sky Sports 1 from 11.30am and get the first six months half price! Also See: Nevilles best Arsenal XI Mersons predictions Wenger: Not about me and Jose Key Battle: De Gea v Cech ' ' '