Ichiro Reacts To Text From Brady: 'Who The [Bleep] Is Tom Brady?'

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady is among the most famous athletes in American sports. Given that he's married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen, he's also gained a high level of international fame.

But that doesn't mean everybody knows who he is. Not even some other Hall of Fame athletes with international fame.

Peter Gammons shared one such tale in a story about Ichiro Suzuki for The Athletic. The story involved a text message that Ichiro received from an unknown number in the spring of 2017. When he discovered that the text came from a friend of Alex Rodriguez named Tom Brady, Ichiro's reaction was an all-timer.

Here's what Gammons wrote (per Mike Vorkunov):

One morning in spring training, 2017, he was in the coaches' room looking at his cell phone text messages. Ichiro told the coaches about one message he had just received from a number he didn't recognize. The guy said he'd gotten Ichiro's number from Alex Rodriguez, and that he wanted to come meet him and study his stretching system.

"What's the guy's name?" asked one of the coaches.

Ichiro strolled to the end of the text. "Some guy named Tom Brady. Who the f--- is Tom Brady?"

Considering Ichiro was able to extend his big league career into his mid-40s, it would make sense why Brady would seek some advice. But now discovering that Suzuki had never even heard of Brady has to hurt the quarterback almost as much as a blind-side shot to the ribs from a speeding defensive end.

Knowing Brady, though, maybe he'll start emailing friends to reveal a new level of inspiration to play until he's 60 years old. Ichiro just retired from playing at age 44, so that at least gives Brady a refocused point for a baseline goal.