When a reporter knocked over Ichiro's bats

MNW:

The sacred bats! They had been neatly leaned against the bench (this was before manager John McLaren would tape down tongue depressors to hold them, or before a hole was
drilled in the bench to contain them) and somehow I had knocked them over. There was a gasp from some of the
reporters and I swear I got some disapproving looks from some of the Japanese media. I was absolutely horrified.

I was terrified to touch the bats, even to put them back, but I did so and as I did I looked around furtively to see if Ichiro had seen what I had done. I was pretty sure he hadn’t but just in case I warned the media who saw my misadventure to not say anything to him.

Ichiro came over to get his bats for his turn in batting practice a few minutes later and didn’t look over at me. Whew, I thought. I dodged that one.

Or so I thought. The next day