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Secretasianman

Friday - 2/29/08

Yaowers, Rockets Win Again!  Houston won their 14th straight game tonight beating the Grizzlies 116-95. The 14 game streak is the best in the NBA this season and just one shy of Houston's franchise record of 15 consecutive victories set back in the 1993-94 season. This win also means they have had a perfect unbeaten February, which would have gone down as one of their best months ever if not for the loss of Yao Ming. I am thrilled to see them continue to build on the great momentum they received from Yao through this incredible stretch of victories. It's like they are playing hard for their fallen leader/comrade and his presence still dominates the court at the Toyota Center. Still Yao is sorely missed by all his fans and we hope for his speedy recovery.

Everything's bigger in Texas, but no one fills up the middle like Yao Ming.

Pacman is ready to finish what he started.  Filipino dynamo Manny Pacquiao is reportedly in the best shape of his life, two weeks off from his rematch with Mexico boxer Juan Manuel Marquez. The two fighters had met before in 2004 where the explosive powerhouse Pacquiao sent Marquez to the mat three times early in the match. Marquez to his credit survived to get a draw. He could only wish to be so lucky this time around as the Pacman and his team including trainer Freddie Roach have all expressed their intent for correction in this fight. KNOCKOUT. Boxing promoter Bob Arum was very impressed after watching Manny's training session. "I have never seen any fighter train so hard for two hours without taking a break," said Arum. "I haven't seen anything like this in 42 years. He's in such a shape that he's not human."

WOW, that is some intense praise indeed! After all the 76 year old Arum has seen and worked with the very best boxers of all time including Marvin Hagler, Oscar De La Hoya, Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, the list goes on and on. For Pacquiao to impress Bob Arum in such a fashion, means that Marquez is gonna be in for an absolute war. And as we all know, in a Pacman fight the winners are always the fans.

"Even Marvin Hagler takes a break, Pacquiao is not HUMAN." - Bob Arum

Thursday - 2/28/08

Yao's Loss is Tracy's Gain. I still can't believe that Yao's season is over just like that. Last nights Rocket's win over the Wizards did little to soothe the pain but I do hope they can continue to use Yao's absence to motivate themselves to get that coveted playoff spot. Like Yao told Tracy the other night, "Now is your time." With all the rumors about the team trading T-Mac in the near future, how he and the Rockets perform down the stretch without their big man may determine if he and Yao will be on the same team next year. This setback does give Tracy a prime opportunity to show his true worth and I hope he can prove the haters wrong. Yao of course has his own problems as his entire nation's hopes have fallen hard on news of his injury. Newspapers across China have made it the headlines adding support to the gloom. "Yao Ming injury fatal," said one newspaper. "Injury to Yao's body, hurt in our hearts," exclaimed another.  The banner of nba.com/china read, "Pray for Yao Ming. The Giant will never fall." I can't wait to see another headline hopefully around August, "Yao Ming Returns, Bigger and Badder than Ever!"

Asian Boys of Summer are Back in Town. Yao's season has ended but for MLB action is just warming up. Chien-Ming Wang will probably get the honors of being the Yankee's Opening day starter based on his exhibition game start on Saturday against the Phillies. Wang was also scheduled to start last year's opening day too but was sidelined with a hamstring injury. He has been working extensively on proper stretching exercises to avoid injury this year. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima are ready too, having both worked on adding new pitches to their already impressive arsenals. Okajima is working in secret on a pitch called the "Doki Doki" and Dice-K is improving upon his two-seam fastball which he picked up late last season. By all accounts, Dice is looking more comfortable and throwing with better command than he did last season which bodes well for the World Champion Red Sox. The question I'm wondering is who will become the first Asian pitcher to win 20 games this season, Wang or Dice? Can Hideki Okajima and Dodger closer Takashi Saito continue to improve on the stellar performances they gave their clubs last season? Will Hiroki Kuroda become the second Asian pitcher (After Wang) to flourish under the direction of new Los Angeles Dodger manager Joe Torre? We will all find out soon enough.

Dice Continues to Rock the Orange Mullet

Tuesday - 2/26/08

Yao's Season is Finished

Man this just totally sucks. I feel gutted and empty inside, can't imagine how hard Yao must be taking it after working so hard this year. A stress fracture in his left foot means that surgery might be necessary and Yao's NBA season is done plus he might not even make it to the Olympics. Besides bad luck, who else is to blame? I'm looking at his grueling commitments to the Chinese National Team along with unnecessarily long minutes posted under new coach Rick Adelman. Yao was simply worked too hard and too long for someone of his size. I mean 312 lbs is a lot of pressure on even Yao's big feet.

It was also reported that Yi Jianlian of all people had landed on Yao's foot in their past meeting causing Yao to seek the medical attention which resulted in this diagnosis. And if I didn't know better, I'd almost think this Rocket's team has some kinda curse with the way Yao and Mcgrady have been getting hurt in the past 3 season. I feel so bad for Yao, just wish he can get healthy before the Olympics cause he deserves to be the torch bearer.

We feel your pain, Please get well soon big fella!

Sunday - 2/24/08

Weekend Summary

Tiger Woods blew away Stewart Cink at the Accenture Match Play Championship today posting a 8 & 7 victory at Dove Mountain. This was his sixth victory in a row, his third victory in the event and the largest winning margin in the final of the event's history. This was also his 63rd PGA Tour title which puts him ahead of Arnold Palmer on the all time list. Only Sam Snead (82), Jack Nickalus (73) and Ben Hogan (64) have won more. That's select company right there and no doubt Tiger should overtake Ben Hogan this year as well. But if you want to hear something really impressive it's Tiger's ambition this year of winning the Grand Slam. He is confident in his current form that he said it was "easily within reach." While I don't know about that, he has held all the trophies simultaneously but not in the same calendar year. If anyone has a shot, it's Tiger Woods but unfortunately for his fellow 'Master of the Universe' buddy Roger Federer that is out of the question for 2008.

The Houston Rockets won their 12th straight game today posting a 110-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls. They are truly the hottest team in the league right now, winning 16 of their last 17 games and this streak is their longest since their championship season back in 1993-94. They played so well today that even though Yao finished with only 12 points, they still got the win due to great teamwork that saw seven players scoring double figures and a season high 13 three-pointer rainstorm. The red hot Rockets will next face the Wizards on Tuesday and Washington better beware their scorching rocket fuel!

Thursday - 2/21/08

Welcome Back Michelle

Michelle Wie shot a 3-under 69 at the Field Open in Hawaii today to finish five strokes behind the leader Jeong Jang of South Korea. She took it easy not giving herself too much pressure and showed no signs of her wrist injury from last year. Wie had reason to be relaxed as she was playing on her home island of Oahu in front of her family and friends in the gallery. Still this tournament is far from easy as Jang, Paula Creamer and Annika Sorenstam are just a few of the great golfers contesting it. Wie was happy with her performance saying, "You know I don't really feel like I have to prove myself to anyone. I just was really proud of myself today that I didn't think about anything but just playing and staying in the present." With regards to her wrist Wie was less enthusiastic. "After a major injury last year it is never going to be the way it was before," she said. "I just accepted the fact that it is never going to be 100% ever again." Sorry to hear that Michelle but I still believe you can do great things in your sport in the near future.

Monday - 2/18/08

New Wave of Japanese Veterans get the Rookie Treatment

Two slightly worn but heavily tested veterans of Japanese professional baseball will soon get to match their stuff against the best in the world. Right fielder Kosuke Fukudome and starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda will play key roles for their Chicago Clubs and LA Dodgers respective clubs this season.

Fukudome has been described as an Ichiro Suzuki - Hideki Matsui hybrid in that he has speed and a throwing arm like Ichiro and is also a power threat like Matsui. He is a four-time Gold glove winner in Japan and will shore up the right field defensive weakness of the Cubs with his strong and accurate throws and athleticism. He will also add power from the left side as a lefty-hitting player with good plate discipline and pop. A definite Asian athlete to keep your eye on for this season.

Kuroda also comes with high expectations as he is a 10-year veteran in Japanese baseball but he will have to learn it all over again. The 33 year old pitching star went 103-89 with a 3.69 ERA in 11 seasons for the Hiroshima Carp. He has a fastball in the 94 mph range and an above average slider and changeup. He had already impressed his catcher in his first bullpen session. "He was throwing harder than I thought he would, and he was only throwing at 60 percent. This is going to be fun," said catcher Russell Martin. Kuroda will no doubt have plenty support from the large Japanese community of Los Angeles and he will need it as he deals with the longer and more grueling schedule of the majors.

Sunday - 2/17/08

Weekend Happenings

The NBA All-Star weekend has come and gone and the results are in. The sophomores beat the rookies 136-109, Dwight Howard won the Slam-dunk championship, and the East defeated the West 134-128. Yi Jianlian scored eight points on 3-of-8 shooting for the rookies who were led by Kevin Durant with 23 points. But they were outgunned in the Rookie challenge as Cleveland's Daniel Gibson launched an unbelievable 11 count assault from 3-point land to put the rooks in their place on Friday. Yao started for the West as center on Sunday in their losing effort against the East and it's probably cause they never really involved him in the game. The All-star game is all about entertaining the fans and individual showboating and Yao being the introvert that he is does not really factor well into these type games. He had only 6 points for the West and is probably glad this weekend is over and he can get back to improving on their winning streak.

Where did this young kid come from? Japanese qualifier Kei Nishikori shocked the tennis world today beating top-seeded American James Blake 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the International Tennis Championship final. The 18-year old is ranked 244th in the world compared to Blake who is ranked 12th and he is 10 years younger. In fact Nishikori is the youngest player to win an ATP title since Lleyton Hewitt won Adelaide at 16-years back in 1998. How did he do it? Kei won by hitting deep ground strokes using a multifaceted game and hitting straight out winners on big points. This is a very impressive win for the kid but lets wait and see if he can replicate this success in future tournaments.

James Blake is the biggest scalp Nishikori has ever claimed on the ATP tour.

Friday - 2/15/08

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

MLB spring training has finally arrived. The cheap-ass New York Yankees took my man Chien-Ming Wang to arbitration and won. They will pay him $4 million for this season instead of the $4.6 million Wang had asked for. The disappointment according to Wang's agent was the fact the Yankees made no effort to settle this. Plus this was the second slight from the Yanks as they would not sign Wang to a long-term contract that he had hope for. Their reasoning was that it is difficult for pitchers to stay healthy so there's little incentive to sign a young starter to a long-term deal. Despite Wang's impressive past two seasons, I think his disastrous performance in last year's Division Series hurt him a lot. Still it's a new season and I'm hoping to see another 19+ win season for Wanger.

Dice-K is getting ready for the arrival of his second child along with his second season in the majors. His wife is in Boston and will be due in late March around the time of the season opener in Tokyo but Dice was interested in fielding other questions. With regards to his performance Matsuzaka said that he felt more fatigued last year than when he played in Japan because he could not gauge and adjust to the pace of the season. Thus he will work with pitching coach John Farrell to combat that this year. Good deal, but I think the first thing he should do is shave off that silly mullet he is sporting.  

Rock Star in Japan, Jerry Springer Guest in America

Wednesday - 2/13/08

American golfer Anthony Kim may get a chance to face Tiger Woods in the opening round of next week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. The talented 22 year old rookie is one of the hottest prospects on the tour right now and is well respected by his peers despite his sophomore status. Tour veteran Mark O'Meara already thinks Kim has a better golf swing than Woods did at the same age saying, "At 22, Tiger had already won six tournaments and Tiger's mental game was probably stronger, but technique-wise, I reckon Anthony's swing is better at 22 than Tiger's was." O'Meara goes on to say that Kim has the talent to win multiple tournaments and even major championships in the future.

Okay, I know they have been trying to find the next Tiger Woods in every young upstart that shows any potential but until someone truly steps up, I won't hold my breath. Still this Kim kid definitely has potential and it'll be exciting to see how he develops in the coming years.

Kim's future is so bright, he has to wear his initials on his buckle!

Sunday - 2/10/08

Weekend Wrap Up

The Houston Rockets have been on a tear as of late riding the coattails of Yao Ming and Saturday night was no different. Yao had 28 points and 9 rebounds in a 108-89 rout of the Atlanta Hawks, giving his team their 10th win in 11 games. They have won 15 of 19 games in 2008 and are finally starting to look like a contender again with a 30-20, .600 record. Let's hope that they can keep the six game winning streak alive as they face the Portland Trailblazers on Monday.

While Yao is having another MVP-like season being named the Western conference Player of the Month by Kia, Yi Jianlian has been struggling hard as of late. Yi has been struggling in February and missed a few games due to a shoulder injury. Charlie Villanueva has also taken over the starting power forward spot relegating Yi to the bench. He scored only 6 points in the much hyped 2nd showdown with Yao last week and the Bucks have a miserable 19-32 record. Any good news? Well he was selected to play in the 2008 Rookie Challenge at the All-Star game. Hopefully his shoulder will be better before then.

Olympic gold short-track skater and former Dancing with the Stars champion Apolo Anton Ohno won the 1,000 meters short-track World Cup on Sunday. He had a little help however as a collision between two other skaters cleared the path to his victory. China's Wang Meng won the women's 1,000 and South Korea won the men's 500 and 5,000 relay. While I respect the difficulty and skill of short-track skating, it does seems like one of those sports where being lucky is just as important as being good.

Thursday - 2/7/08

Michael Chang Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame

As a big Michael Chang fan, I am ecstatic that he was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this past week. Soon to be 36 years old, Chang had a spectacular career spanning 16 years with a career high ranking of No. 2 in the world. He was ranked in the top 10 for seven years and captured 34 singles titles. However he will forever be a legend in tennis for winning the 1989 French Open title against all odds at 17 years, 3 months still the youngest man to ever win a grand slam. At only 5 feet 8 inches, Chang was always the David facing the Goliaths of the world but he never backed down or gave up. He has beaten all the top legends of the sport including John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer just to name a few. He was a pioneer, the Jackie Robinson of Asian sports and he inspired billions (doesn't hurt that he was of Chinese heritage) around the world. Before the Ichiros and Yao Mings of the world, Michael Chang was the lone figure showing the world that Asians could compete at the highest level in athletics. Thanks Michael for leading the way.

Pound for pound, one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

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