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Wednesday - 1/30/08

Cool 2008 Beijing Olympic Buildings

National Aquatic Center

National Olympic Stadium

Wednesday - 1/23/08

Before the "Great Wall", there was the "Iron Hammer"

Yao Ming may be the current symbol for Chinese sports and athletics but before he came along there was Lang Ping, the "Iron Hammer". Lang is a national icon in China for leading her women's volleyball team to several world titles in the early 1980s including a famous victory over the US to win Olympic gold in the Los Angeles games in 1984. Lang's success will forever be linked with her teammates during those games. "I can't imagine not being part of a team. But there's only one Yao Ming," Lang said when asked the difference between herself and Yao. "For China, the women's volleyball team is always a family you have to think of teamwork. With Yao Ming, it's very different. He's more of an individual."

This is true in that Yao is a free-market athlete and an individual who just so happens to represent China on the world stage. But come Beijing Yao will surely be ready to lead his national Chinese team against the world's best. Lang will be there too but ironically as the coach of Team USA which is not without controversy but she is still loved and adored by her countrymen.

Sunday - 1/20/08

The Stupidity in Golf Industry Continues to Pile On

You would figure that they had learned something from the stupid "lynch Tiger Woods" incident but NOOO! Just a little over a week after the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman was suspended for making a idiotic joke regarding lynching Tiger Woods to stop him from dominating golf, Golfweek magazine one ups her on the stupidity scale and publishes a picture of a noose on the cover of their January issue. Of course the backlash and outcry regarding their insensitivity was immediate. Golfweek quickly replaced their editor and apologized for their error in judgment but the damage was already been done. While I believe that the magazine did this purely for sensationalism and not from any ill-will, it still stinks a something awful. An estimated 3,466 blacks were lynched in the south just because of the color of their skin. This is a terrible stain in American history that should never be taken lightly by anyone at anytime.

What were they thinking?

Thursday - 1/17/08

Catching Up With Our Favorite Rook-Yi

Yi Jianlian finally had a decent game last night dropping 16 points and 9 rebounds on the Atlanta Hawks in route to a 87-80 Bucks' victory at the Bradley center. This was a improvement for the struggling rookie who hit the 'rookie wall' earlier this month with his worst three-game scoring streak of the season. He scored only 15 points total on 6-for-26 shooting in those games combined but he did contribute in other ways grabbing 20 rebounds, blocking three shots and making three steals to offset his poor shooting. Luckily Yi seems more than willing to work hard on both ends of the court and this will help him to stay in the game even when his shots are not falling. Of course we all know how valuable Yi can be for the Bucks from a marketing perspective. While many Chinese companies have already thrown advertising money their way, the Bucks are starting to seeing a reverse trend as American companies have decided to advertise across the ocean. One example is Milwaukee based Rockwell Automation which advertises at Bucks' games in Chinese to target their customers in China. The Bucks of course with milk their rookie cash-cow both on and off the court and are actively seeking more Chinese-language advertisers.

The NBA this past week also announced the formation of NBA China which will be a new entity that will conduct the league's businesses in China. A smart move considering the popularity of basketball in China, a country which has an estimated 300 million fans and from which 1/3 of the NBA's website traffic comes from.

The Wukesong Indoor Stadium is the site of the Beijing Olympic basketball events and a sign of growing b-ball fever in China.

Sunday - 1/13/08

Australian Open 2008

The first grand slam of tennis is officially underway down under and there is a small handful of Asians who will be competing. The list includes Hyung-Taik Lee (S. Korea), Ai Sugiyama (Japan) and Na Li (China). Of these three top tennis stars from their respective countries, Na Li has the best chance of making it deep into the tournament with her young legs and more powerful game. Lee and Sugiyama are both 32 years old, ancient for professional tennis players whereas Li is in her prime at 25 years of age. Still the Asian players who should have the most success would be Yung-Jan Chan & Chia-Jung Chuang from Taiwan. These ladies are ranked No. 3 in this tournament for women's double and for good reason. They reached the finals of both the 2007 Australian and US Opens. Unfortunately they failed to win the title in either opportunity but it was probably a good learning experience and we'll see if the 3rd times the charm for these talented ladies. 

KJ Choi Wins Sony Open, Young Upstarts Ready to Challenge

K.J. Choi is an old veteran on the PGA tour and he showed his experience and composure today as he won the Sony Open with a final-round 71 and a three shot victory over Rory Sabbatini. By doing so, Choi has won a PGA tour victory for four consecutive years joining an elite group that includes Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh as the only tour players with active winning streaks that long. The fact that he won it under stormy wind conditions and never lost the lead shows that at 39 years old, Choi's 13 years of professional experience made him a dangerous competitor. He will need this cause there is a new crop of young Asian golfers who are coming to challenge him and the old establishment. This group includes 17 year old Asian-American Tadd Fujikawa and 16 year old Japanese prodigy Ryo Ishikawa.

Tadd qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open at age 15, the youngest golfer to do so since 1941. He followed up this amazing feat by making the cut in the second round of the 2007 Sony Open, the youngest player to do so in nearly 50 years. Ryo also shocked the golf world in 2007 when he became the youngest winner of a men's regular tournament by winning the Munsingwear Open on the Japan Tour at age 15. He announced on Thursday that he was turning pro which would make him the youngest pro in Japanese golf history. Man, these kids are just getting younger and younger but let's not forget Michelle Wie who has been pretty much a non-factor for the past 2 years. These new kids better beware and take it easy and work their way up slowly the way Tiger did. 

Saturday - 1/12/08

Tua's Chinny Chin Chin

ESPN must have read my complaints last month regarding the absence of David Tua in their list of ten hardest punchers in the heavyweight division and wanted to make amends. (Yeah right, like they read my humble little blog) So now they have posted this article titled "David Tua's Jaw of Steel" which gives credit where it is due. Tua clearly is in a class of his own when it comes to ring-durability as he has never been knocked down or seriously hurt in a fight. He must have the skin of a rhinoceros too cause he has never even been cut in a fight. Compare that to all the top fighters in the past 15 years which includes Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis just to name a few who have all been knocked down and you realize how tough David Tua really is. So what is Tua's secret that allows him to withstand so many power punches? According to his trainer Roger Bloodworth, it's his massive neck. "It's because of the way he's built. His neck is as big around as my thigh and the neck is a fighter's shock absorber."

Hmmm, if that is the case then I would tell Tua to train his trapezius muscle more so that his neck will disappear altogether like those muscle dudes whose heads sit directly on top of their shoulders. No neck, heck no problem.

Tua took Lennox Lewis' biggest punches but never went down.

Thursday - 1/10/08

Is China Excited About Hosting the Olympics?

That must be the dumbest question ever. China's Olympic fever is hot enough to make even the Human Torch proud. Besides their meticulous planning down to the most ridiculous of details, they are also putting their creativity and artistic skills to good use to honor the games. Long before China became known as an Olympic and sporting powerhouse, Chinese artisans were already renowned for their artistic talent. Inspired by the Olympic spirit, Chinese artists have created some fun and creative pieces of their 2008 Beijing mascots. I only hope that the television coverage during the games will put some focus on the rich history of Chinese arts and crafts.

Rose parade float made of flowers.

Olympic picture made of 28,000 fake fingernails.

Olympic picture made of grains and beans.

Olympic figurines made of 2008 pieces of folded paper.

And most importantly, not a bit of lead was used in any of them. Amazing!

Wednesday - 1/9/08

No T-Mac, No Problem

The Houston Rockets are on a mini-roll as they won their fourth straight game without Tracy McGrady defeating the NY Knicks 101-92 on the road tonight. Yao has really stepped up in T-Mac's absence and this game was no different as he scored 36 points with 11 rebounds. Since Tracy is still out with the strained knee, Yao must continue to put his team on his back every night if the Rockets hope to make the playoffs. They are off to a decent start going 6-2 without McGrady but of course they want him back ASAP. Until then they need to play with the same attitude they had tonight. No T-Mac, no problem.

This Big Fella has the heart to carry the load for as long as it takes.

Oh No She Didn't!

Oh yes she did. Golf channel's anchor Kelly Tilghman has been suspended for two weeks for a remark she made on Friday regarding Tiger Woods' dominance of the PGA Tour. "They should lynch him in a back alley", she said. Now as anyone with any understanding of American history would know, that word is loaded and associated with the evils of slavery and the KKK. To use that word in reference to an African-American is despicable and I'm glad the golf channel has suspended her. Tiger of course took the higher ground and forgave her saying it was just a slip of the tongue and that she didn't mean anything by it, but I am not so sure. The significance of the word should have extra meaning for Woods who is also 25% Chinese as there were many accounts of Chinese workers being lynched by mobs in the west during the construction of the railroads and western expansion. While I do believe it was a slip of the tongue, I think that Ms. Tilghman fully understands the history behind the word and that brings into question what is really in her heart and mind. She needs to do some serious soul-searching during her suspension.  

Shame on you Kelly Tilghman!

Tuesday - 1/8/08

Japanese Pigskin Dreams

A chance to play in the NFL recently opened up for several Japanese players who have been selected to participate in the NFL's International Player Development program. Wide receivers Shoei Hasegawa and Takeshi Akiyama are two who were among the elite final 7 players who made the cut. Apparently Japan and the NFL have been working on developing Japanese native players who could one day make the trek to stateside. Many Japanese footballers had previously played in the recently disbanded NFL Europa but luckily for them the NFL still maintains a global outlook and wants to continue to develop international talent. Obviously they see the benefits of having a football version of Yao Ming or Daisuke Matsuzaka and all the monetary benefits that come with it. But the talent is there especially for positions where speed and technique are paramount such as wide receivers and defensive backs. "I've always felt without a doubt that the best football globally outside the U.S. is played in Japan," said Tony Allen, the NFL's International Development program director.

Well this is all really new to me cause I never even knew they played football in Japan. But apparently they do. I wish all these guys luck as American football is probably one of the most difficult professional sports for Asians to excel in. Still as the great Dat Nguyen has proven through his career, it is achievable.

Sunday - 1/6/08

Li Na Wins in Comeback Tournament

China's top tennis player Li Na defeated Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Royal Pines Resort hardcourt event on Sunday. This was her comeback tournament from a seven-month layoff due to a rib injury and the World No. 29 showed she still has game defeating three of the top seeds including world No. 12 Nicole Vaidisova to get to the finals. In the final match, Li dropped the first set but kept her cool to defeat her opponent in 3. "My husband (& coach Jiang Shan) says he has a special gift for me if I win that's why I try so hard today", said Li. Hmmm, I wonder what special gift he gave her?

Li is now ranked No. 24th in the world and a strong run at the upcoming Australian Open could elevate her even higher. I'm hoping to see her in the Top 10 in 2008 which is a very achievable goal with her talent. That would be the ultimate special gift she could give herself, her husband and Chinese tennis.

While I am glad to see Li Na back in the game, it is disappointing that Paradorn Srichaphan will miss the Australian Open. It seems that his wrist injury is still not 100% and this may spell the end of a promising career for the former top Thai tennis player. Still he will always be remembered as "The Body" by his former tennis players like World No.3 Novak Djokovic who rated Paradorn as having the best physique on the ATP tour in a recent interview.

Paradorn may have the body but does he still have the GAME?

Thursday - 1/3/08

Yi Jianlian Named Eastern Conference Rook-Yi of the Month

The NBA named Yi as the Eastern Conference Rookie of Month for the month of December. This was a month in which he averaged 12.1 points per game second best among rookies. He was also 2nd in rebounding with 6.6 per game, 4th in blocked shots and shot 81% from the line. Not too shabby for a guy who didn't look like he was gonna make it into the NBA just a few months ago. For the season Yi is second in points (11), third in rebounds (6.1), first in field goal percentage (47.1), third in free throw percentage (80), fourth in blocks (1.1) and third in minutes (28.3). While Durant is still the favorite for Rookie of the Year, it's still to early to count Yi out as he continues to improve weekly.

The world is your oyster. Just reach up and grab it.

HAPPY NEW YEARS! - 2008 YEAR OF BEIJING OLYMPICS

Tuesday - 1/1/08

Liu Xiang Begins Training in Isolation

With great achievement comes great expectations and Liu Xiang must know this very well. Starting in mid December, the 110m hurdles World & Olympic champion has started training in isolation away from family, friends and most importantly the media. He will skip all public appearances including participation in the annual Spring Festival Ceremony (China's lunar new year) celebrations. To keep Liu sharp yet relaxed, his head coach trys to find ways to have fun with his star on the track field, using games and jokes to keep the mood light. This is very important because the pressure to succeed is immense for Liu with the weight of 1 billion+ people on your shoulders all expecting to see him achieve gold on home soil. It's enough to make a lesser man soil their pants but not Liu. I can imagine him training hard in isolation like Rocky Balboa in the harsh winters of the Soviet Union in Rocky IV. Of course in reality he is probably in an advanced gymnasium more like Ivan Drago but without the mean spirit and the Barry Bond/Justin Gatlin cocktails.

Liu Xiang is in good spirits heading towards the Olympic games.

Most Searched for Asian Athletes on Google

I was curious to see which Asian athletes were searched for the most on Google search engines and the winners would be Yao Ming and Manny Pacquiao. The data is compiled by Google trends which is a very useful tool that also tracks news references and allows you to sort data by country and date. Very cool tool but works best with search terms which are similar in popularity. If you were to compare Yao Ming with say Britney Spears or Paris Hilton? Yao literally flatlines. Pretty sad but not a surprise to anyone.

Yao is the most searched for Asian sportsman (excluding Tiger) on Google

Yao is a midget compared to search giants/bimbo blondes Britney and Paris.

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