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Asian-Nation

Secretasianman

Tuesday - 3/24/09

Congratulations to Team Japan on their 2nd straight World Baseball Classic Championship! Ichiro's legend will only continue to grow.

Sunday - 3/22/09

All Asian Final in WBC! - For the first time in the World Baseball Classic history, we have two Asian nations making it into the finals. Okay that is not saying much as the WBC has only been played twice, but what is impressive is the way S Korea and Japan handled their opposition. On Saturday, the Koreans crushed the MLB loaded Venezuelan team 10-2 and tonight Japan cruised easily past the United States with a 9-4 win to set up the great Asian rivalry.

Back in the 80s and 90s, Asian countries often did well in little league competition and won many Little League World Series championships. I could remember the commentators would often remark condescendingly that it would be a totally different story if the grown-ups played. Well it seems that the impossible day has come again, but still it's hard for some to take the defeat. I noticed that one ESPN commentator tonight was making remarks on the US team not really caring about the Classic which is a complete contradiction to what his fellow commentators were saying throughout this tournament. Basically this was the same excuse they gave for the last WBC, but most experts believed that the US players were fully committed to winning the event this year. Another complaint was that the US didn't have their best players in the event and CC Sabathia's name was brought up. I don't know if that would have made a big difference but it does sound like another excuse to me.

The truth of the matter is that Asian baseball has caught up with the rest of the world and even overtaken them when competing on the biggest stages. It's now up to the other countries to figure out how to play these Asian ballers cause this ain't your daddy's game anymore.

By tomorrow night, Asian baseball will have won the past two WBCs and the 2008 Olympic Gold making them the teams to beat in international competition.   

Thursday - 3/19/09

Yao Carries Rockets to 2OT Win - If there ever was a doubt who's team it was, there surely isn't one now. With McGrady done for the season and possibly heading out of Houston, the Rockets is clearly Yao Ming's team. He proved it again last night scoring 31 points in double overtime to lead Houston over New York in a 106-101 win. With a surprisingly good 45-25 record so far this year, it seems clear that the Rockets are contenders even without McGrady. Yao, Ron Artest and the rest of the Rockets still have faith that they can go far in the post season and so do I.

S Korea & Japan in WBC Semis - The rivalry between the Asian baseball powerhouses of Japan and Korea has never been more pronounced than in this year's World Baseball Classic. The have faced each other 4 times and have split 2 wins each. With their win tonight, Japan will face the United States on Sunday with Korea and Venezuela playing on Saturday. If both teams win their semifinal matches, they could meet for a record 5th time in the final. You know their rabid Southern California fans will be going crazy then.

I did notice that the ESPN announcers had nothing but positive things to say about both Asian teams. They said that the most notable improvement in Asian baseball in the past decade has been the emergence of power arms that pitch with power and authority. They say that the hitters too have improved their power particularly the Korean batters. It's good to see that Asian baseball is finally getting their due but when you soundly defeat former Worldbeater teams like the Cubans it's hard to questions the results. Being the defending WBC and Olympic champs don't hurt either. As a Chinese-American, I can only hope that Chinese baseball can catch-up some time soon in the future. Until then, we still got Chien-Ming Wang! :)

Wednesday - 3/11/09

Japan & Korea Advance in WBC - The defending World Baseball Classic champions Japan and their Asian rival Olympic Gold champions Korea have advanced past the 1st round of the Classic with convincing wins over Chinese Taipei and China. Korea which had been dominated by Japan in a 14-2 loss on Saturday got a bit of revenge with a 1-0 win on Monday night as a pitchers duel took the hitters out of the game. Japan had to settle for second place out of the Asia round with a 2-1 record whereas Korea had a 3-1 record. Both teams are now in Arizona and will soon face the winners of Pool B consisting of Australia, Cuba, Mexico and South Africa. Japan's manager Tatsunori Hara is happy with the first round saying, "Korea and Japan will go to the next round and, together, we will be showing the world how good Asian baseball is." Asian pride and unity emerging as a result of a sports competition? Who woulda thunk it?

I'd really like to see a Iron Chef competition between Japan, Korea and China!

Tuesday - 3/3/09

Samurai Classic - With the World Baseball Classic starting this week, the defending champion Japanese squad is full of confidence. Nicknamed the "Samurai" by their adoring countrymen, Japan's national team does look very strong with a team that will be led by MLB stars Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka. They will also be joined by Akinori Iwamura (Rays), Kosuke Fukudome (Cubs), and Kenji Johjima (Mariners) which means that the American squad should know plenty well how to play Japan when the two teams eventually meet. But first up for Japan is their Asian pool competitors which includes Korea, Chinese Taipei and China. Never one short on confidence, Ichiro said "Of course, we will aim to win the Asian round. Then, the Asian representatives will go to America and grab victory there. That will be very important for baseball in Asia and baseball in the world."

If Japan can win this Classic again, all the online losers who diss Japanese ballplayers and compare them to Triple-A level competition should shut up FOREVER. But they probably won't.  

Yi Misses 2nd Opportunity -  Another chance for Yi Jianlian to stick it to his former team, was lost tonight as the recovering forward was never a factor in the Net's 99-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Yi had only 4 points in 16 minutes of play despite being put back in a starting position by coach Lawrence Frank. He has been playing limited minutes in every game and has not been very aggressive which is understandable considering his nursing of his right pinkie. Still when he is not shooting well and isn't willing to attack the rim to make things happen, he will be overlooked and benched like he was tonight. Yi will definitely needs to hit the gym in the off-season to add some more size and strength to his frame. It worked well for Yao Ming and Yi definitely needs it too for his confidence and durability on the court.

Yao Ming can bench over 300 lbs. Kevin Durant benches under 185 lbs. Yi probably benches somewhere in the middle of these two.

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