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Secretasianman

Thursday - 10/30/08

Rockets have an Enforcer in Artest - Ron Artest came up big for the Houston Rockets tonight leading them to their second straight win of the season this time against the Dallas Mavericks. Artest scored 29 points and was clutch in the fourth quarter powering the Rockets in a late 16-2 run that helped delivered the 112-102 victory. He also showed his character as he rushed up to separate Yao Ming and Josh Howard after Yao took a hard foul.

Artest looked like he was going to get into the face of Howard and stand up for his teammate but decided at the last second to back away and act like a mediator. Yao for his part appreciated the gesture and complained to an official, "He was trying to separate us." Artest being who he is still got a technical foul but a message was sent by his display. Ron Artest stands up for his teammates and the Rockets will not be pushed around cause they finally have an intimidating enforcer on their squad.

Yao had another great night finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Rockets.

If some of Artest's attitude could rub off on Yao Ming, that would be something to see, cause McGrady's laid back style surely isn't gonna motivate Yao.

Wednesday - 10/29/08

Yao and Yi Winners in Season Openers - The Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets both won their first games of the season thanks to Chinese connection members Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.

Yao led the Rockets with his team high 21 points and 10 rebounds while Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady each added 16 points in the 82-71 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. With their high expectations this year, Houston had wanted to make a bigger statement but was actually lucky to win the game on a last-minute surge. They played sluggish uninspired basketball which was disappointing but it was their first game and a ugly win is still a win.

Yi Jianlian and the New Jersey Nets have much lower expectations on this a building year, and Yi played like a carefree young man with no worries. The Chinese forward dropped 17 points and 6 rebounds on the Washington Wizards to help the Nets win 95-85 in their season opener. He was an impressive 7-of-11, shot well from beyond the arc, and grabbed three key rebounds in the fourth quarter to seal the deal for the Net's victory. My man looked good tonight but it's a long season and the Nets will be looking for more of the same from Yi on a nightly basis. Success is quickly followed by expectations and that is when a player is truly tested. NBA classes are in full session and Yi will surely face many lessons in his sophomore year.

Sunday - 10/26/08

Houston's Big Three Ready for Takeoff - In the past the concern was health and depth when discussing the Houston Rocket's chances of making a deep run in the NBA playoffs. With this season's additions of Ron Artest and Brent Barry, the Houston Rockets look as good as any team in the NBA on paper. Hell, they are considered one of the favorites despite never even making it past the first round. Of course the question of injuries still remain as big a concern as recent years. I mean the season hasn't even started and Yao and Tracey already seem to be hurting here and there. Hopefully Rick Adelman will use them both more wisely with the intention giving them less wear on the body and more gas in the tank for a late push in the season going into the playoffs. While that is a long ways away, you can't question that the Rockets this year is the team to beat and should have their best chance to date of winning the championship. It's now or never for the duo of McGrady and Yao to finally make good on their potential.

Beware Lakers, Celtics and Spurs! Ya'll ain't the only NBA dynasties in the running this year.

Houston's Big 3 is looking to make their opponents see and bleed red.

Thursday - 10/23/08

World Series Tied Up - Akinori Iwamura had a RBI double for the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday but his team still lost 3-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies. Cole Hamels pitched well for the Phillies and frustrated the Rays all night with his changeup which was unfortunate for Iwamura because he personally had Hamels figured out.

Tonight Tampa Bay got the same type of dominant performance from their boy "Big Game" James Shield who took a shutout into the sixth inning leading the Rays to a 4-2 victory. Iwamura must be having the time of his life as he gets to enjoy playing in his first World Series and also reap the attention and respect of both Japanese and American fans and media. Well deserved too, I say.

With Dice-K and Kuroda out, Iwamura finally has Japan's undivided attention.

Tuesday - 10/21/08

Ichiro the Patriot - Say what you will about Ichiro Suzuki being eccentric and selfish but when it comes to the WBC (World Baseball Classic) he is a trooper. Ichiro has already confirmed his plans to play for Team Japan in the WBC which will be held next spring. He was a big reason why Japan won the event in 2006 as the Mariner all-star batted .364 and scored seven runs in eight games to help his team beat the Cubans and win the title.

Ichiro ranks the Classic as a highlight of all his accomplishments saying, "Apart from the Olympics, I really wanted this WBC tournament to be the event that decides the true world champions, so that's why I participated in this event," he said. "And at the end, I was able to be on the championship team, and this is probably the biggest moment of my baseball career."

Of course his detractors will wonder when Ichiro will show that kind of commitment to the Seattle Mariners in their quest to win a World Series. The better question may be to ask when will Ichiro's Seattle Mariners teammates step up to help him the way his Japanese teammates did when they won the World Baseball Classic? Oh I forgot. Their too busy day-dreaming about knocking him out.

Can Japan defend her WBC title? When there is an Ichiro, there is a way.

Sunday - 10/19/08

Phillies and Rays in the World Series - The Boston Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays tonight and the defending world champs also lost a chance to score another miraculous come from behind victory like they did in 2004 and 2007. Dice-K unfortunately was terrible in Game 5 on Thursday giving up 5 runs but it did allow for one of the greatest MLB come-backs in recent history. I would give him a A+ for Game 1 and a F- for Game 5 so he gets a C for his ALCS performance. His teammate Hideki Okajima was much more consistent and gets a B+ grade for his masterful pitching throughout the tumultuous series.

With the Soxs out of the World Series, now is a good time to turn out attention to Akinori Iwamura of the Rays and So Taguchi of the Phillies, two lesser-known but equally impressive Japanese baseball players.

Tuesday - 10/14/08

Midnight's Fast Approaching Red Sox Nation - Josh Beckett? Nope. Jon Lester? Nada. Tim Wakefield? No Dice. With the mess that Boston's top starters have created, it's ironic that they will have to turn to their often berated and misunderstood step-child Dice-K Matsuzaka to save the day. Despite an impressive 18-3 season, Dice-K never really got the respect or recognition of Beckett or Lester despite posting a better win/loss record than both pitchers. He delivered an impressive win in Game 1 of the ALCS series against Tampa Bay and had to sit back and watch his teammates fall apart. Now down 1-3, the Red Sox and Dice-K head into game 5 on Thursday with a must-win situation. With the season on the line, Matsuzaka has the grand opportunity to shut-up all his critics and show his worth or follow the path set by his fellow Boston starters and crash and burn. On Thursday night, the Red Sox will have no choice but to live or die by another roll of the Dice.

Red Sox pitchers look to Dice-K to keep the series alive and give them a chance for redemption against Tampa Bay.

Monday - 10/13/08

Yi Jianlian Impressive in London - Nets rookie Yi Jianlian put up an impressive showcase of his budding potential scoring 17 points to help his team beat the the Miami Heat 94-92 on Sunday. The game was being played in the O2 Arena in London as part of a two-game trip across the pond. Yi fresh off his ankle injury, scored early hitting his first four shots. Also encouraging was the great chemistry that he shared with Vince Carter with Yi knocking down several pick-and-flare jumpers and finding Carter on a back-cut with a nice bounce feed. Unfortunately he also picked up three quick and easy fouls which is something he has had problems with in the past. Still it was a great game for Yi and hopefully will build his confidence for the new season. New team, new city and new beginnings will be good for the Chinese import who will finally have the playing environment and support that he has been looking for. 

Vince Carter described Yi Jianlian as "Graceful". Hopefully he can be Forceful too.

Sunday - 10/12/08

Hiroki Kuroda Makes a Statement in Game 3 of NLCS -  With his LA Dodgers down 0-2 in the NLCS and his teammates being bullied by the Phillies pitchers, right-hander Kuroda knew he had to make some noise in Game 3. He did just that tonight as he pitched effectively into the seventh inning while standing up for his teammates to earn an important 7-2 win for Dodgers Blue. He gave up just five hits, two runs, one walk and three strikeouts in what was just the second postseason start of his 11 year career.

In the third inning, Kuroda threw a hard pitch just over Shane Victorino's head in retaliation for Philadelphia's Brett Myers who threw behind Ramirez in Game 2. The ensuing confrontation emptied the benches with an angry Manny Ramirez having to be restrained by the Dodgers. Thus it was that in this one game, Kuroda put the Dodgers back in the driver's seat in this series and gained renewed respect from his teammates. He was also named the player of the game. Not too bad for 7 innings of work.

Kuroda sent a message and it was heard loud and clear.

Friday - 10/10/08

Dice-K Delivers BIG in Game 1 of ALCS - Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched a solid seven innings on Friday night to help the Red Sox take a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the ALCS. It looked like another typical long night for the Japanese right hander as Matsuzaka walked three batters in the first inning to load the bases. But he got out of the jam and pitched effectively for the rest of the night even carrying a no-hitter through six innings. The no-no was not to be but by beating the Ray's ace James Shields, Dice-K sure gave the Red Sox a psychological edge going into the next game.

 "(Matsuzaka) was powering his two-seamer, his cutter," Sox manager Terry Francona said. "As he got into the middle of the game, he really threw the ball well. The ball had a lot of life in the strike zone. He doesn't give in. He throws all his pitches so hitters have to respect. Even in tight situations, he doesn't become a one-pitch pitcher."

While Matsuzaka on the mound may not be pretty or efficient, is there anyone else you would want up there with runners on base and your life on the line? The guy has ice in his veins. 'Nuff said.

The Dice-man is also the Ice-man when he is on the mound.

Monday - 10/6/08

NBA Season Full Steam Ahead - The New Jersey Nets finally got a look at their newest acquisition Yi Jianlian on Friday as he worked some drills and a short scrimmage. Yi was coming off a sprained ankle that caused him to miss six days of training camp but you wouldn't have known it as the nimble 7-footer ran the courts with ease. That is of course one of his biggest strengths and it impressed his teammates. As usual, Yi got comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki but this time it came from Nowitzki's former teammate Devin Harris. "This is only his second year in and I think he's a little bit further ahead (of where) Dirk was his rookie year," said Harris, a point guard for the Nets. "But Dirk was extremely hard working and Yi has that same mentality, so I definitely can see it happen."

Yao Ming was also ready for the season to start and hoping to finally be healthy enough to finish a full season. Already he was showing the wear and tear of being a tall scratching post for shorter NBA ballers. He was sporting a 6-inch red scrape on his bicep that he received from a teammate in practice. “ Joey Dorsey needs to cut his nails, maybe his tooth,” Yao said, shaking his head and smiling. Good ole Yao with his dry wit. One day when he retires from the NBA, he could probably do stand-up comedy cause I'm sure he has a lot of funny stories about his fellow NBA superstars.

Sun Yue has been cleared to practice with the Lakers after his doctor determined that his mononucleosis was not contagious. He practiced with the team doing non-contact drills Friday morning. I doubt he would have made a great impression considering how weak he must be but those are the breaks. Hopefully he can recover quickly and at least give a good showing of his talents to the team.

Saturday - 10/4/08

Japanese Baseball Players are a mixed bag - Despite all the scouting and planning, there is no way to really determine how a Japanese baseball star will perform when they come over to the MLB. While some adapt quickly and excel such as Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui, others find their games lost in translation such as Kei Igawa, Hideki Irabu and Kaz Ishii.

Kosuke Fukudome has shown both signs of brilliance and of incompetence in his first season but after going 0-8 in the last two games of the divisional series this past week, he is starting to look more like the latter group. Accordingly, Cubs manager Lou Piniella has decided to bench Fukudome with his team down 0-2 to the Dodgers. With his season done Fukudome will definitely be searching for answers in the offseason, particularly focusing on his Achilles' heel, the inside fast ball. 

While Fukudome has been struggling, his compatriot Akinori Iwamura found his baseball mojo right when he needed it. Iwamura hit a two-run homer off Mark Buehrle in the 5th inning on Friday to give his Tampa Bay Rays the lead and they eventually won the game 6-2 and now have a commanding 2-0 lead over the White Sox. He also had two hits, including a run-scoring triple in the first game of the series. Unlike Fukudome, Iwamura came in under the radar without much fanfare, but he has proven to be a gem for the Rays. They paid him $4.55 million for his rights and then signed him to a three-year, $7.7 million contract. A much better looking investment at this point, compared to the $38 million spent on Fukudome.

Daisuke Matsuzaka was his usual self on the mound on Friday and that was all Boston needed to go up 2-0 over the Angels. He didn't pitch into late innings, but he gave the Sox enough lead cushion to win and that has been his story this year. Considering his part in the success of the Red Sox during the past two seasons, he is well worth what they paid him IMHO.

Hiroki Kuroda took a shutout into the seventh of Game 3 of the NLDS as he and Dodgers ended a 20 year playoff drought for the franchise on Saturday night. They beat the favored Chicago Cubs  3-1 to sweep the division series and Kuroda pitched clutch, working himself out of several jams to earn the victory. Not bad for the 33 year-old rookie from Japan.

Japanese baseball stars, like the game itself, can be a hit or miss.

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