Alpha Asian

Okay, this is very late, but I thought I'd do a write up anyway. Besides, it's snowing here on the east coast and work has been canceled due to the storm so I'm stuck indoors (I've discovered there's a LOT of shit on daytime TV, apart from the news, so I'm better off doing something constructive). Anyway, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series but what caught my eye was the great sports photos of relief pitcher Koji Uehara. Upon clinching the championship, Keiji was front and center---an Asian male the focal point of the championship photos. Interestingly enough, the Boston Red Sox also have Japanese relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa in the bull pen as well. But Uehara has an interesting backstory. Koji Uehara was the American League Championship series MVP, pitching well enough in relief in the 9th inning for scoreleess inning, striking out two Detroit Tigers batters, giving up only an infield single. However, at the start of the 2013 season, Uehara wa...

Richard On is interviewed by the local DC NBC news affiliate for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Richard is also my younger cousin on my mom's side. I've said this before but I'd like to see more Asian American males in rock and Richard is living out my rock dreams. Alas, to be up on stage wasn't my destiny.

The 2013 Australian Open tennis tournament has gotten underway. I guess the last great Asian male tennis player to hit the scene was Thailand's Paradorn Srichaiphan, whose world tennis ranking peaked at 9th. He's done well and played competitively against better known and higher ranked players like Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, and others. Although, in some circles, Paradorn is best known for having married Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005 (at right). While I'd still like to see an Asian American follow in Michael Chang's footsteps, we now have Kei Nishikori from Japan (pictured below) to represent. There have been great inroads by the Chinese women into the tennis world. Players like Li Na, who won the French Open; and Zheng Jie just knocked Aussie home girl Samantha Stosur out in yesterday's match. Where are the Asian men? What are they doing? I know it's tough to break into the pro ranks but there needs to be more visibility and gu...

Your browser does not support iframes. Kurt, the Washington Nationals catcher came through in the clutch the other evening against the defending champions St. Louis Cardinals. With the game tied, the Cardinals walked Danny Espinosa to get to Kurt. And Kurt made them pay. Nice going Kurt! The Washington Post's story about the game described it as thus:   "And in the 10th inning, when St. Louis Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny elected to walk the struggling Danny Espinosa to face Suzuki, he won the Nationals a game. Suzuki’s low liner of a double to left-center scored the winning runs in the Nationals’ 6-4 victory, and was just the latest bit of his handiwork. Since taking over from the worn-down, beleaguered Jesus Flores as the Nationals’ every-day catcher, Suzuki has added to and served to emphasize the depth in Washington’s lineup. He might hit eighth, but in his 40 games with Washington, he now has 25 RBI....   What he has done is complete what is now a surpris...

                                            Celebrity cast top; Olympic skier Picabo Street getting tips This post really doesn't have much to do with Alpha Asian issues. Well, maybe tangentially. Anyway, the much maligned reality TV game show concluded. In case you are unaware, this show takes celebrities and pits them in competition against other teams in tactical and operations-like assignments. Each celebrity is paired up with a military/law enforcement counterpart for training and guidance and they work in teams. The show has taken heat because critics think it glorifies war and trivializes what real military folks do. And I have to say that the critics do have a point about the trivialization and all and hearing the celebrities talk about their experiences is kind of goofy at times. But I don't wish to delve into the merits of the show. Rather, I watched most of it...

Well, my man Kurt Suzuki is getting it done. Since my last post on him, he's been doing remarkably well on defense, having thrown out some players trying to steal a base, and hitting his first two home runs for the Washington Nationals.This weekend, Kurt was able to tag out a runner trying to head home from a good thrown from rookie phenom Bryce Harper out in center field. I mentioned before that he was struggling with his hitting and sure enough, his bat started coming around. The Washington Post has an article on Kurt re-tooling his swing  with the batting coaches. As of the date of that article, Kurt is hitting .421, going 8 for 19. (Photos by Cheryl Nichols and Washington Post) Also, the Little League World Series wrapped up the other week. It was Tennessee and Japan in the championship game. Japan took the championship on the strong pitching of Kotaro Kiyomiya who struck out eight batters in four innings. And he is a BIG kid---6'0" and 200 lbs! Back wh...

My hometown major league baseball team, the Washington Nationals, made a trade and acquired Kurt Suzuki, catcher, from the Oakland A's before the trade deadline this season. I knew the name, but I didn't know much about him. the Nationals GM, it was reported, had always had his eyes on Kurt, having scouted him since Kurt's playing time in college. Kurt was also acquired because of his solid defensive capabilities and to provide depth to the Nationals at that position. Starting catcher Willy Ramos is out for the season with a torn ACL. The minor league call up is capable but may not be as strong defensively and experienced yet. So far, Kurt is making the transition from the American League to the National League. I believe he's had about 10 games under his belt, catching a pretty good stable of Nats pitchers and having to quickly get caught up to speed on his new pitching crew. As of this writing ,the Nats have the best record in baseball. Kurt's batting hasn...

So, while taking it easy tonight by watching the Orioles baseball game(they got crushed tonight, 11-1), I was channel surfing and stumbled upon that great 80's rock band, The Smithereens on PBS. It was a taped concert at Infinity Music Hall in Connecticut. I wasn't a big fan of the band but I did and do like them, and I hadn't kept up with them in a long while. And I notice the bass player was Asian. I didn't know who he was but I thought, "How cool is that!" I had to go look him up to see who he was found it he's Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion from Los Angeles. Looks like Severo started out in a pop/rock band in 1998 called the Masticators which disbanded in 2001. Severo later joined up with the Smithereens in 2006. I think it's pretty cool to see an an Asian guy in a national act like the Smithereens. I wish there were more AA male musicians that would get into indie or garage rock bands.  The performing arts isn't an easy lif...

A couple of weeks ago, I caught that show American Ninja Warrior....I typically don't watch shows like that, but since I was flipping through, I stayed on it to see just exactly what this show was about. And to my surprised, I sort of got hooked. In case you don't know, it's modeled after a Japanese TV show where competitors try to negotiate four obstacle courses using their athletic prowess and strength. It is billed as the world's hardest obstacle course.  A Washington Post columnist and critic recently wrote an essay on the show and how he got hooked on it as well. He writes: " One thing we don’t see enough of on TV is failure, which is curious, because failure seems to be all we talk about.... So who would watch a television show where the winner could very well be   . . . nobody? This fact alone may be my favorite thing about the gloriously fun and mentally absorbing   “American Ninja Warrior,”   the U.S. version of a Japanese obstacle-course competition....

I'm probably preaching to the choir on this but a friend sent me a link to an article touting the benefits of strength training. I've posted about this before, and I'm going to guess that most of you who check in here already lift, so this article is those who haven't thrown some iron and steel around. For me, though, it gives me extra incentive when I read things like this because I'm getting older now and my fitness and overall health is becoming more important to me. I'm not a serious lifter like our founding brother James is, but I'm trying to make lifting a more regular part of my lifestyle now, as I've lifted off and on over the years with no real consistency. The article was in Forbes of all things. Some quick highlights from the article's summary of new scientific findings documented in New York Times writer Gretchen Reynold's book   The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longe...

Well, our founding brother James is stepping back into retirement. I wish him well in getting on with the business of attending to his life. But riding off into the sunset doesn't mean the road necessarily ends.  Oh, I can see why roads come to an end though. First of all, look at the responses this blog has received from James' news that he's stepping aside for the time being. And it does go back to my point: we really are just talking among ourselves. I'm okay with a low viewership and I don't care much about how many hits the blog gets. I was more interested in some quality discussions or thoughts from the viewers.  Second, there have been some great posts by James'--the podcast with Chester Wong , for example---and absolutely zero response. Or barely anything. I had been tempted to post just so these posts don't sit there in isolation but I figured that was up to those who visit and read the site. I shouldn't be the one forcing a conversation.  T...

I'm going to see Van Halen play here in DC on Wednesday. I'm not a huge fan, but it'll be interesting to see a guitar virtuoso in Eddie since I play guitar as well, although I'm more about songwriting than flashy technical abilities. A college buddy of mine, who is a big Van Halen fan, is coming in from the west coast so we can catch the show. Awhile back, he sent me this link to a VH fan site and I found an interview with the Van Halen brothers, done by David Lee Roth, that talked a little about their Asian side. This was the first time I have ever heard either one of them talk in depth about their mom, who I believe was half Indonesian, half Dutch.

Been caught up so much with the Jeremy Lin story, that I forgot to give some praise to my man Richard Park who hit a milestone. Being a role player in the NHL, he's not expected to score much, but he did score his 100th goal last month. There are other Asian Americans who are in the NHL ranks. I don't follow the entire league, just mostly the eastern conference for which my Washington Capitals play. But the names that pop up make me take notice and I think, "Wow, that's pretty cool ...". Here's a short list of Asians that I'm aware of that are currently playing in the NHL.I have no idea how many more may be lurking in the juniors or AHL teams. Devin Setoguchi - half Japanese; plays for the Minnesota Wild Manny Malhotra - Indian-French Canadian' plays for Vancouver Canucks (he's been in the NHL for quite awhile and I never knew he was part Asian until I read something on him) Jon Matsumoto- half Japanese; plays for the Carolina Hurricanes ...

Sorry, I'm a bit late in posting this so it's a little after the fact, but I think there are some relevant points that should be reiterated with MSNBC political commentator Ed Shultz's segment. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy Transcript excerpt: SCHULTZ: Now, I think that if we had seen a black player`s head in the middle of a watermelon, OK? There would have been tremendous outrage. We have an Asian athlete. An Asian athlete is not seen in the NBA too often. But there was a comfort level that it was OK to put his head in the middle of a fortune cookie -- the Knicks good fortune. Someone decided to put that on the air. You know, I`m amazed at it. There`s a lot of things I could have led with tonight to start this show out, but I`m just driven to make sure that this conversation happens in America because I think we teach hatred and we teach racism. Young kids don`t grow up with it. They are taught this. PETERSON: That`s true. SCH...

Maryland high school basketball player Robb Lim with his girlfriend Karen Mendoza and his father Jesse-Thomas (courtesy of the Washington Post) There was a Washington Post article yesterday about how Jeremy Lin is inspiring other Asian Americans and highlighted on one young basketball player from my area. An excerpt: When Jesse-Thomas Lim was a teenager in the Philippines, it never occurred to his parents to watch an athletic event, much less allow their son to participate in one. But on Friday night at Seneca Valley High School’s varsity basketball game against Damascus, Lim, who is of Chinese ethnicity, yelled himself hoarse as his 18-year-old son, Robb, a lanky 6-foot-3 senior, sprinted up the court and shot the ball through the net. While Robb Lim’s swift, catlike moves have for months attracted the attention of recruiters from colleges such as Hood and St. Mary’s, in recent weeks his name and his race have brought him minor celebrity status at school. Friends call him a “...

I didn't want to post much about Jeremy since there has been enough folks blogging about him. But I did want to post a few things to throw some thoughts out there. First of all, it is quite ground breaking what Jeremy is accomplishing. Everybody has his/her own projections onto what Jeremy means, what he represents, etc...to the point where he basically represents a lot of different things to different people with varied experiences. But he also represents some common experiences in which lots of people can identify with as well. In some sense, we're getting into Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" mythology, some archetype that resonates within our consciousness. Second, this is America. In a celebrity obsessed culture, there are plenty who love to see you publicly fail just as much as they love seeing you succeed. So, the backlash against Jeremy starts with snide comments by anonymous internet posters, attempting to diminish his accomplishments. Of course...

Most of you have heard by now the racist and xenophobic political ad by Michigan Republican Pete Hoekstra. Once again, villification of Asian people seems to be a conservative demagogue's tactic---let's start up the yellow peril hysteria once again. But Lawrence O'donnell, the political commentator on MSNBC expressed a lot of what I was thinking when he questioned the actress's participation in this racist ad. My first thought was, "Why would you even accept a part in this commercial which perpetuates a stereotype?" But O'donnell explains a lot more and articulates my sentiments. Is it worth it? Did the actress know what she was getting into and how this was going to come off? I'm not slamming her, but I just wonder how she now feels after doing something that perpetuates the stereotype of Asians being sneaky, under handed, and some sort of "yellow peril". What's your take on all of this? Watch O'donnell's comments and let us kno...

Happy New Year, everyone. It's the Year of the Dragon. Let's hope it's a prosperous one and the economy will turn around and give us some more positive news. Yesterday, my Washington Capitals lost in overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins on national TV yesterday. And once again, the play by play announcer, Doc Emerick, referred to my man Richard Park as "a native of Korea". Doesn't that imply that he grew up in Korea? Park grew up in North America, having emigrated as a little kid from Korea with his family. While it irks me to see him being portrayed as something "other" or "foreign", it's also said for a lot of European players in the NHL. And that's because they DID grow up somewhere else and it's still their home country! But Emerick has been slagged on in hockey forums as having lost his touch as a commentator. So I guess if I'm going to follow hockey, I'll have to put up with the guy. Wow. Talk about natio...

Richard Park, number 12, celebrating score with team mate Chris Kunitz So I'm watching the hockey game last night between my Washington Capitals and their rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins. My man Richard Park came back from playing in Europe and signed on with the Penguins. He's not a standout player, but a 3rd or 4th line kind of guy. If you're not familiar with hockey, each team has 4 lines and they rotate them in and out of the game on shifts. Usually your top two lines have your main stars and scorers. Anyway, at last night's game, the play by play announcer, Doc Emerick makes a comment about Richard Park as being "from Seoul, Korea". Huh? You know, that kind of stuff just promotes North American Asians as somehow being this "other" group, still foreign and "not one of us". For those in the hockey world who know, yes, Park was born in Seoul, but as a kid his family emigrated to North America. He grew up in Canada and the US. Maybe i...

There was an article in last week's Washington Post about the upcoming Harold and Kumar Christmas movie. The reporter decided to focus on the media stereotypes of Asians in the movies and how the H&K movies go against the grain and reflect the humanity of the characters, and gets past the fact they are Asian Americans. An excerpt: “The feature market has gotten tougher in general, there are less features being made, and the kind that get made are big pictures, superhero movies,” says Cho, who was also a series regular in last year’s “Flash Forward.” “They need to be more conservative, take fewer chances. I think TV is willing to take more chances. Perhaps it has to do with the fragmenting of the market; there are so many more channels than there used to be, and to distinguish themselves they have to make more interesting choices...." The bottom line? Cho believes that the success of the H&K films shows the studios that “it’s not the public that doesn’t want to see Asi...