Sports Views

One interesting note in the first half was that Yao Ming, once considered the best player to come out of his draft class, was a major liability against the Suns. There were more than a few times that we saw the Suns score only to see Yao Ming just enter the picture on the television screen. In the second half (and maybe the first half) Ming started “cherry-picking” on defense during free throws. Instead of having him try to get the rebound on a Rockets free throw miss, he was down at the other free throw line so he might be able to play defense. If I were a Rockets fan, I would be very upset about his lack of skills.

9. In some (maybe all) Asian countries, the family name is written first and the individual name written second (opposite of the America method). That’s why Asian athletes like Yao Ming and Ichiro Suzuki have Yao and Ichiro written on their jerseys. Those are their family names and in America their names are written Ming Yao and Suzuki Ichiro.

i hate it when sportscenter is dominated by baseball coverage. the vikings sex cruise was interesting though. houston rockets cut charlie ward, they are finally moving yao ming to the point a la joe johnson.

When I was in Beijing, this last summer, I have walked through the gates of the Forbidden City. I was amazed to have seen basketball courts within the walls of a city once forbidden for ordinary people. Now those ordinary people are enjoying themselves by playing “balls”. This couldn’t be possible without China’s greatest hero: Yao Ming. The influence he has got over China’s youth is incredible.

As an athlete (or at least having been an athlete in the past) and a sports fan, one of the difficult things about finding myself on an extended stay in Shanghai, China (setting up sporting goods manufacturing and other business contacts) is the near isolation from most American sports. Although basketball, over the past ten or so years, has become popular among the Chinese people, baseball has yet to find its way into the sports culture here. While at every school or playground it’s likely you’ll find some kid aspiring to become the next Yao Ming, mention the term “baseball” to most Chinese, even ones who speak pretty good English, and you’ll likely find yourself having to search through a phrasebook to find the Chinese phrase for baseball: “bangqiu” (pronounced bong chi-o).

Er...well, not Houston but we'll get there! As I have all faith in Yao Ming. [nervous smile]

As a fellow Texan I'd like to say a big Congrats to the San Antonio Spurs. Even though San Antone sent Houston packing - I appreciate that at least one Texas team did win it all. I haven't really watched the NBA finals like I used to but I did watch those last couple of a minutes and whatta game. I had some suprises as well as I had no idea that Robert Horry was now playing for San Antone and now he has six rings. He should have been MVP instead of Tim Duncan? Whatcha think?

Today, I was at the Third Planet comic shop when a tall guy kind of slid past me at the racks. I looked up and thought, that is one tall comic book nerd. Then I noticed the huge tree trunk calfs and took a 2nd look at his face and I realized it was Yao Ming. He was there with a chinese guy in a shirt and tie who did some translating. I wanted to say hi, but I thought I should get something for him to sign first so I wouldn't bug him twice. I grabbed some free comic preview thing and asked the owner for a pen, but he shut me down and told me the store's policy was to not bother celebs and treat them like regular customers. I wasn't aware that Third Planet was such a hot bed of celebrity shopping...

But on to the rants and raves ... China wants Yao Ming back for the Asian Games, which is really going to put a crimp on Yao's hopes of resting and working on things here over the summer. Now, you must understand these Asian Games are not Olympic qualifiers or even important in any way ... I had one Chinese sportswriter, whose name I cannot pronounce, but he lets me call him, "Rick," tell me the Asian Games are considered a joke even in China ... They are unimportant and mostly second-level players will be competing ...

"Over this past weekend, coach Van Gundy publicly apologized for his comments last week suggesting bias in the leagues refereeing relating to Yao Ming. He has also confirmed directly to an NBA representative that, during the Houston/Dallas playoff series, he did not have any communication with a referee (working or non-working) other than, of course, during an ongoing game. In fact, his only conversations with league employees during the series were with league personnel in the normal course. In light of these circumstances, we now consider the matter to be closed."

1) Yao Ming missed five straight free throws. This is surprising, considering his 78 reg. season %. I was impressed, though, by his aggression and passion in the second half. I’d never seen him dunk that much in a half. If he could be that aggressive on offense the whole game, most games, he’d be the force everyone feels he’s capable of being. The problem is he’s slow, and Avery Johnson has exploited the hell out of this by playing small-ball against him. In the playoffs, it’s normal for him to get into foul...

By now you all know that Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy was fined $100,000 for comments he made regarding the officiating of Yao Ming. But now the fundraising part has begun to pay this hefty fine, not that Van Gundy needs it making $5 million a year. Gallery Furniture owner Jim “Mattress Mac” McIngvale has offered to pay the $100,000 fine, stating that he likes what Van Gundy stands for. Since no one else can directly pay the fine for Van Gundy, “Mattress Mac” has even thought of a loop-hole to get Van Gundy the...

Basketball documentary The Year of the Yao starring Shaq and Yao Ming ...