Congrats to the L.A. Lakers for a fantastic season and Kobe Bryant for achieving a FIFTH NBA Title. And those titles weren't Adam Morrison-titles (free-riders who are just along for the ride), those were all-kobe, all-the-time titles, his name would be right up there in the opening credits of a movie. I really appreciated their playoff run, their epic 7-game series with Boston, and watching it with some spirited Lakers fans in the heart of L.A. But I got something to say about their run.
In many ways, the 2009-10 Lakers was the story of a team destined for greatness who achieved it in the end. After the long-awaited championship last year, they brought back most of their roster and addressed a glaring weakness by bringing in Ron Artest to be a lock-down defender. They had the best player in the league paired with a legit big-man with enough veteran experience and beef in the middle to pack a punch, and really all year it was their championship to lose, with the most talent out of anyone in the league and the best-configured team to win. I had them pegged the whole year. But if you look deeper under the surface, there were some ugly blemishes on this team that could have prevented them from winning the title if a worthier team were there. The Lakers were very flawed this year and had more than just seven sins, they just weren't deadly:
1.) Derek Fisher: For all the crying, feel-good story, dagger three's, and "running with Kobe since '96" stories, the Finals revealed how bad D-Fish was at defending, how necessary it was for him to flop once in a while cuz he's just not that great of a defender, and how badly Rajon Rondo tore up the Lakers in transition because he ran free. Sin: Senility
2.) Lamar Odom: The Sleeping Giant who Seldom Wakes: A guy who if he was on my team, I would hate. All the talent in the world and can reach over and just take rebounds from people cuz he has spider-monkey arms, but doesn't hustle, doesn't get on the floor, always goes left, disappears for a while, and doesn't seem to realize it's the Finals. SEVERAL, SEVERAL games in the finals he got his lunch handed to him in the Finals by Big Baby Davis, this guy had me hating him because it's my #1 beef of professional athletes: Lotsa talent, not enough heart. Sin: Sloth.
3.) Ron Artest: Never listens. You'd think with all the people in Laker nation and the fans yelling at home for Ron to STOP DRIBBLING!!! or STOP SHOOTING!!!, that Phil Jackson and the staff would pound that lesson home. But no, Ron-Ron doesn't listen. I get that he has mental problems, but that's irresponsible as a teammate. Often, on the court you get someone on your team who would just be SO much more effective if he just used his natural talent to play D and understood his role, but nonetheless wants the ball in his hands. If he doesn't take shots or have the ball, Lakers offense is so much more efficient. Sin: Lack of Discipline.
4.) Andrew Bynum: He was injured, sure. He's the Lakers' main defensive cog, sure. But for as big as this guy is, he does NOT get enough rebounds. He is BIG. Other than Dwight Howard, I can't think of a single guy in the NBA today that's bigger than Bynum. Yet he doesn't average more than 10 rebounds a game. How is that possible? He should be sitting around the paint all day like a big solid oak tree, firmly planted, and just gobble up rebounds. Yet he doesn't dominate that area like he should, injured or not. That's a problem. The Sin? Apathy: neglect to take care of something that one should do.
5.) Kobe Bryant: The best player the world may have ever seen does not go unscathed. Knowing he's the best player on the court, he often demands the ball, yells at his teammates, and hogs shots. He has a demeanor about him that you don't necessarily want your leader to have. And as evidenced by his 6-for -a million shooting performance in Game 7, his hogging the ball doesn't always lead to good results. For all the great skills and phenomenal talent he brings to a team, he can also bring the flaws. Sin: Pride.
So I can go on, but my point's pretty clear: The Lakers were pretty flawed the whole year, and they really could have DOMINATED the entire playoff series, yet played in some much-too-close series, especially going down 3-2 to Boston and having to play 2 elimination games in the series and being down THIRTEEN in game 7. Imagine a couple breaks here and there going the other teams way, like Pau Gasol getting boxed out in Game 6 v. Thunder and Lakers losing that game, or Suns continuing their momentum in Game 5 into overtime and taking that series, or Boston getting Ray Allen to make some shots in the first half of Game 7 to bury the Lakers in a 20-point hole at halftime; those could have all conceivably happened because the Lakers put themselves in that vulnerable position to lose series. The one overwhelming factor, then, to the Lakers' fantastic Finals run then this year? I hate to say it, but it might have been just: Plain old dumb luck.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
(Sorry to be a hater Laker fans, but I'm sure you'll enjoy your title nonethless. Go Bulls!)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
24 Marathon
Like running into traffic in L.A., I knew it would happen, and sure enough like clockwork it did: As the summer started going, my brain shut off, I've really slacked off (outside of work), and I'm currently in a mad marathon of 24. So for this edition of fantasy guru, let me update you on 24 things I think are relevant in my world today (and yours).
1.It's June!!! Everyone, everywhere, should be going outside and enjoying yourselves a bit!!! The bad weather's gone, the sun is out, opportunities are just waiting for you, and for young people, maybe even a summer romance.
2. Spelling bee = after I signed off on Round 6, the finals were a bit....unfortunate. The bee will probably never admit to this, but my theory is that the words stayed REALLY difficult this year, but the quality of spellers was a bit lower than last year. (No offense to the spellers). More than 50% of the words given in the finals were misspelled, the attrition rate was huge, and it didn't help that there was a HUGE miscommunication for Laura Newcombe's "confiserie..." (pretty sure most casual observers were also like, "Huh? She didn't even know what the word was?") But alas, again, as most spelling bee goes, the best speller usually wins, and this year definitely Anamika Veeramani was the best speller of the year. Congrats. Watch out for the young guns from this year, they'll be seasoned vets next year.
3. World Cup: USA/England. Robert Greene. Wow.
4. The End of the World in 2012? Man let's hope not. That means we might only have 2.5 years left.
5. 24 is a pretty sweet show. Although, season 2 moves kinda slow in the beginning. And WAY too many David & Sherry Palmer dialogues.
6. Goin' back to Chicago in like a month. First time in 2 years. Exciting.
7. Salivating at the prospect of Big Brother 12 on the horizon. Da Man unfortunately will not be appearing on the show for all to see but will be greedily viewing the whole season nonetheless.
8. Did I mention Robert Greene's gaffe? Right off his Mickey Mouse gloves. Wow.
9. Congrats to all those 2L law students who are currently big firm summer associates now. Sounds like hard work but also some sweet perks from it. Good luck.
10. Also a pat on the back to all 2L law students who are working at other positions (like myself) this summer to stay strong and keep working at it, hang in there!!!
11. USC Football Academic Sanctions = eh. Like going to sleep with a lot of alcohol in your body, you know you can put off the pain but it's gonna come sooner or later. It's not like the Trojans were gonna win the Pac-10 this coming season, but I'm kinda glad anyway I bailed on the season ticket package.
12. MLB Baseball season can be summed up like this: Yankees will repeat in 2010. Mark it.
13. Am I only done with half of the 24 things? Sheesh I'm exhausted.
14. Reading other people's blogs can be insightful. I tried it out today.....I still think mine's the best.
15. "California Gurls" the song of the summer? Maybe.
16. I've actually gotten a bit inundated by that song, maybe cuz I listen to it twice a day, once going to work and once coming back. It's time for me and Katy to take a break, methinks.
17. Important to change your oil and take care of your car folks, take it from me.
18. Get Him to the Greek = HILARIOUS. Didn't seem to get the same reaction from others like I thought it did and got beat at the box office its opening weekend. If the premiere comedy of the last 10 years was Old School, Greek was slightly below that.
19. Aziz Ansari = The Big Hot Thing in Show Biz of 2010.
20. This time next year I should be taking the bar. Sheesh, not looking forward to that.
21. Hopefully this time next year the economy will have sufficiently rebounded ( = no double-dip recession, thanks!)
22. Hopefully this time next year I will have my first full-time job lined up. (fingers crossed, eyes closed, really hoping)
23. Hopefully this time next year I will have completed the best year of my life...(starting now til June 13, 2011) and you, the reader, will have too. (Man, this is getting a little drippy, isn't it? My bad, feel free to grab some tissues if you need to cry).
24. Really, like George Mason (Director of CTU said in 24) said, in life, just do what you like doing. And I'm gonna do that right now......more 24.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
1.It's June!!! Everyone, everywhere, should be going outside and enjoying yourselves a bit!!! The bad weather's gone, the sun is out, opportunities are just waiting for you, and for young people, maybe even a summer romance.
2. Spelling bee = after I signed off on Round 6, the finals were a bit....unfortunate. The bee will probably never admit to this, but my theory is that the words stayed REALLY difficult this year, but the quality of spellers was a bit lower than last year. (No offense to the spellers). More than 50% of the words given in the finals were misspelled, the attrition rate was huge, and it didn't help that there was a HUGE miscommunication for Laura Newcombe's "confiserie..." (pretty sure most casual observers were also like, "Huh? She didn't even know what the word was?") But alas, again, as most spelling bee goes, the best speller usually wins, and this year definitely Anamika Veeramani was the best speller of the year. Congrats. Watch out for the young guns from this year, they'll be seasoned vets next year.
3. World Cup: USA/England. Robert Greene. Wow.
4. The End of the World in 2012? Man let's hope not. That means we might only have 2.5 years left.
5. 24 is a pretty sweet show. Although, season 2 moves kinda slow in the beginning. And WAY too many David & Sherry Palmer dialogues.
6. Goin' back to Chicago in like a month. First time in 2 years. Exciting.
7. Salivating at the prospect of Big Brother 12 on the horizon. Da Man unfortunately will not be appearing on the show for all to see but will be greedily viewing the whole season nonetheless.
8. Did I mention Robert Greene's gaffe? Right off his Mickey Mouse gloves. Wow.
9. Congrats to all those 2L law students who are currently big firm summer associates now. Sounds like hard work but also some sweet perks from it. Good luck.
10. Also a pat on the back to all 2L law students who are working at other positions (like myself) this summer to stay strong and keep working at it, hang in there!!!
11. USC Football Academic Sanctions = eh. Like going to sleep with a lot of alcohol in your body, you know you can put off the pain but it's gonna come sooner or later. It's not like the Trojans were gonna win the Pac-10 this coming season, but I'm kinda glad anyway I bailed on the season ticket package.
12. MLB Baseball season can be summed up like this: Yankees will repeat in 2010. Mark it.
13. Am I only done with half of the 24 things? Sheesh I'm exhausted.
14. Reading other people's blogs can be insightful. I tried it out today.....I still think mine's the best.
15. "California Gurls" the song of the summer? Maybe.
16. I've actually gotten a bit inundated by that song, maybe cuz I listen to it twice a day, once going to work and once coming back. It's time for me and Katy to take a break, methinks.
17. Important to change your oil and take care of your car folks, take it from me.
18. Get Him to the Greek = HILARIOUS. Didn't seem to get the same reaction from others like I thought it did and got beat at the box office its opening weekend. If the premiere comedy of the last 10 years was Old School, Greek was slightly below that.
19. Aziz Ansari = The Big Hot Thing in Show Biz of 2010.
20. This time next year I should be taking the bar. Sheesh, not looking forward to that.
21. Hopefully this time next year the economy will have sufficiently rebounded ( = no double-dip recession, thanks!)
22. Hopefully this time next year I will have my first full-time job lined up. (fingers crossed, eyes closed, really hoping)
23. Hopefully this time next year I will have completed the best year of my life...(starting now til June 13, 2011) and you, the reader, will have too. (Man, this is getting a little drippy, isn't it? My bad, feel free to grab some tissues if you need to cry).
24. Really, like George Mason (Director of CTU said in 24) said, in life, just do what you like doing. And I'm gonna do that right now......more 24.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, June 4, 2010
Round 6
Round 5 was a whirlwind, but not a killer round.......about 40% were dusted off, not too bad. Bee moving right along, ESPN probably wants to whittle down to 12 finalists by the end of this round. This is the money round to the ABC Finals, everyone!!!
Laura Newcombe.......this could be her coming out party go get to the finals.......need to get a little lucky here on "scrannel".........WOW!!!! Amazing. Mother knows she's on her way to Primetime. Amazing feeling for a viewer too, gotta be. Any viewer with a pulse.
Grace Remmer will be here again, and a 13th place finish this year will make her a threat for next year and years to come. "Jehu..."
Aldrin D'Silva.....another threat... could see him at the end of the night. However, maybe something better than a T-shirt for prime time?......not gonna get there anyway. Wow, will ANYONE make it to prime time??
TEAM ILLINOIS....Gina Liu......Guarnerius, YES......I sounded it out........It's Gina's full name, plus or minus a few letters........DO IT....omg, overthought it.......geez, that's unfortunate, your heart really breaks for these kids.
Lanson Tang, lol, "Hey." That was me at age 14, I believe. First speller in this round to look like he actually knew the word.
These spellers HAVE to know at this point they're in prime time if they spell correctly. Lotsa pressure. In and you're a star on ABC for a night. And you don't have to go through numerous casting calls for reality TV to get there neither.
If Neetu Chandak's mom doesn't act quickly after her misspell last round, and she's not back in the bee. Big pat on the back. Wow. Absolute confidence for Neetu and gets it wrong, that's rough. Spelled 2 out of 3 rounds in the Semifinals wrong. May have to chalk it up to just a rough day. THIS FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!!!!!!!!
Dropping like flies, ESPN cries mercy and saves the rest of the action for prime time. One of these spellers is going to become the National Spelling bee champion, ladies and gentlemen. I'll see you in primetime.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Laura Newcombe.......this could be her coming out party go get to the finals.......need to get a little lucky here on "scrannel".........WOW!!!! Amazing. Mother knows she's on her way to Primetime. Amazing feeling for a viewer too, gotta be. Any viewer with a pulse.
Grace Remmer will be here again, and a 13th place finish this year will make her a threat for next year and years to come. "Jehu..."
Aldrin D'Silva.....another threat... could see him at the end of the night. However, maybe something better than a T-shirt for prime time?......not gonna get there anyway. Wow, will ANYONE make it to prime time??
TEAM ILLINOIS....Gina Liu......Guarnerius, YES......I sounded it out........It's Gina's full name, plus or minus a few letters........DO IT....omg, overthought it.......geez, that's unfortunate, your heart really breaks for these kids.
Lanson Tang, lol, "Hey." That was me at age 14, I believe. First speller in this round to look like he actually knew the word.
These spellers HAVE to know at this point they're in prime time if they spell correctly. Lotsa pressure. In and you're a star on ABC for a night. And you don't have to go through numerous casting calls for reality TV to get there neither.
If Neetu Chandak's mom doesn't act quickly after her misspell last round, and she's not back in the bee. Big pat on the back. Wow. Absolute confidence for Neetu and gets it wrong, that's rough. Spelled 2 out of 3 rounds in the Semifinals wrong. May have to chalk it up to just a rough day. THIS FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!!!!!!!!
Dropping like flies, ESPN cries mercy and saves the rest of the action for prime time. One of these spellers is going to become the National Spelling bee champion, ladies and gentlemen. I'll see you in primetime.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Round 5 coverage- Spelling Bee 2010
So 32 spellers left after Round 5... (Always a very, very important stat to keep track of, who's left?) Round 4 was a bit more difficult than I remember in past years and weeded out about 33% of the field. Will Round 5 be the Round of Death? (It certainly was last year).
OK...my #2 speller and #5 speller in the power rankings are now both out. THE FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!!!! Lol. I'm still thinking an eighth grader takes this, y'all.
Jeremiah.....from LA. Coulda seen have on the street somewhere and woulda never known it. And what nationality is he? Hard to tell from appearance and/or monicker.
Laura Newcombe gets nematodiasis.......long-sounding word, but not that difficult, methinks......I spelled it on my screen before ESPN put it up.....but anyway, she's through!!!
Dude, Brian King, you're a BOY SCOUT!!! You should know what a caprifig is!!!!! Another victim of the dreaded "schwa." It's damning.
Grace Remmer gets brachydactylous and moves on!!!! I gotta say, that word is EASIER than the ones like "caprifig." Seriously. Maybe it's just me, but at this level, almost ALL the spellers can root that stuff out.
Boys v. Girls? Pretty even competition. I'd say the more one-sided competition is big state v. little state......dominated by the big states, even if you throw in the internationals w/ the small states. Georgian native Julia M. Derma tries to prove me wrong by getting "intercolline."
Gina Liu from ILLINOIS throws a dart in the wind at "Borborygmus"...... and hits. C'mon Team Illinois! (We're down to 1).
Wow, a "spell it how it sounds" word in a field of weird ones.......that's tough for Birthday girl Sonia Schlesinger. Her best guess is just to guess.....which might save her.
WHERE ARE THE ERIN ANDREWS SPELLER INTERVIEWS??????!!!!!!
Gaminerie.....I SWEAR this word was in last year's bee... I'll look it up later. Langsan looks lonely on that side of the aisle.
ICTERITIOUS.....I KNOW THAT WORD from the 2006 spelling bee for Saryn Hooks. Ahh, maybe have been a little beyond Anya Beth's time. Is this the "turn black the clock" section of the bee?
Ms. Johannesmeier has an awesome last name and has an even longer word.......thought she had it, but felt like she rushed it....wow. Parents had it.
If Matthew Evans knew the word, he didn't show it......I think Paul Loeffler's right, some of these Indian spellers woulda GOBBLED up "lasse." (Not in a racist way- disclaimer).
Neetu's body language says she's flustered....in the stop time.....pressure mounting......bottom of the ninth.....wow.....and she is OUT!!!!!! THIS FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!! First Ruiter, then Chandak. I'm getting goosebumps. Will a FIRST-YEAR win it?
Green-striped shirt kid (I'm having hard time following the names) is a stud. Up and coming.
IS ANAMIKA VEERIMANI HAVING PROBLEMS, TOO????!!! HOLY Guacamole. She may have to guess.....And she may have guessed right. Congrats. The Vijay Singh of this bee, she's probably now the favorite (Tiger and Phil missed the cut).
The Canabal-Rodrigueses are awesome. The San Juan Senorita is one of few 3rd-timers here. Is she destined to be the first winner from the Commonwealth?
Darren Rovell's favorite, Aditya Chemudupaty.... forgot about this guy. The silent killer this year at the end of the round. Best word to describe him: "Professional" in his dispatching of "genethliac." Darren Rovell may still have hope.
TREMENDOUS turn of events.......what in the world? Neetu Chandak's mom, bravo......we'll have to revisit this later, but that's really interesting. The guy to Dr. Bailley's left who does the roots, step up your game!!!! Game-changing. My question is, shouldn't she have to spell ANOTHER word in round 5, cuz she never actually spelled a word correctly? That'd seem fair to me.....
Regardless, turn to Round 6 w/19 left.
OK...my #2 speller and #5 speller in the power rankings are now both out. THE FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!!!! Lol. I'm still thinking an eighth grader takes this, y'all.
Jeremiah.....from LA. Coulda seen have on the street somewhere and woulda never known it. And what nationality is he? Hard to tell from appearance and/or monicker.
Laura Newcombe gets nematodiasis.......long-sounding word, but not that difficult, methinks......I spelled it on my screen before ESPN put it up.....but anyway, she's through!!!
Dude, Brian King, you're a BOY SCOUT!!! You should know what a caprifig is!!!!! Another victim of the dreaded "schwa." It's damning.
Grace Remmer gets brachydactylous and moves on!!!! I gotta say, that word is EASIER than the ones like "caprifig." Seriously. Maybe it's just me, but at this level, almost ALL the spellers can root that stuff out.
Boys v. Girls? Pretty even competition. I'd say the more one-sided competition is big state v. little state......dominated by the big states, even if you throw in the internationals w/ the small states. Georgian native Julia M. Derma tries to prove me wrong by getting "intercolline."
Gina Liu from ILLINOIS throws a dart in the wind at "Borborygmus"...... and hits. C'mon Team Illinois! (We're down to 1).
Wow, a "spell it how it sounds" word in a field of weird ones.......that's tough for Birthday girl Sonia Schlesinger. Her best guess is just to guess.....which might save her.
WHERE ARE THE ERIN ANDREWS SPELLER INTERVIEWS??????!!!!!!
Gaminerie.....I SWEAR this word was in last year's bee... I'll look it up later. Langsan looks lonely on that side of the aisle.
ICTERITIOUS.....I KNOW THAT WORD from the 2006 spelling bee for Saryn Hooks. Ahh, maybe have been a little beyond Anya Beth's time. Is this the "turn black the clock" section of the bee?
Ms. Johannesmeier has an awesome last name and has an even longer word.......thought she had it, but felt like she rushed it....wow. Parents had it.
If Matthew Evans knew the word, he didn't show it......I think Paul Loeffler's right, some of these Indian spellers woulda GOBBLED up "lasse." (Not in a racist way- disclaimer).
Neetu's body language says she's flustered....in the stop time.....pressure mounting......bottom of the ninth.....wow.....and she is OUT!!!!!! THIS FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!! First Ruiter, then Chandak. I'm getting goosebumps. Will a FIRST-YEAR win it?
Green-striped shirt kid (I'm having hard time following the names) is a stud. Up and coming.
IS ANAMIKA VEERIMANI HAVING PROBLEMS, TOO????!!! HOLY Guacamole. She may have to guess.....And she may have guessed right. Congrats. The Vijay Singh of this bee, she's probably now the favorite (Tiger and Phil missed the cut).
The Canabal-Rodrigueses are awesome. The San Juan Senorita is one of few 3rd-timers here. Is she destined to be the first winner from the Commonwealth?
Darren Rovell's favorite, Aditya Chemudupaty.... forgot about this guy. The silent killer this year at the end of the round. Best word to describe him: "Professional" in his dispatching of "genethliac." Darren Rovell may still have hope.
TREMENDOUS turn of events.......what in the world? Neetu Chandak's mom, bravo......we'll have to revisit this later, but that's really interesting. The guy to Dr. Bailley's left who does the roots, step up your game!!!! Game-changing. My question is, shouldn't she have to spell ANOTHER word in round 5, cuz she never actually spelled a word correctly? That'd seem fair to me.....
Regardless, turn to Round 6 w/19 left.
Early Evening Bee Coverage- Part 3
BTW, for those who haven't seen the semifinals, go to ESPN3.com.......can watch it anytime in the 24-hour time period.
The anointed one Neetu Chandak hears the word, searches for the word, finds the word, and destroys the word. Message to rest of field? Sent.
Tom Winter....Have NEVER heard that accent in the bee before. Awesomeness. Stay in this bee, please. ....And no. He will probably get a lot of girls in the states with that accent, though. Guaranteed.
Nicholas Rushlow's Mom Mrs. Rushlow knows the word and wants it really bad. If 2008 is any indication, Nicholas's yellow shirt will lead him a championship.....You'll be back, kid. Don't worry. Mom, don't worry.
Connor Aberle, though has the shirt that beats them all.......the spelling bee people gotta love that shirt.
Man, Being speller #250 or after must be tough.......You got 2 hours or more to sit there and battle the nerves while all your competitors show their might......much prefer the "get one out of the way and sit back down feeling like you accomplished something" approach.
Yea, the Calbanna-Rodriguez family brought the WHOLE family. But yea, love the Puerto Rican Sensation (new nickname). Or the Latina from San Juanita......something like that, lemme work on it without being racist.
WOW......OUT OF NOWHERE.......Tim Ruiter is OUT at the end of Round 4. Ouch.......thought he had that. Honestly, I had read a leak somewhere that said, "Favorite gets knocked out...." didn't know it was him. WOW..... tremendous upset of seismic proportions. AGAIN, THE FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!!!!!
The anointed one Neetu Chandak hears the word, searches for the word, finds the word, and destroys the word. Message to rest of field? Sent.
Tom Winter....Have NEVER heard that accent in the bee before. Awesomeness. Stay in this bee, please. ....And no. He will probably get a lot of girls in the states with that accent, though. Guaranteed.
Nicholas Rushlow's Mom Mrs. Rushlow knows the word and wants it really bad. If 2008 is any indication, Nicholas's yellow shirt will lead him a championship.....You'll be back, kid. Don't worry. Mom, don't worry.
Connor Aberle, though has the shirt that beats them all.......the spelling bee people gotta love that shirt.
Man, Being speller #250 or after must be tough.......You got 2 hours or more to sit there and battle the nerves while all your competitors show their might......much prefer the "get one out of the way and sit back down feeling like you accomplished something" approach.
Yea, the Calbanna-Rodriguez family brought the WHOLE family. But yea, love the Puerto Rican Sensation (new nickname). Or the Latina from San Juanita......something like that, lemme work on it without being racist.
WOW......OUT OF NOWHERE.......Tim Ruiter is OUT at the end of Round 4. Ouch.......thought he had that. Honestly, I had read a leak somewhere that said, "Favorite gets knocked out...." didn't know it was him. WOW..... tremendous upset of seismic proportions. AGAIN, THE FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!!!!!
Early Afternoon Spelling Bee Coverage- Part 3
Unfortunately, had to pause my live blogging for work......Darn. And drats that the west coast gets the bee an appalling 3 hours later than everyone else.......right now as I write the finals are going on, and I'm trying to avoid the internet.
Illinois contingent ready now......Adrian Gunawan from Arlington heights.......there's somethign rhythmic about that. HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE A FAVORITE WORD TO SPELL??? ...first test of the time rules.......same as last year, apparently. Adrian looks uncomfortable but moves on.
Pongee.........yea, that's straight-up pinyin Chinese, dude.
Can we have the Jamaican now, please, Dr. Bailley?.......Thank you. Haha, no bad intention meant, it's just hilariously deferential. That's disappointing to see him go, it shows how attached you can get to a speller in 1.75 minutes (or less).
Bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, Sonia Schlesinger delivers a base hit and stays in the ballgame!!!! (on her birthday)
Pause in the action, I'd like to say that I think the most action of the Spelling Bee is decided right here, Rounds 4-7, the Semifinal Rounds, where spellers are whittled away from 50 or so to 12, and lot of pitfalls that trip up even the best spellers........great reason to watch the semifinal rounds, even though it starts EARLY in the morning (7AM on the West Coast).
Illinois contingent ready now......Adrian Gunawan from Arlington heights.......there's somethign rhythmic about that. HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE A FAVORITE WORD TO SPELL??? ...first test of the time rules.......same as last year, apparently. Adrian looks uncomfortable but moves on.
Pongee.........yea, that's straight-up pinyin Chinese, dude.
Can we have the Jamaican now, please, Dr. Bailley?.......Thank you. Haha, no bad intention meant, it's just hilariously deferential. That's disappointing to see him go, it shows how attached you can get to a speller in 1.75 minutes (or less).
Bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, Sonia Schlesinger delivers a base hit and stays in the ballgame!!!! (on her birthday)
Pause in the action, I'd like to say that I think the most action of the Spelling Bee is decided right here, Rounds 4-7, the Semifinal Rounds, where spellers are whittled away from 50 or so to 12, and lot of pitfalls that trip up even the best spellers........great reason to watch the semifinal rounds, even though it starts EARLY in the morning (7AM on the West Coast).
Early Morning Spelling Bee Part 2
Laura Newcombe ESPN montage commencing. OK, so we know her prowess in life, at the early age of 11. Let's see her spelling prowess at its finest.
The thunder you hear from our neighbors up north is the hope of all Canadian staying strong. Nicely done, Laura. ESPN might be seeing their invested montage time pay off for a long time in this competition.
The Boy Scout Brian King might have seen some weasels in his life, but it probably didn't help him spell "musteline." Paul Loeffler wanted a sentence for "musteline." Let's just move merrily along here, shall we, Paul?
No one's pressured for time to this point yet. I wonder if they told the semifinalists to "take your time, but not too much time" or if there's new "bonus time" restrictionsto speed it up.
Rahul Malayppan is out!!! Gone before ESPN could put the word on the board. We'll see him next year, and he BLOGS!!!
A quick shout-out to contributor and recent alumni of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Josephine Kao, who I heard from right before the bee. YAY!!!! To give some perspective to this bee, Josephine, would was probably a top 5 or so speller last year in terms of credentials (but my personal favorite, of course), would be the odds-on favorite to win it this year with similar credentials: 4th year in the bee, 2 top 20 finishes, awesome personality. My point? IT'S WIDE OPEN THIS YEAR!!!!!!!
The thunder you hear from our neighbors up north is the hope of all Canadian staying strong. Nicely done, Laura. ESPN might be seeing their invested montage time pay off for a long time in this competition.
The Boy Scout Brian King might have seen some weasels in his life, but it probably didn't help him spell "musteline." Paul Loeffler wanted a sentence for "musteline." Let's just move merrily along here, shall we, Paul?
No one's pressured for time to this point yet. I wonder if they told the semifinalists to "take your time, but not too much time" or if there's new "bonus time" restrictionsto speed it up.
Rahul Malayppan is out!!! Gone before ESPN could put the word on the board. We'll see him next year, and he BLOGS!!!
A quick shout-out to contributor and recent alumni of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Josephine Kao, who I heard from right before the bee. YAY!!!! To give some perspective to this bee, Josephine, would was probably a top 5 or so speller last year in terms of credentials (but my personal favorite, of course), would be the odds-on favorite to win it this year with similar credentials: 4th year in the bee, 2 top 20 finishes, awesome personality. My point? IT'S WIDE OPEN THIS YEAR!!!!!!!
Early Morning Spelling Bee Coverage
Woke up early today to cover the first hour of so of the spelling bee.... So excited, this is LIVE!!!!!!
- First 2 spellers spell a possible suicide round? Both get knocked out quickly.
- As was the case last year, we will begin all of these rounds this year with Arkansas's Esther Park, who knocks off "scholium" before ESPN can put up the correct spelling. That always heightens the blood pressure cuz you don't know if she's spelling correctly word-by-word, but Esther seems confident and sits down with a like, "what, me worry?" look?
Brandon Whitehead straight-faced says, "when I'm a senior I'll join the AARP spelling bee." Instant classic line.
Missed the name of this year's new announcer next to Paul Loeffler, but like the fact "she's watched the spellig bee for years and years now." We'll see how much she knows throughout the day.
- First 2 spellers spell a possible suicide round? Both get knocked out quickly.
- As was the case last year, we will begin all of these rounds this year with Arkansas's Esther Park, who knocks off "scholium" before ESPN can put up the correct spelling. That always heightens the blood pressure cuz you don't know if she's spelling correctly word-by-word, but Esther seems confident and sits down with a like, "what, me worry?" look?
Brandon Whitehead straight-faced says, "when I'm a senior I'll join the AARP spelling bee." Instant classic line.
Missed the name of this year's new announcer next to Paul Loeffler, but like the fact "she's watched the spellig bee for years and years now." We'll see how much she knows throughout the day.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Twas the Night Before the Spelling Bee...
And at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C., 48 semi-finalists are resting up (or you never know, some of them may still be studying) for tomorrow's big event, the National Spelling Bee Final.
For the 48 semifinalists, it's a great opportunity, not only cuz you're on ESPN, you're gonna represent your hometown, you get justification for all the hard work you've been put in, all of that stuff's well and good, but also for this very important reason: this is THE best year to be a semifinalist because it's such a wide-open field. As I chronicled in the last post, there's really no odds-on favorite, and this is actually (gasp) a down year for contestants. No offense to the spellers, who are all really, really talented and diligent and could all beat me at a spelling bee despite at least a 10-year age difference, but the resumes of this year's contestsants are just as impressive collectively as years past. Here's why:
The reluctant favorite this year is Neetu Chandak, the Guru's pick to win it all this year, but really in other years she'd be more of a top 4 or 5 candidate, someone who has a decent shot at winning should an odds-on favorite fall. Usually there's a 5-year returner who's been to the ABC final round twice, had a couple top 20 finishes (or 3), and is really acknowledged as having enough experience to win it this year. If you look at the winners of the bee the last few years, the championship has been just as much a lifetime achievement award as it is a coronation for that year's performance. 2009, Kavya Shivashankar had a 10th place, 7th place, and 4th place finish before winning it all. 2008, Sameer Mishra, 4th-year returner who had a couple top 25 finishes under his belt. 2006, Kerry Close, FIVE-time returner who'd been on national TV numerous times. The list goes on. And even beyond the champions, there have been several really strong candidates with long resumes (Tia Thomas, Matthew Evans, Samir Patel, come to mind) as top-dog favorites every year.
Even last year, there were 4 four-time returners. This year, there's one. And she's the odds-on favorite. If you look at all of the "top contenders" that people like, there's really not one who stands out as having that "it" resume. We've got Tim Ruiter, who has a 2nd place finish from last year, but no experience before that, came out of nowhere. Anamika Veeramani, also came out of nowhere for 5th last year. Out of the 3-year returners, none have made it to the ABC finals. Brandon Whitehead at least has semifinal experience in both 2008 and 2009.
Other really legit contendors are a bit too young or inexperienced: Nicholas Rushlow and Laura Newcombe, both a year away. And Rahul Malayappan.
And that's the thing about experience: It's all well and good to do a written test and do well on it, but I would imagine nothing compares to actually being in front of a national audience and getting a word you don't know...that's a lot of pressure, and you need to be more mature (8th grader preferably) or inexperienced to handle it.
So anyway, that's why it's SUCH an open field this year, and really, most of the 48 semi-finalists have at least a decent chance of winning the whole thing. What a concept. Since Darren Rovell did a pretty lackluster job of picking just THREE (pretty ambitious, if you ask me) to cover his streak of picking championships, I think he's gonna see his streak get broken this year. It's definitely possible.
Here's some of the intriguing semifinalists we'll be watching intently starting tomorrow morning:
7. Esther Park: wants to meet Hilary Clinton and is from Arkansas. Cool. Semifinal experience from last year.
19. Sarah Gadre likes Fall Out Boy and Cobra Starship. Hopefully that'll prevent her from "falling out" of the competition.
27. Brian King's the local Boy Scout and tomorrow's round will probably seem like a 100-mile hike for him.
61. The Illinois contingent this year includes Gina Liu, who wants to be a lawyer.....lemme know if you still want that in a few years, Gina.
88. Owayne Rodney: a SIXTH-GRADER from Jamaica!!! Does this mean they're gonna cultivate some talent to make a multi-year run??? Hasn't happened yet.
89. Sonia Schlesinger: Very intriguing story, she moved to Japan and is representating that country....we'll probably get an ESPN or ABC montage.
110. Shivani Angappan: 10-year-old alert!!!
151. Hannah Evans: Sister of one of the best spellers never to win a championship tries to carve her own place in spelling bee history.
202. Connor Abale: Entertaining guy from last year who insists on wearing a bee-style shirt (he's doing it again this year!)
207. Neel Mehta: National Arts League Champion.
214. Julianna Canabal-Rodriguez: Pride of Puerto Rico in her 3rd try at the bee and only a 7th grader. Could hear her name a lot soon.
237. Aditya Chemudupaty: One of Darren Rovell's picks to win it all. Don't blame him, looks dangerous.
Alright, just a small sampling of the diverse field we have going into tomorrow. Good luck to everyone, and may we see an entertaining, competitve, and enthralling spelling bee!!!!!!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
For the 48 semifinalists, it's a great opportunity, not only cuz you're on ESPN, you're gonna represent your hometown, you get justification for all the hard work you've been put in, all of that stuff's well and good, but also for this very important reason: this is THE best year to be a semifinalist because it's such a wide-open field. As I chronicled in the last post, there's really no odds-on favorite, and this is actually (gasp) a down year for contestants. No offense to the spellers, who are all really, really talented and diligent and could all beat me at a spelling bee despite at least a 10-year age difference, but the resumes of this year's contestsants are just as impressive collectively as years past. Here's why:
The reluctant favorite this year is Neetu Chandak, the Guru's pick to win it all this year, but really in other years she'd be more of a top 4 or 5 candidate, someone who has a decent shot at winning should an odds-on favorite fall. Usually there's a 5-year returner who's been to the ABC final round twice, had a couple top 20 finishes (or 3), and is really acknowledged as having enough experience to win it this year. If you look at the winners of the bee the last few years, the championship has been just as much a lifetime achievement award as it is a coronation for that year's performance. 2009, Kavya Shivashankar had a 10th place, 7th place, and 4th place finish before winning it all. 2008, Sameer Mishra, 4th-year returner who had a couple top 25 finishes under his belt. 2006, Kerry Close, FIVE-time returner who'd been on national TV numerous times. The list goes on. And even beyond the champions, there have been several really strong candidates with long resumes (Tia Thomas, Matthew Evans, Samir Patel, come to mind) as top-dog favorites every year.
Even last year, there were 4 four-time returners. This year, there's one. And she's the odds-on favorite. If you look at all of the "top contenders" that people like, there's really not one who stands out as having that "it" resume. We've got Tim Ruiter, who has a 2nd place finish from last year, but no experience before that, came out of nowhere. Anamika Veeramani, also came out of nowhere for 5th last year. Out of the 3-year returners, none have made it to the ABC finals. Brandon Whitehead at least has semifinal experience in both 2008 and 2009.
Other really legit contendors are a bit too young or inexperienced: Nicholas Rushlow and Laura Newcombe, both a year away. And Rahul Malayappan.
And that's the thing about experience: It's all well and good to do a written test and do well on it, but I would imagine nothing compares to actually being in front of a national audience and getting a word you don't know...that's a lot of pressure, and you need to be more mature (8th grader preferably) or inexperienced to handle it.
So anyway, that's why it's SUCH an open field this year, and really, most of the 48 semi-finalists have at least a decent chance of winning the whole thing. What a concept. Since Darren Rovell did a pretty lackluster job of picking just THREE (pretty ambitious, if you ask me) to cover his streak of picking championships, I think he's gonna see his streak get broken this year. It's definitely possible.
Here's some of the intriguing semifinalists we'll be watching intently starting tomorrow morning:
7. Esther Park: wants to meet Hilary Clinton and is from Arkansas. Cool. Semifinal experience from last year.
19. Sarah Gadre likes Fall Out Boy and Cobra Starship. Hopefully that'll prevent her from "falling out" of the competition.
27. Brian King's the local Boy Scout and tomorrow's round will probably seem like a 100-mile hike for him.
61. The Illinois contingent this year includes Gina Liu, who wants to be a lawyer.....lemme know if you still want that in a few years, Gina.
88. Owayne Rodney: a SIXTH-GRADER from Jamaica!!! Does this mean they're gonna cultivate some talent to make a multi-year run??? Hasn't happened yet.
89. Sonia Schlesinger: Very intriguing story, she moved to Japan and is representating that country....we'll probably get an ESPN or ABC montage.
110. Shivani Angappan: 10-year-old alert!!!
151. Hannah Evans: Sister of one of the best spellers never to win a championship tries to carve her own place in spelling bee history.
202. Connor Abale: Entertaining guy from last year who insists on wearing a bee-style shirt (he's doing it again this year!)
207. Neel Mehta: National Arts League Champion.
214. Julianna Canabal-Rodriguez: Pride of Puerto Rico in her 3rd try at the bee and only a 7th grader. Could hear her name a lot soon.
237. Aditya Chemudupaty: One of Darren Rovell's picks to win it all. Don't blame him, looks dangerous.
Alright, just a small sampling of the diverse field we have going into tomorrow. Good luck to everyone, and may we see an entertaining, competitve, and enthralling spelling bee!!!!!!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Beginning of Summer
The start of summer is marked by different events for different people. For some, it's the end of the school year. For others, it's Memorial Day Weekend- you go out with the family for a nice outdoors camping trip, and you come back to summer. For still others, it's an exact date...June 21st, I believe. (Also happens to be around when the days stretch out to their fullest).
However, in recent years for me, the start of summer has been marked by a distinct event: The Scripps National Spelling BEE! Yup, that's right, I haven't posted for awhile, but you didn't think I'd forgotten about it, did you? Last year around this time I was positively buzzing about the bee, expounding the virtues of the wonderful competition and predicting heroic success for one Josephine Kao....this year, I've been mellower about the whole deal (and a bit busier), but I still believe in both of those things, both that the spelling bee is an awesome concept and that Josephine was one a great success and an inspirational story. There could only be one year per year, however, and last year it was Kavya Shivashankar, the anointed one and probably the most "destined" speller at the bee.
This year, some great story lines come to the bee, including last year's champion handing off the reins to her sister, another 2nd place finisher trying to break the runner-up curse (see Sidharth Chand, Samir Patel), a rising star from the north, and so many more. Here's a look at my power rankings for the National Spelling Bee this year, from bottom up.
7. Anamika Meerani- Among the seeming plethora of unknowns in last year's bee was Anamika from Cleveland of all places, who astonishingly finished 5th in her first time from the bee. She's back in her last year of eligibility (eighth grade), but experience is not on her side: In this decade, 2000-2010, EVERY single winner of the spelling bee has won it on his/her 3rd try or later at the bee, a stat that overwhelmingly suggests you need to keep coming again and again. Being in eighth grade really helps, but 2nd time or fewer spells longer odds.
6.The Unknown speller: Every year there is a speller or 2 (Tim Ruiter last year) who sneaks out of nowhere and makes a deep run in the tourney. And because of the sheer mass of the field (274, which is actually DOWN from years past), it becomes all the more likely that one of them will make a Top 4 or 3 finish. But they won't win. See above.
5. Brandon Whitehead: California is usually well-represented in the bee, and this guy comes from a place I just visited: El Centro, CA, right on the border of Mexico. Brandon's been active in the bee for 4 years now (since 2007), finished 37th in the bee last year, and has that magic formula of 3+ years of bee experience + eighth grader. Could make deep run.
4. Laura Newcombe: I've closely followed the Laura Newcombe story since she won the 2009 Canspell (Canada) spelling bee, and I gotta say, it's an intriguing story. Beating a bunch of girls and guys 30% older than her, she not only held her own last year but then repeated this year, earning the one and only spot in Team Canada at this year's Scripps Spelling Bee. (That's right, there's only ONE Canadian this year!). The lone hope for her country, she will bring back images of Finola Hackett, the last 2-time Canadian champion who went toe-to-toe with Kerry Close in 2006 in possibly the best Spelling Bee finals EVER. Rooting for her, but I believe her time will come in 2011, her eighth grade and third-time's-the-charm-year-for-her. This year she'll get close enough to taste it.
3. Nicholas Rushlow: Gotta admit, didn't know this guy existed coming in, but really like his charisma and work ethic. Already on his third time at the bee, the guy's ONLY in sixth grade!!!!! He'll probably be frontrunners with Laura Newcombe next year, but watch out for this guy this year too.
2. Tim Ruiter: As thoroughly detailed by me last year, the 2nd-place curse DOES exist at the bee, and unfortunately for Tim, he's going to fall victim to it this year. Seems like he's got a lot of momentum coming in, but will pressure of the best finisher from last year get to him?
1. Neetu Chandak: As all the prognosticators like Darren Rovell and Paul Loeffler of ESPN and ALOTTMA like to reiterate, the bee is all about experience, experience, experience. This year's field is actually wide open, with no clear-cut favorite (unlike 2009, 2007) that everyone expects to win. However, if there is someone who's resume distinguishes her from the rest, it's Neetu from Seneca Falls, NY. The only 4-year repeater, she's also a 14-year-old eighth grade who should be mature enough to handle the pressure and get through the toughest words systematically. However, she will have to deal with a lot of pressure and assuredly an ESPN montage of her life before one of the National Final rounds. But if there is money to be put somewhere, it's right here. Neetu, I believe in you!
Other intriguing stories: Like an Olympic champion passing on the torch, Kavya Shivashankar passes on the torch to another potential winner of the future, her sister Vanya, who we've already known for 2 years thanks to montages with Kavya and interviews with Erin Andrews. This year she'll just get a taste of the bee; like a baseball prospect in Triple-A ball, she'll be ready to dominate in a few years.
Even more amazing than Nicholas Rushlow is this guy from Bridgeport, Conn, Rahul Malayappan (his last name is a spelling word) who is TEN and already doing his 3rd time at the bee. AND he and his Dad BLOG about the bee!!!! AMAZING kid. Probably not his time this year, but imagine when he's 11, or 12!!!! Again, proof that this might be the last window of opportunity for a large field this year, where in 2011 and 2012 there will be very established frontrunners to come back and take the trophy.
Again, for all the spellers, as much as the audience (like myself) at home like to speculate for a winner, really being at the spelling bee is a victory in itself, seriously, it's like a conglomeration of the United Nation of spellers, all the best kids in the world gather together in one of the remaining purely intellectual displays of prowess left in the world. I'm hooked on it every year, and I'll be watching (and hopefully covering it) extensively in the days to come!!!!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
However, in recent years for me, the start of summer has been marked by a distinct event: The Scripps National Spelling BEE! Yup, that's right, I haven't posted for awhile, but you didn't think I'd forgotten about it, did you? Last year around this time I was positively buzzing about the bee, expounding the virtues of the wonderful competition and predicting heroic success for one Josephine Kao....this year, I've been mellower about the whole deal (and a bit busier), but I still believe in both of those things, both that the spelling bee is an awesome concept and that Josephine was one a great success and an inspirational story. There could only be one year per year, however, and last year it was Kavya Shivashankar, the anointed one and probably the most "destined" speller at the bee.
This year, some great story lines come to the bee, including last year's champion handing off the reins to her sister, another 2nd place finisher trying to break the runner-up curse (see Sidharth Chand, Samir Patel), a rising star from the north, and so many more. Here's a look at my power rankings for the National Spelling Bee this year, from bottom up.
7. Anamika Meerani- Among the seeming plethora of unknowns in last year's bee was Anamika from Cleveland of all places, who astonishingly finished 5th in her first time from the bee. She's back in her last year of eligibility (eighth grade), but experience is not on her side: In this decade, 2000-2010, EVERY single winner of the spelling bee has won it on his/her 3rd try or later at the bee, a stat that overwhelmingly suggests you need to keep coming again and again. Being in eighth grade really helps, but 2nd time or fewer spells longer odds.
6.The Unknown speller: Every year there is a speller or 2 (Tim Ruiter last year) who sneaks out of nowhere and makes a deep run in the tourney. And because of the sheer mass of the field (274, which is actually DOWN from years past), it becomes all the more likely that one of them will make a Top 4 or 3 finish. But they won't win. See above.
5. Brandon Whitehead: California is usually well-represented in the bee, and this guy comes from a place I just visited: El Centro, CA, right on the border of Mexico. Brandon's been active in the bee for 4 years now (since 2007), finished 37th in the bee last year, and has that magic formula of 3+ years of bee experience + eighth grader. Could make deep run.
4. Laura Newcombe: I've closely followed the Laura Newcombe story since she won the 2009 Canspell (Canada) spelling bee, and I gotta say, it's an intriguing story. Beating a bunch of girls and guys 30% older than her, she not only held her own last year but then repeated this year, earning the one and only spot in Team Canada at this year's Scripps Spelling Bee. (That's right, there's only ONE Canadian this year!). The lone hope for her country, she will bring back images of Finola Hackett, the last 2-time Canadian champion who went toe-to-toe with Kerry Close in 2006 in possibly the best Spelling Bee finals EVER. Rooting for her, but I believe her time will come in 2011, her eighth grade and third-time's-the-charm-year-for-her. This year she'll get close enough to taste it.
3. Nicholas Rushlow: Gotta admit, didn't know this guy existed coming in, but really like his charisma and work ethic. Already on his third time at the bee, the guy's ONLY in sixth grade!!!!! He'll probably be frontrunners with Laura Newcombe next year, but watch out for this guy this year too.
2. Tim Ruiter: As thoroughly detailed by me last year, the 2nd-place curse DOES exist at the bee, and unfortunately for Tim, he's going to fall victim to it this year. Seems like he's got a lot of momentum coming in, but will pressure of the best finisher from last year get to him?
1. Neetu Chandak: As all the prognosticators like Darren Rovell and Paul Loeffler of ESPN and ALOTTMA like to reiterate, the bee is all about experience, experience, experience. This year's field is actually wide open, with no clear-cut favorite (unlike 2009, 2007) that everyone expects to win. However, if there is someone who's resume distinguishes her from the rest, it's Neetu from Seneca Falls, NY. The only 4-year repeater, she's also a 14-year-old eighth grade who should be mature enough to handle the pressure and get through the toughest words systematically. However, she will have to deal with a lot of pressure and assuredly an ESPN montage of her life before one of the National Final rounds. But if there is money to be put somewhere, it's right here. Neetu, I believe in you!
Other intriguing stories: Like an Olympic champion passing on the torch, Kavya Shivashankar passes on the torch to another potential winner of the future, her sister Vanya, who we've already known for 2 years thanks to montages with Kavya and interviews with Erin Andrews. This year she'll just get a taste of the bee; like a baseball prospect in Triple-A ball, she'll be ready to dominate in a few years.
Even more amazing than Nicholas Rushlow is this guy from Bridgeport, Conn, Rahul Malayappan (his last name is a spelling word) who is TEN and already doing his 3rd time at the bee. AND he and his Dad BLOG about the bee!!!! AMAZING kid. Probably not his time this year, but imagine when he's 11, or 12!!!! Again, proof that this might be the last window of opportunity for a large field this year, where in 2011 and 2012 there will be very established frontrunners to come back and take the trophy.
Again, for all the spellers, as much as the audience (like myself) at home like to speculate for a winner, really being at the spelling bee is a victory in itself, seriously, it's like a conglomeration of the United Nation of spellers, all the best kids in the world gather together in one of the remaining purely intellectual displays of prowess left in the world. I'm hooked on it every year, and I'll be watching (and hopefully covering it) extensively in the days to come!!!!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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