NBA Playoffs: A Game of Thrones

The 2 major viewing events right now are Game of Thrones and the NBA Playoffs. Both have been very good, but the parallels don’t end there: Although GoT dazzles its viewers with arcane magic, fiery dragons, and various other visual effects in the ultimate battle for the Iron Throne and power, the NBA counters with various defensive spider monkeys like Tony Allen or sharpshooting snipers like Mike Dunleavy/ Kyle Korver to Kings (Lebron) to kings-in-waiting (Kevin Durant), allowing the NBA playoffs to have just as much, if not more, intrigue than Game of Thrones.

1.)    A defending champion- amongst the chaos and calamity that has been the NBA’s first round this season, the 2-time champion Miami Heat stood apart from the masses with their 4-0 dismantling of the fledgling Charlotte Bobcats, who went out with more of a purr than a roar. Like the swift derisive orders of current King Joffrey Baratheon (as of 2 episodes ago), LeBron and his court (Wade, Bosh) repelled the uprising, which really had little chance and was equipped with short blades, not heavy weaponry needed to seize the crown. The Champion Heat can now watch from their ivory tower as others battle for what the Heat already have.

2.)    Surprise upstart young warriors: GoT every season introduces a young gallant warrior with visions of grandeur and wild ambitions who are ultimately misguided into oblivion: the Washington Wizards are those guys this season. They’ve jumped out to a 3-1 lead on the older Bulls with young guys John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Trevor Ariza (relatively young) and seem on the verge of making serious noise with a legitimate claim in the East much like Renly Baratheon’s brief run against his more seasoned brother, or Prince Oberyn of Martell who has come to the Lannister party to avenge his family members for past crimes, or in the Wizards’ case, avenge years of suffering and mediocrity.

3.)    Behind-the-scenes chess players: Described by some as “one of the most dangerous men in Westeros,” Littlefinger sure doesn’t appear to be at first glance, and he doesn’t have the bloodlines (translation: NBA Championship talent) to be king, but Greg Popovich somehow manipulates the use of regular season rosters, defying old age, and crafty lineups to be a true threat in the West even when using castoff free agents like Marco Belinelli, Patty Mills, and Matt Bonner. Alternative comparison: Vyras, the Spider.

4.)    Distraction that overshadows the entire TV series: Unfortunately amidst a great playoff season the overwhelming story that hits home to every cross-section of America is the Donald Sterling racism outburst that has forced the NBA as of today to ban Sterling from the NBA. A huge story that anyone is talking about right now even in non-sports shows like talk shows, news programs. Kinda like the outrage that GoT produces every season, it seems, including this season when Jamie Lannister seemingly raped his sister Queen Cersei in the same room as their dead son. Nudity and violence being the other themes surrounding GoT previously.

5.)    The pitiful: Theon Greyjoy, once proud and mighty warrior conquering Winterfell for the Greyjoys, is now relegated to the duty of cleaning up after the guy who captured, tortured, and castrated him (Yes, you read that correctly, castrated), not even looking like the same person. The Indiana Pacers are the East’s No. 1 seed in name only and are in danger of being eliminated. Certainly not the same team everyone saw early in the season.

6.)    The leader of men: Jon Snow is quickly turning into a leader of men and building “sweat equity” with the fellas over on the wall. Same as the Grizzlies, a solid group of grizzled veterans willing to sacrifice for each other. Jon Snow does not lie, and neither do the Grizzlies: They don’t bluff.

7.)    The Threat: A new power is emerging in a land faraway from Westeros, as Daeneryus Targaryen is gathering troops, utilizing advisors, and gaining momentum behind the backs of her 3 dragons. Portland, aka Rip City, once enslaved by the contracts of Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, now riding the young core of Damion Lillard, Nicholas Batum, and LaMarcus Aldridge towards greater things.

8.)    The Rightful Heir: Stannis Baratheon still is intent on pressing his claim to the Iron Throne, and led by some shaky but up-til now shaky advice (Melisandre = Scott Brooks), the Oklahoma Thunder are on the same path to inherit their place in basketball lore. Despite all the adversity and going through a tough stretch with Memphis and the winner of Clippers-Warriors, the Thunder are still the general consensus to come out of the West and possibly dethrone Miami.

Should be a great rest of the playoffs, and matches almost exactly with GoT . GoT season finale scheduled for June 15……..around when the Finals should be happening.

Speaking of which, Game of Thrones is being released in Japan, a testament of its expansive reach and popularity. 皇位 ゲーム, or kioi no gamu. There’s even a Feudalistic Japan Version of Game of Thrones floating out on the internet, which is a really cool concept. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

The Myth that is the "Playoff Push"

Easter usually marks the start of one of the more underrated periods in sports: The NBA Playoffs. From late April to mid-June, the NBA playoffs are played almost every night, prompting TNT to have a “40 games, 40 nights” segment. The NBA Playoffs lack the urgency and do-or-die mentality that every game of the NCAA tournament has, but I would say the Opening Round matches the NCAA’s opening in intrigue and the number of exciting matchups occurring, as well as the intensity when Game 6 and Game 7 arrive.

Watch out for Memphis, btw, already 1 game in the bag against OKC and they were basically in playoff mode for 2 months just trying to make it in. Got the bruisers to do it.

I’ve always wondered if games are performed “at a higher level” during the playoffs. Sports commentators and media outlets certainly make it seem so with comments like “the intensity is ratcheting up,” and “going into playoff mode,” but I tend to think not. In my experience, just because you want it more, doesn’t mean you get better results. In fact, wanting it more sometimes leads to pressing, which leads to bad decisions, which leads to bad play. The lack of lackadaisical plays due to not caring about a certain game, or not needing that win that badly, may cancel out a lot of that pressing, but I’m not particularly sure being in the playoffs always means an uptick in skill. It certainly didn’t look like it for the Chicago Bulls in Games 1 and 2 in their opening series against Washington, as they looked slow, offensively challenged, and tired (due to them sticking to only a 7-man rotation) something that was NOT the case during the regular season, when they won almost 50 games.

Accordingly, I don’t think certain guys are “clutch” or are “playoff guys” who perform better during the playoffs. That’s all for dramatic effect with the media and conferring awards to players and elevating players to legendary status for the good of the game. It’s like what Billy Beane said in Moneyball, “the baseball regular season is a grind for 162 games. The playoffs is just luck.” I tend to agree.

Certainly in dodgeball, there’s no “special drink that I drink for max performance during must-win situations like the magic juice in Space Jam, and I’ve had lots of games where I do worse during the playoff games than the regular season games. This may be partially due to other players “turning it up” for the playoffs, but it seems like random variation to me.

Observations about the baseball regular season so far:

Lot of closer chaos. LOT of closers getting lit up, even established ones like Trevor Rosenthal and Joe Nathan.  There already have been and will be even more deposed closers, even more so than in previous years, and unless you’re in a league with an low innings minimum (where you can just use the “elite” closers to try to win ERA, WHIP, and SAVES, I gotta think closers take a step back due to their inability to contribute much other than 1 category, especially given the downside of drafting a lemon.

Albert Pujols’s successful run to 500 homers kind of just snuck up on the MLB, and it passed and went without too much brouhaha, to my surprise. It might have just been ESPN and other news outlets weren’t ready for Albert to hit 8 homers so quickly, but it’s going to be a while for another slugger to achieve that landmark again.

3.5 weeks is not too early to start reassessing what’s happening. Chris Colabello, though, might as well be named Chris Shelton (2007 April World-beater, out of baseball by the end of that year). DON’T BUY DON’T BUY. Charlie Blackmon, the No. 1 fantasy player in the world right now, might be pretty solid (not No. 1 status obviously), but an everyday outfield job in Coors Field does wonders for one’s Batting avg, Homers, runs, etc., etc.

Lot of shades of 2006. Bobby Abreu is starting in RF for the Mets today, . Kyle Farnsworth is closing. Franky Rodriguez is leading the league in saves. Pujols leading the league in homers, and Justin Morneau is MASHING the ball. I need to check if George Bush is still President. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

Laser Eye Surgery- 4+ years later

Japanese for eye surgery is ganka shujutsu (眼科手術).

At the risk of sounding like a LASIK spokesperson, LASIK eye surgery really changed my life. Opting for the surgery almost on a whim at the end of 2009 because “my mom’s insurance policy would cover most of it and we would waste the money if we didn’t spend it on something,” I chose to rid myself of the 15-year burden that was glasses. Before LASIK, I had to worry about putting my glasses somewhere before going to bed, hitting my glasses while playing sports.  When I did play sports, I would often get my glasses jammed into my face, causing cuts or at least distortment of the glasses,

In 2014, it’s as if I never had glasses. I play sports without abandon, not worrying about glasses. It’s like your swinging free, cutting through butter, or flying through the air without boundaries.

This past week I made 2 (TWO! Very proud of myself) face catches on 2 different players. A face catch in dodgeball is like a slam dunk in basketball: It’s still worth only 2 points, but it looks very good and if done right, it can embarrass your opponent (whoever you’re dunking on). One of the best feelings in dodgeball, I must say, is catching someone with my face (letting the ball hit my face and then catching it against my face with my hands. Yes, it is somewhat painful; not suggested for the faint of heart) and then having the thrower pause, confused as to what just happened, then realization hitting in slowly that the ball they threw high enough to hit someone in the head was actually caught, is one of the best feelings in sports. Without LASIK, I would probably not have enjoyed dodgeball. My game is about reckless abandon, about being able to react quickly to events, both of which are hindered by the presence of obstacles sitting on the ridge of my nose. Contacts are an option, but those often get knocked out by dodgeballs to the face……..a difficult experience that I’ve witnessed, people trying to look around the ground for missing contacts that have hit a sweat/shoe-clogged court.

Speaking of “dunking on people,” there’s a pretty fine line between getting excited about doing something like that and showing someone up. A big deal in baseball (most prominent example is hitting a home run and staring at it, not running right away), it can come up in other sports as well. When I yell “LET’S GO!” after doing something that affects the game, my motivation is to pump my teammates up as well as release some aggression, celebrate my own accomplishment, but I understand it might tick opponents off. Sports inherently is a zero sum game, my success is someone else’s failure. Dodgeball is the same way. It’s important in sports and sportsmanship to have empathy (共感 or kyookan in Japanese) and know that what you don’t like about other people’s behavior on the court is what you should avoid doing on the field.

Fantasy baseball Lesson to  from dodgeball: It doesn’t seem like it, but I’ve realized that there is a thing as “getting tired” in pitching. The pitching motion, much like throwing a dodgeball, takes it out of you; you’re wrenching your body, you’re pushing your whole weight forward in as aggressive of motion as possible; it can be quite a workout. That’s why pitchers get blown up in later innings (it’s also because hitters have seen their stuff in the previous innings and have now adjusted to it), but once you get tired, your body makes minor changes to compensate, and that’s why the mechanics fall off, and for a pitcher who needs superior control to make decent pitches, that can be a killer. Also, that’s when injuries occur.  There’s a Bartolo Colon joke in here somewhere, but I’m starting him this Saturday at home v. ATL, so I’ll save it until he (hopefully) gets through that and doesn’t run out of energy. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

Deception

Recently Chicago White Sox announcer Ken Harrelson was broadcasting a game where Chen-Chang Lee, a Taiwanese pitcher, was pitching for the Cleveland Indians.  Hawk declared it to be an example of "typical Asian motion. Deception involved!"

Deception can be translated into different words in Japanese, including ごまかし(gomakashi), まやかし (mayakashi), 欺まん(giman).

The caveat here is that in baseball deception is a term that actually describes a pitching style, where a pitcher “hides” the ball when releasing it so that the ball is harder to pick up for the hitter, thus making it more effective. “Deceptive” has been used to describe several other MLB pitchers, the one I think of right away is Tony Cingrani, who twists his body back away from the hitter before releasing to create an illusion which (apparently) helps his pitching style, as he finished 2013 in top form and is continuing it into 2014. Many Asian pitchers actually do utilize this Cingrani-like motion of swinging their body away from the pitcher, but I haven’t really heard a reputation of Asian pitchers doing that type of motion more than pitchers of other ethnicities. Therefore, I actually don’t have that much of an issue with Hawk’s use of the term as long as it wasn’t fueled by racism. He may have been trying to describe the concept that I outlined here, but it came out as “Asians are deceptive” and generated huge story lines.

I DO have an issue, however, with this “Asians are deceptive” stereotype outside of baseball, and I have heard it before. It does exist out there, not as much as some of the other ones like “Asians are good at math” or “Asians have slanted eyes,” etc., but it does exist, which is a problem. The difference between “Asians have slanted eyes,” which itself is not a great stereotype and I wouldn’t encourage people to perpetuate that (especially Miley Cyrus) is that I can see where the eyes stereotype comes from: there is an element of truth, just empirically, that forms the basis of that stereotype. Asians, objectively, have eyes that seem more to be in an oval shape and stretched out than eyes on people of different nationalities. That can be scientifically proven; one can do a sample of 1000 randomly selected Asian people and compare it to 1000 randomly selected non-Asians and measure the height and weighth of their eyes and come up with a definitive answer.

That is not true of the “Asians are deceptive” stereotype. Not only is the “deceptive” measure not quantifiable, it is purely malicious. There’s nothing redeeming about a “deceptive” label (as opposed to baseball, where “hiding the baseball well” could be a compliment for you being a good pitcher). In society, being called deceptive summons images of concocting schemes, trying to trick others, and fraudulent activities. The legal definition of “fraud” actually incorporates deception. Lots of causes of action in the law have to do with deception, including conspiracy, undue influence, intentional misrepresentation, RICO, etc., etc. And no, you don’t want to be sued.

The “Asians are deception” stereotype is probably the worst stereotype of any religious, ethnic, sexual preference, national origin, gender, or any type other type of group to have. There’s other ones that I can think of involving certain groups that are prone to violence and crime, and those are pretty bad as well. As bad as those stereotypes are, and I wish they didn’t exist, there can be empirical evidence to confirm if those are true or not, and what we can all do to prevent that from happening, do sociological studies to change the status quo. There is nothing scientific or beneficial that can be done from “Asians are deceptive” stereotype, nothing positive that can be gleaned from it, it is just a devastating stereotype that cannot exist.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan 

Are You Cheating?

不正行為 (fusei koi) is the word for cheating at games in Japanese. A big issue in the media in recent years has been cheating in sports. The big one is “steroids” or PEDs (performance enhancing drugs), which pervades all sports but has been the subject of congressional hearings, federal investigations, and criminal sentences in the last few years, with suspensions being handed to some of the biggest all-stars for various banned substances. The NFL has had issues with this that has been somewhat swept under the rug

But what really constitutes cheating at a game? The black-letter definition is obviously to do something that is prohibited by the rules, but the rules don’t cover everything

I recently read a really good article regarding “doctoring the baseball” by Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, with real insights from major league pictures who used the practice. It talks about all sorts of ways pitchers try to get a better grip on the ball, get more spin on the ball, basically do anything they can to get a leg up on the hitter. Amazingly, though, the article mentions that SOME OF THESE PRACTICES ARE NOT FROWNED UPON! Apparently umpires know that it happens but let it happen anyway. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/pitchers--guide-to-cheating--how-to-do-it-right-061959306.html

To me, “doctoring the baseball,” or the practice of putting dirt on the ball, scratching the ball with fake fingernails, putting hair gel on the ball, etc., is just as egregious of a practice as “juicing” in the MLB, in that the hitters get an advantage. Why do hitters use human growth hormone or steroids? To get an advantage on the competition! To me, the distinction between these practices is very thin and should not end just because a rule forbids or does not forbid these practices. There have been no studies done to test whether pitchers statistically do better using these practices or not, so I guess there’s nothing to scientifically prove that this is cheating, but if players are doing it, there must be something about it that is beneficial.

This might upset some people who play dodgeball, but I don’t wear gloves during dodgeball even though many “catchers” who try to do a lot of catching of the ball (as opposed to dodging the ball or blocking with a ball) do wear gloves. I’ve never worn gloves and don’t know what affect it has first-hand, but I’ve heard from other players that it does help with catching, for almost the same reason that baseball pitchers “doctor” the ball: to get a better grip on the ball, in dodgeball’s case to get a better grip on the ball upon first contact of it flying into your hands and having it rest calmly into the palm of your hand, as opposed to flying away. (It’s hard to catch a rubber ball thrown at a high velocity with your bare hands).  Many glove users will say that gloves protect their fingers, and it’s not banned in most leagues, so it’s totally within the rules. But for me, it just seems artificial and  I’m just not comfortable using them just because of the similarities to a performance-enhancing drug (or device), in this case. It’s an interesting issue that I think goes unnoticed in most sports because it’s not a huge problem and doesn’t draw viewers attention like a “FEDERAL INDICTMENT OF ROGER CLEMENS” headline does, but I feel the impact of it.

Then again, I mean, I eat a banana before dodgeball games because I actually do feel it gives me a leg up and enhances my performance. Does it make it wrong? No. Wearing gloves or “doctoring the baseball” lies somewhere between eating a banana between games and blatantly using steroids, but the argument lies in where it is in that fringe.

In fantasy baseball, ironically, I take the opposite stance: I do everything and anything within the rules (and sometimes outside of the rules, as my leaguemates will attest) to give myself a leg up, including but not limited to picking up kickers the day before a fantasy football Sunday to prevent my opponent from getting one, making gentlemen’s agreements for trades, and numerous other little techniques that I’ve picked up over the years. I think my views are evolving on this, but I’m still trying to think of a justification why this “performance enhancement” is ok in fantasy sports for me but why I’m so all about integrity in physical sports.  

Fantasize on (with less cheating), 

Robert Yan 

The Value of One's Reputation aka "My Name is My Name!"

評判 (Hyouban) is the Japanese word for reputation, and it’s a very important concept for their culture, but I would argue it’s even more important in China, where saving face and preserving one’s name is tantamount to other concepts such as wealth, practicality, and sometimes even honor. I’ve been instilled since birth to have a good reputation by doing such things as giving to others when they are in need, returning money as soon as possible to someone I’ve borrowed it from, doing things that allow others to have a good impression of me.

Sometimes reputation can seem overrated, like if you hold the door to the elevator for other people, but you never see that person again, you haven’t really set a reputation, and the value of that reputation doesn’t seem that high. But it’s those types of act that lead to other acts that give a reputation, like sharing notes during law school, or letting other people switch with your particular interview slot  to the detriment of yourself, etc. I take value in that sometimes even if I’m taking a monetary hit. After all, each of us will pass away one day (kind of morbid, sorry) and all that remain will be our name and our reputation, passed on by other people. I would like a good one to be passed on for eternity (probably won’t go that far, but one can hope).

I would say that reputation of other things like school you went to or company you associate with is also pretty important. Especially in today’s society where people need to know things quickly about other people and get a gauge right away or they lose interest, having a good education/ getting a recommendation from a friend is essential towards signaling/branding/labeling oneself. Lots of things get done by online, comparing resumes, exchanging information, etc., can carry one. The more I age the more I realize that the adult world/ business world is really just about advertising oneself, making oneself marketable, so that others will trust and use services or goods that one provides, whichever industry one is in. A good reputation will do that.

In dodgeball, I have a reputation as a catcher, and it really influences the way the game is played for me. It’s like baseball: if a pitcher knows that a hitter is looking to swing away at pitches, they’ll throw pitches out of the strike zone that the hitter will reach for, and if the pitcher knows the hitter is taking/trying to draw a walk (dodging would be the equivalent in dodgball), they’re throw at the body. It’s a very useful distinction. More important than knowing others’ reputation, I feel, is knowing your own reputation. If you know what others expect of you, you can craft your game as necessary and make the adjustments. For dodgeball, if I know teams have instructed players not to throw at me because I am a threat to catch it, I will take more chances throwing despite the presence of throwers, etc.

Reputation has a somewhat different role in fantasy baseball: sure the same pitcher-hitter analogy applies where people know Brandon Philips is a hacker or that Carlos Santana is looking to draw out counts and aim for a walk, but that’s already factored into one’s overall value. It’s important to know what the hitter is actually doing v. what his reputation is, and often this is where the wheat can rise to the top. It’s not necessarily just “hype” neither, that’s preseason chatter based on the “sexiness” of a pick, a reputation is more of what a hitter has established over the years based on rock solid performance, so that fantasy owners come to expect a certain level of performance from that player. A great example is David Ortiz having a reputation for .300-30-100 seasons, or Prince Fielder having a reputation as a solid HR source. It’s important to actually watch the games or at least that player’s at-bats to see if they’re really living up to that reputation. In Fielder’s case, he had 3 RBI last night which would seemingly fulfill his slugging reputation but they were all a result of ground balls that found holes in the defense, not exactly “mashing” kind of hits. Prince Fielder, would, in my opinion, be someone who will not live up to his reputation this season.

The importance of reputation is played out beautifully in this clip from the best show ever (still, in my book), The Wire (parental guidance required) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCaBYEEFTKE

"My Name is My Name!" 

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan 

For Chinese Readers only- My Grandfather and the Notebook

Expanding my horizons a bit, I have composed a piece in Chinese to brush up on my Chinese. The English translation follows. 

外公和笔记本

我是在美国长大的, 仅仅四岁半就来美国。在美国我虽然去过中文学校， 可是学中文最大功劳还是属于我外公的。从小他就教我中文，让我得到了好的中文基础，鼓励我读三国和水浒大名著。外公今年八十八，但知识面很广， 脑子又清楚， 人称活字典。

岁月不饶人， 一下子二十年过去了， 我已经念完法学院做了律师，而现做的工作还偏偏需要会中文. 我上高中和大学时都没好好练中文, 可惜忘了好多字，念中文时很吃力的， 在别人面前都不太好意读. 幸好我毕业了以后意识到学中文是重中之重, 不顾一切地把中文补回来. 我运气好, 找到在洛市的工作, 每星期周末都回我爸妈家一趟，睡在我从小长大的床上，很舒服. 家里人都喜欢读世界日报, 我一开始对新闻没有兴趣, 而且看繁体的字嫌太耗时间了, 有时就算读懂一篇文章也是略知大音. 近来我才发现读报纸才是培养中文的上计. 我最欣赏的是家园版， 每一份有好几篇特有趣的故事。我每次读的时侯拿着铅笔和笔记本， 看到生字我就写下来,  递给外公请他多多指导. 其实外公也想教我中文,所以算我俩不谋而合. 我真正佩服外公, 那么大岁数了还能记起好几千个汉字, 不仅告诉我意思和发音还可以把背后的故事讲给我听, 比如说四面楚歌, 南辕北辙这种有历史背景的成语.

我经常想，我小时候能有外公在家，真是挺幸幅!我认识不少华人儿女， 在美国长大从来不用中文， 家里也不说， 逐渐就忘得一干二尽净。 实在太可惜了！ 所以我决定把握住这个优势，不要骄傲，　还是要继续努力，　跟外公读报纸。当然， 读懂一个字跟能在说话当中用上是两回事， 经常学了一个新字或新词马上就忘记了， 而且没有多少机会能用上。自我感觉最好的是我有一次跟我妈争打牌引起争论， 正闹得鸡飞狗跳时， 我知道再吵下去会伤感情的， 不如用前军之鉴， 说一个笑话来让两方都息怒。 我就说，“算了，　妈，　大家都知道你比我牌技好，　我再争下去也只是班门弄斧。”　这一说妈妈就笑了，　而且是一种惊喜，　因为她没想到我还会这一招。　

不知不觉地，我的笔记本已经填满了, 必需用新的一本了. 不过我肯定会把这些笔记本永远保存好的, 因为我知道这本子不仅是很好的复习资料, 也是我和我外公那么多天一起学中文的纪念品. 

My Grandfather and the Notebook

I was  born in China but came to America when I was merely 5 years old. Although I have been to Chinese school, the greatest contribution to my learning Chinese belongs to my grandfather (on my mom’s side). From an early age he taught me Chinese and trained me to have a solid foundation in the language, as well as encouraging me to read Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other famous Chinese literary works. My grandfather is 88 years old this year, but his knowledge base is broad and he still thinks clearly, thus earning the nickname “Walking Dictionary.”

Time goes by quickly, 20 years went by in a flash. I have already graduated from law school and become an attorney, but ironically the work I do now requires knowledge of Chinese. When I was in high school and college I ignored my Chinese studies and unfortunately lost a big chunk of the language, thus when I read Chinese it sounds like a foreign language, to the extent that I got embarrassed to speak in front of other Chinese speakers. After graduating from law school, however, I realized how much of a priority I should place on learning Chinese, and so I relentlessy endeavored towards reinforcing my Chinese. Luckily, I work in Los Angeles and my parents live close by, so most weekends I go home to my parents’ home and sleep in my own bed. I noticed that everyone at home likes to read the “Chinese Daily news.” I initially had no interest in reading newspapers, and reading traditional Chinese characters wastes too much time for me, and even if I understand an article I bungle my way through it, not really understanding some words and phrases. After a while, though, I realized that reading these newspapers was the key to success in learning Chinese, especially the Articles from Readers section, where each article has an interesting story about real life people. Every time I read it I have a pencil and notebook, and when there’s a word I don’t recognize I hand it to my grandfather so that he can educate me. Coincidentally, my grandfather also is eager to teach me Chinese, so it’s kind of a unspoken agreement we have. I really admire my grandfather, he preserves so much knowledge and so many Chinese characters despite his advanced age, and not only can he give the definition and correct pronunciation of a word or phrase but also the background behind it, like “surrounded on all sides” or “going nowhere fast.”

I often think, I was very lucky to have a grandfather at home when I was young. I know a lot of ABCs (American born Chinese) who never use Chinese and don’t speak it at home, so they completely forget the language. It’s really a shame! I pledge to grasp this opportunity and not get complacent, continue striving towards my goals, and study Chinese newspapers with my grandfather. Of course, learning a certain word and being able to use it are 2 completely different things, and I often find myself forgetting a word as soon as I learn it. There aren’t that many opportunities to use Chinese. I do have one good self esteem-boosting memory: one time my mother and I were arguing over card strategy, and just when the debate was raging on, I realized that going any further might hurt feelings, so I learned from my previous mistakes and inserted a joke to lighten the tension. I said, “that’s alright, Mom, everyone knows your card strategy is better than mine, so arguing with you further would only be the apprentice teaching the master. My mom smiled at this, and it was a pleasant surprise for her because she did not expect that I would have this trick up my sleeve.

Without knowing it, my notebook has filled up with Chinese words, and I have had to switch to a new notebook. However, I will forever keep these notebooks in a safe please, because I know that these books are not just good study materials for later, but also souvenirs of the times I spent with my grandfather learning Chinese. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

Cornucopia

In the Hunger Games series, the Hunger Games opens with the “contestants” starting in their own little pods but then being released into a central area with other contestants, who happen to be trying to kill each other and as many as they can. This central area also contains various items that the contestants need, including food, water, supplies, and most importantly of all (especially for the whole killing part) weapons. This happens in both the first 2 movies of the Hunger Games movies (great movies, btw, and follow the books they are based on to a T, which is refreshing) and illustrates a very important concept: The Opening Rush. Don’t get too greedy here: you need to pick up something, but the better the idea there is, the more risk you incur to get it and in winning the battle, you might lose the war. Chinese Proverb= 因小失大.

This is exactly the lesson at this point of the season in fantasy baseball. Most teams are 2 or 3 games into a 162 game season, basically like opening night of an NBA season. It happens every year: guys get hot in the first few games of the season and seem to have a LOT of value. This includes Justin Smoak(7RBI) , Emilio Bonifacio (4 steals already!) and Alejandro DeAza, perennial not-top 200 players who are getting picked up at a prodigious rate in fantasy leagues. The Closer Carousel also seems to be at full speed at the beginning of the season, with Nate Jones being replaced on Monday morning unexpectedly, fantasy owners not finding out Jim Henderson had been replaced by Frankie Rodriguez until Rodriguez actually came in for the save (a truly “Huh?” moment for Henderson owners, me being one of them), Jose Valverde taking over for the injured Bobby Parnell, Jim Johnson imploding twice already, Josh Fields leading the Houston saves committee, etc., etc. Bottom line, there are a LOT of seemingly valuable assets on the waiver wire. And some of them WILL actually pan out to have great season: Check Josh Donaldson and Matt Carpenter last season. But just be selective in these adds. Don’t give up the farm or blow your FAAB (the most devoted fantasy baseball managers of course know this as Free Agent Auction Budget). And as we found out with Katniss in Catching Fire (SPOILER ALERT!) it was better that she wound up with a small knife and backpack during the cornucopia than going for her coveted bow and arrow, which she might have been killed while getting. Final cliché: Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, and nothing is truer than right now during this “Opening Rush”/Cornucopia stage. Get something out of it. Pick up the scraps.

I’ve written about the “Opening Rush” in dating too, especially when meeting someone for the first time. The first 5 minutes of that frenzied kind of feeling is pretty cool, but it’s nothing compared to what an opening rush of dodgeball is like for advanced teams. In most dodgeball leagues, there is an opening rush where players from both teams literally run up to the middle line for the balls, meeting and then engaging in battle.  The rules basically facilitate an early slaughter where players have balls really close to their opponents, and it gets really chaotic, with balls flying everywhere and people going out left and right. I love the Dodgeball cornucopia, especially if you can survive it. Even if you don’t, the sheer exhilaration and adrenaline rush of that is hard to compare, I often play back the memories of how fast things move later on. Bullets are flying in the air, your dodgeball life is very much in danger, you have to kill (get someone out) or be killed (get out). I can only imagine how the tributes in the Hunger Games felt, with their lives on the line.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan  

April Fool's Day

April Fool’s day is a day for practical jokes. Practical jokes don’t have to happen on April Fools’ Day, but when they do, they have a greater effect and “aha” moment. Not recommended for serious business situations, with spouses when having important relationship discussions, and children under the age of 16.

Here’s a list of practical jokes that I have heard of (and some I have lived through over the years):

1.)    Members of a graduating class of a high school brought pigs to a homecoming event and parked them outside. The pigs wore matching letter sweaters and were supposed to go through the school and then be brought outside to the crowd assembly. However, when presented to the outside crowd, there were 3 pigs with the letters “P,” “I,” and “S,” with the “G” missing. Mass hysteria ensued in the ensuing scramble throughout the pig to find the last pig, which was of course the joke……….there was no 4^th pig.

2.)    Members of a law firm knew the new associate was waiting for his bar results, so right before the results were about to come in they pretended to be the state bar and called the new associate indicating that “there had been something wrong with his test score” and that he might have to retake the exam. As someone who’s gone through the finding-out process, that is a very stressful time, and that joke was probably very very effective, although somewhat malicious given the magnitude.

3.)    My fantasy baseball leaguemates knew that I could not access fantasy baseball sites at my work last April 1^st and thus collaborated to “punk” me and email me at the same time that my best player at the time (Ryan Braun) had been suspended for the year, thus effectively ending my status as a contender that season.

Practical jokes are usually a sign that a group of people have bonded to the point of being able to do these things without fear of social ostracism, that they know each other well enough that doing so wouldn’t offend the other’s sensibilities or cause a ruckus of some kind.

“Busting balls,” “ribbing,” “banter,” “taking shots at each other,” whatever one wants to call it,  teasing one another is a close family member of the practical joke and is a staple of my conversation with most of the people I’m close with. Especially with guys, it seems like a rite of passage to be able to put up with lots of jokes and insults that otherwise would be mean-spirited but when said by someone who you’re comfortable with, is a sign that……..you’re comfortable with them, even if they say derogatory statements. It’s at least half of the conversations with friends, and I usually do it to try to get a quick laugh. Sometimes this kind of ribbing backfires if I try it with new people who I don’t know as well, and it sometimes backfires on people I know very well but who I know would be offended by this type of humor.

The above are highly recommended in a fantasy baseball league where all managers know each other and really in my opinion is what a fantasy baseball league is all about: Friendly competition laced with jocularity and inside jokes where the joke could be on others but when it’s on you, you know it’s just friendly banter. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan