Shirihoudai

You heard it here first! Well, not really. . . but anyway, Sak pulls out a victory over Andrews Nakahara at Dream 2. I have hopes for this organization - if they are able to bring together the big names in Japan mma without going corrupt, get some cable station to air their shows, pull a profit. . . . yeah, i’m dreaming (pun intended).

(photo via Dream via mmaweekly)

Disappointed that Minowa lost again, I love his pre-fight routine.

Full results of Dream 2 (spoiler):
(more…)

Yeah, he will miss his start against the California Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Orange County.

Just hope he isn’t spreading the deadly Osaka flu. . .

(photo courtesty of Andy’s official website)

Andy Hug arguebly may not have been the best K1 fighter but there is no denying that he represented all that was pure in the sport.  A true warrior and showman, he never ceased to win over the crowd whether it be a spinning back fist, devasting axe kick, or that winning smile that just lit up the ring after a match.   I can pinpoint the exact moment when I became a K1 fan - Andy’s spinning back kick to Mike Bernado’s knee that resulted in a KO.  Up until that moment, I never saw fighting that you could KO someone with a leg kick. 

His life story is tragic.  Being able to retire from the sport on top, but then passing away a couple months later on August 24, 2000.   I’ll never forget his gyu-don commercials where he is holding a bento box in one hand and knocking down doors with his axe kick saying “gomennasaiyo!”  Those wacky commercials no doubt paved the way for other K1 athletes to cash in on Japan marketing (Bob Sapp).  In an age where corruption is tearing down the faculties of Japan mma, it was athletes like Andy who kept it afloat and still awe-inspriting.  Just felt compelled to write a little something about this guy after finding his website, thats all.

The High School where I taught English had a Baseball “club”.  But I swear, they only had about 6 guys total - not close enough for a full game, or even a scrimmage game to practice.  But I’d see them throwing balls to eachother after school, take batting practice, etc.  I wonder if they had to recruit some free agents from other schools to help them play against the rival school down the street?  But i’m pretty confident they would be able to beat the Kawamoto technical high team.

Japanese school team hit for 66 runs in two innings

TOKYO, April 17 (Reuters) - A Japanese high school pleaded for a regional game to be abandoned after surrendering 66 runs in less than two innings, local media reported on Thursday.

The coach of Kawamoto technical high school threw in the towel to spare his pitcher’s arm with his team losing 66-0 with just one batter out in the bottom of the second.

The hapless hurler had already sent down over 250 pitches, allowing 26 runs in the first inning and 40 in the second before Kawamoto asked for mercy.

“At that pace the pitcher would have thrown around 500 pitches in four innings,” Kawamoto’s coach was quoted as saying. “There was a danger he could get injured.” Opponents Shunshukan were officially credited with a 9-0 victory, giving the scoreline a tinge of respectability for the luckless Kawamoto school. (Writing by Alastair Himmer; Editing by Justin Palmer)

250 pitches?  Thats abuse!  I think the coach was waiting for the cheerleaders to finish their songs - those take forever!  story

Story from the Mainichi again on Jero - the newest enka singing sensation in Japan.  He released his single called “Umiyuki” and is getting invited to sing it at different venues around the country.  This latest story is about him singing at a basketball (hmm, racial profiling) game in Japan’s Basketball league.  It normally wouldn’t be newsworthy enough to repeat here but the title just had me do a double-take:

Black enka singer puts on Fukuoka show for bj league

Enka crooner Jero belts out a tune before a bj-League game in Fukuoka over the weekend. (Mainichi)

FUKUOKA — Black enka singer Jero put on a pre-game show for the Basketball Japan League’s Rising Fukuoka before it played its final home court match against the Ryukyu Golden Kings here over the weekend.

The 26-year-old American singer with a Japanese mother sparked up the crowd with something of a mismatch, singing traditional Japanese songs before a bj league game, where the atmosphere is known for its trendy, razzmatazz feel.

Fukuoka fans got behind the popular young singer and would also have been pleased after their team got up to win the game following Jero’s show.

Jero made his singing debut in February this year and has seen his popularity rise steadily since. He arrived at the game on a huge motorbike and belted out “Umiyuki,” his debut single.

How can I join this bj-league? Sounds like fun!

Someday I’ll get around to my tribute to Hard Gay, but in the meantime, ran across this article on the Associated Press.  Not quite the hip thrusting sado-masochist type of gay, but he has put his own spin on being a fruity wrestler south of the border.

Mexican wrestler puckers up to fight

MEXICO CITY - In a hot-pink Mohawk haircut and leotard to match, he pirouettes before taking down his muscle-bound enemies with a swift kick to the groin.

Maximo, Mexican professional wrestling’s latest sensation, then delivers a crowning blow — a kiss on the lips of his macho opponent — to the delight of a roaring crowd.

Maximo is one of the “Exotics,” a group of effeminate fighters in the testosterone-fueled world of Mexico’s Lucha Libre, the inspiration for the World Wrestling Federation, now World Wrestling Entertainment. Known casually as “gay” wrestlers, Exotics have been around since the 1970s but are experiencing a wrestling revival. Their characters are strong, yet sensitive good guys overcoming evil, they say.

But showing your soft side in the ring isn’t as easy as it might look, Maximo says.

“It’s kind of hard playing this part, no? Especially because the sport is about being tough, rude and violent,” he said. “But as long as the public loves us, we’ll be there.”

haha, this first pic. . .is that a. . oh wait, it’s the referre’s arm

Right fielder Kosuke Fukudome went 3 for 3 in the Cubs loss to the Brewers.  He had a home run and a double.  I’d say that was a pretty productive night.

Yankees star Hideki Matsui got married and won some money from teammates Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu in the process.  The only details he has given is that she is 25 and even drew a picture of her:

 photo via AP.

I don’t know, with all his money, I think he could have done better. . .

Lastly, my hero Hideo Nomo is making a comeback only to be slowed down by a groin injury.  damn! Nomomania will run wild once again!

If I only were rich enough to join. . . The gym is called Laughter7 and if you want to meet a mixed martial arts / professional wrestling legend, check it out!

address:

Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 6-3-8 Minamiooi GADENIA Omori 2 F
Keihin Kyuko Electric Railway “Omori Beach” 7 minutes walk from the station.
JR “Omori” 8-minute walk from the north exit station.

Ah, what better way to spend an afternoon than by watching 2 huge behemoths slamming their bodies into eachother?  I’m talking about SUMO baby!  I haven’t watched it in a while since the local asian channel KSCI stopped broadcasting the tournaments on tv, those bastards!  So I don’t really know who is the top dude now. . . probably some Mongolian.  But wait, just as my love of sumo is waning, they bring it to my backyard at the LA Memorial Arena on June7-8!  Tickets can be found here and they aren’t cheap.  But it may be well worth it to see these guys crashing into eachother and demonstrating such athletic moves like this:

image via sumotour.com

By Jim Armstrong
The Associated Press
Thursday, March 20, 2008

TOKYO — J.R. Henderson is now J.R. Sakuragi.

Henderson, formerly of the UCLA Bruins and the Vancouver Grizzlies, is now a seven-time Japan Basketball League All-Star. He enjoys Japan so much he’s decided to become a naturalized citizen.

Taking that big step seemed to be the right thing to do for the 31-year-old forward from Bakersfield, who averaged 9.2 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman on UCLA’s 1995 NCAA championship team.

“I’ve really adjusted to the Japanese customs and respect how they do things here,” Sakuragi said Sunday. “So it was like a win-win situation for everyone.”

Sakuragi, who moved to Japan in 2001, still holds a U.S. passport but that could change.

“I have a couple of years to think about it,” Sakuragi said. “That’s part of the deal; they expect you to give up your citizenship. The U.S. allows dual citizenship, but Japan doesn’t, so that’s a decision I’ll have to make.”

Sakuragi plays for the Aisin Sea Horses in the JBL, but it was the chance to play for Japan’s national team that was behind his decision to become a Japanese citizen.

After earning his Japanese citizenship last July, Sakuragi joined the national team just before the Asia Championship, an Olympic qualifier.

Despite the addition of Sakuragi, who scored 11.9 points per game, the Japanese team fell short in its bid to qualify for the Beijing Games.

“I got on the team real late and we didn’t have enough time to get any chemistry going,” Sakuragi said. “I hope to be in good enough condition to give it another go for the next Olympics.”

After an impressive college career, Sakuragi was a second-round pick of Vancouver in the 1998 NBA draft. It was an experience he’d rather forget.

“That was the worst luck ever,” Sakuragi said. “When I got there, everyone was about to get fired, the team was about to move to Memphis. Timing is everything and there was nothing I could do about it.”

After playing 30 games for Vancouver in the 1998-99 season, Sakuragi had stints in Las Vegas, France, Puerto Rico and the Philippines before landing in Japan, a place where he now feels at home.

“This is the best country I’ve played in,” he said. “If you are good to them, they’ll be good to you. They don’t run you too hard and treat you like a piece of meat.”

They only drawback to playing here, Sakuragi says, is having to adjust to the cramped quarters when the team travels.

Many of the hotels in Japan, especially ones in some of the rural areas Sakuragi travels to, weren’t built for someone with a 6-foot-8 frame.

“It’s a bit of a crap shoot,” Sakuragi said. “Some of the hotels are OK, but in some places on the road, you can touch all four walls sitting in one spot.”

There is no problem finding room on the court, however, where Sakuragi annually ranks among the league’s leading scorers and rebounders. He plays for a team that won the championship in 2003 and 2004 and is in the finals again this year.

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Pretty amazing  and I’m jealous,  but great for him that he can continue doing what he loves in another country that he fell in love with.  I always wondered what happened to him after his NBA career.  Has anyone watched the pro leagues in Japan? Its a run and gun style and pretty fun to watch if you’re not too critical about turnovers and bad plays.