Still in the rough
The success of golf tournaments in China belies the tepid state of the country’s golf business
This story originally appeared in the November 21, 2005 edition of Business China, published by The Economist. Download a PDF version of this story here.
by DAN WASHBURN
Tiger Woods played in an official international golf tournament in China for the first time this month. It was a big one—the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, the richest golf event ever held in Asia with a US$5m purse. This coupling of cash and the world’s top player brought the buzz surrounding the growth of golf in China to a crescendo. Zhang Lianwei, China’s most successful pro golfer, said Mr Woods’s presence “moved China golf forward by ten years.”
Hot ticket
China is emerging as a hot ticket for international golf tournaments. This year alone, the mainland and Hong Kong hosted five European Tour events—more than Scotland (four) or England (three). But golf in China is all big-money tournaments and almost no growth at the grass-roots level. Events like the HSBC tournament create great exposure for the game in China, but nearly everything about them is foreign. They include few Chinese golfers, even fewer domestic sponsors and lukewarm government support. Domestic media coverage is also perfunctory at best, though a gallery of some 5,000 people followed Mr Woods during the HSBC Champions’ final day.
“People are saying what a great year it has been for Chinese golf—I disagree,” says Nick Mould, senior vice president of Singapore-based World Sport Group. “It has been a great year for golf in China, but not for Chinese golf. This is not sustainable, because nothing is left behind.” He pointed to two high-profile tournaments in China prior to the HSBC—the BMW Asian Open and the Johnnie Walker Classic—where out of US$3.8m in prize money, less than US$50,000 ended up in the pockets of Chinese golfers.
Soon, you too can compete in the Masters Cup!
I scored some sweet Masters Cup tickets on Monday thanks to Shamus — who always has a VIP ticket for something — and the friendly people at Haworth office furniture. The brand new Qi Zhong Stadium is nice, really nice, a proper stadium. It has air conditioning, which immediately makes it better than most of the sports arenas in China. You have to wonder, though — why is it almost in Anhui Province? OK, it’s just a 100 kuai cab ride from city center, but weren’t there some vacant plots of land or bulldozable neighborhoods, say, 20 minutes from the city instead of 50? It’s a hike. And what are they going to do with a tennis stadium the other 51 weeks out of the year?
Anyway, the building is worth seeing even if the tennis no longer is. I managed to see Andre Agassi’s only match before he joined Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal and withdrew from the tournament. Really, the way he played, his exit from the tourney was only a matter of time. Nadal came out to court to apologize to the fans for not being able to compete due to a foot injury. He could of at least limped! So, now we are left with Roger Federer and these “masters”: Guillermo Coria, Nikolay Davydenko, Ivan Ljubicic, Gaston Gaudio, David Nalbandian, Mariano Puerta and Fernando Gonzalez. Half the field is from Argentina … not that there is anything wrong with that.
11.16.2005, 5:38 PM · Photos, Sports · Comments (3)
HSBC Champions: Golf still an elitist pursuit in China
This story originally appeared on ESPN.com.
by DAN WASHBURN
Sheshan International Golf Club, site of this week’s HSBC Champions tournament, is about an hour west of Shanghai — if you are lucky. The only way to get there from downtown is a start-and-stop ride along the Hu Ning “Expressway,” an overcrowded stretch of asphalt that cuts through a grim part of the city you won’t find mentioned in any tour book. Most spectators are bussed in and bussed out and never set foot outside the picturesque private grounds. And if you were part of that crowd on Thursday and Friday, it would be easy to draw this conclusion: China loves Tiger Woods.
In a nation of 1.3 billion, crowds are not hard to come by. But on a golf course? That’s something new in a country with only an estimated 200,000 people who play the sport, a country that didn’t have a golf course until 1984. The gallery following Woods for the tournament’s first two rounds easily topped 1,000. Some guessed it was closer to 2,000. That’s more than four times the number of fans who followed Ernie Els during the final round of the BMW Asian Open here in May.
HSBC Champions: Ian Poulter’s ‘funny looking pants’
This story originally appeared in the November 13, 2005 edition of the South China Morning Post (subscription only).
by DAN WASHBURN
While the hordes were hovering behind Tiger Woods as he practiced at the driving range Saturday morning, Ian Poulter worked on his putting a couple dozen meters away. There was no crowd surrounding the Englishman, but nearly everyone who walked past him did a double take, stopped and took a photo. Why? Poulter’s pants, of course.
Much has been written about the maverick 29-year-old, his outlandish attire, spiky highlighted hair and reflective sunglasses. And, pants-wise, Poulter brought his A-game to Shanghai — four pairs spun from ornately embroidered Chinese silk.
“A lot have said ‘nice pants’ — the ones who could speak English, anyway,” Poulter said of the fans at the HSBC Champions tournament. “I find it good fun and I don’t want to be boring. There are loads of guys out here who just wear standard stuff, and that’s not what I’m about. I want to be different. And the silk pants were a nice way to do it out here in China.”
11.15.2005, 10:15 PM · Sports, Stories · Comments (1)
HSBC Champions: Tiger who?
This story originally appeared in the November 12, 2005 edition of the South China Morning Post (subscription only).
by DAN WASHBURN
While some 2,000 golf fans weathered rainstorms to track every move of the world’s best golfer Friday in the second round of the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, Yao Guang Mei swept leaves with a bamboo broom. She just might have been the only person at Sheshan International Golf Club who had never heard of Tiger Woods.
“All I know is that foreigners will come here to compete,” she said.
Yao, who lives in a village 30 minutes away from the course, gets paid five dollars a day to work at the club, where a lifetime membership costs $148,000 and furnished villas average $2 million. And she’s happy to do it.
“It looks great,” she said of the grounds. “But all of these big houses look the same. Sometimes I get lost.” Yao stopped to chuckle before adding, “Back home, I don’t get to see much of this modern society. When I got the chance to work here, I was very excited to see all of these new things.”
HSBC Champions: Hope lies on Hu’s slender shoulders
This story originally appeared in the November 11, 2005 edition of the South China Morning Post (subscription only).
by DAN WASHBURN
The boy who has been dubbed the future of Chinese golf spends 11 months of the year in Florida, and he appears equally comfortable conducting interviews in English and Mandarin. Sixteen-year-old Hu Mu, the eighth-ranked junior golfer in the world according to Golfweek magazine, has a lot resting on his slight shoulders, he’s used to it. He’s been the future of Chinese golf since he was 11.
“There is a bit of pressure to be called that,” admitted Hu, who looks toward the ground when he talks and speaks just above a whisper. “There are so many talented Chinese golfers out there. I do want to be the future of Chinese golf, though. I want to inspire other young kids to learn the game in China.”
Hu is the only amateur participating in the HSBC Champions tournament this week at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai. He opened Thursday with a disappointing 6-over 78, closing with a triple bogey in the rain on the final hole.
An American wedding, Tiger Woods and sleep deprivation
So sorry for my silence recently. Been pretty damn busy. Went to the States a little while back for a week, caught a cold and attended a wedding (photos). Sleep patterns screwed up, several deadlines converged and now I’m pulling long shifts while filing stories from the HSBC Champions golf tournament, which is an annoying commute out to Songjiang District. Why people buy million dollar villas this far from downtown is a mystery to me — Thai Food Station doesn’t deliver out here. Anyway, here’s a story I filed for ESPN.com last night. I hope to get back to regular sleep and posting patterns soon.
11.12.2005, 12:56 PM · Diary, Sports, Stories · Comments (1)
This National Day holiday I …
- … flew south to Fujian Province with Bliss — whose ancestors are from Fujian — and her friend Emily, who is visiting from Seattle. My photos from the four-day trip can be found at Flickr. (They can also be found in the Shanghai Diaries photo gallery — I spent a good chunk of yesterday making sure that section of the site was up to date — but, really, I suggest you view the photos on Flickr. Better. Easier. We should be making a total switch to Flickr with the coming redesign of the site.)
- … got a little bit wet thanks to Typhoon Longwang. But was happy to have avoided the flood of people that hit Shanghai. Ri-f*cking-diculous.
- … missed out on the hot springs at Xiamen’s Riyuegu Resort (thanks to the typhoon), but settled for a private room at The Retreat, where I got an hour-long massage, soaked in a hot tub treated with aromatherapy oils … and got my ears cleaned.
- … became an uncle, again.
- … rediscovered the fact that I actually do like Chinese food. Quite a bit.
- … got lost on Gulangyu Island … again.
- … repeatedly bombarded Andrea with questions about what to do/where to go/how to get there in Xiamen. Felt kind of bad, but she is the editor of What’s On Xiamen. Andrea always kindly obliged. I gave her a Shanghaiist t-shirt for her troubles — nothing says “thank you” like a little shameless self-promotion!
- … took a great day-trip into Fujian’s rural Nanjing Province to soak in a little Hakka culture. Was amazed at the size of their tu lou earthen roundhouses. (If you are traveling to Xiamen, I highly recommend a travel agent named Apple. She speaks English and can be emailed at lemon60606(@)hotmail.com.)
- … bought one of these hats for 5 kuai.
- … bought this painting from my friends at oceansbridge.com headquarters in Xiamen.
- … went to a masseuse/chiropractor in Xiamen recommended by Andrea. A burly man, he was unable to crack my back. Is this a good or bad sign?
- … was unable to fit a Blue Frog “Montana Burger” into my mouth.
- … met with a Singapore-based book editor about my book proposal … and received a couple more rejections from the US (news I’m sure Billy Baldwin is very happy to hear).
- … discovered a great new sandwich shop in Shanghai. Very cheap, and near my apartment, too. It’s called Nangka Cafe.
- … listened to Chad Van Gaalen’s great new album again and again and again.
- … confirmed that the pork ribs at Di Shui Dong are among my favorite dishes available at local restaurants.
- … likely gained a few pounds.
- … found out that there is a very good chance I will be playing the role of Santa Claus in an upcoming Chinese Pizza Hut commercial.
- … tried to convince friends and family that China’s new tightened control of the internet likely won’t affect me. Am I being naive?
- … started viewing season two of Lost and still can’t figure out why it won the Emmy for best drama … or why I can’t seem to stop watching it.
- … watched England qualify for the World Cup and realized that my illegal satellite hook-up is better than the one at the Big Bamboo.
- … spent one morning watching the Yankees lose, one watching them win and today woke up at 4 am to discover their game had been rained out.
- … wondered whether American celebrities will hold telethons for the victims of Pakistan’s awful earthquake, the same way they did for tsunamis and hurricanes this year.
10.09.2005, 4:53 PM · Bars, Culture, Diary, Food, Music, Observations, Photos, Sports, Television, Travel · Comments (2)
They shoot catfish, don’t they?
Nah. They grab ‘em!
I love America. Home of the free. Home of the brave. Home of people who fish for giant catfish with their bare hands. Now, I’m not talking about catfish this big. Or even this big. But still, pretty damn big. I mention all this because a friend sent me this story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday:
“Hey, we’re rednecks,” Brown said. He cracked open a Bud Light as he aimed his 16-foot Alumacraft johnboat toward a mound of rocks where water eddied under a low-hanging limb. “We like any kind of fishing.”
Brown, Owen and anyone else hoping a fish will bite their fingers can thank the Georgia Legislature for the privilege. Legislators this year passed a bill making noodling — also called grabbling, hand-fishing or hogging — just as legal as using fishing poles, rod-and-reels and trotlines for freshwater fish. Georgia joined neighboring states Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina in opening the state’s waterways to noodlers.When they heard noodling would be legal Friday, Brown and Owen made sure to have the day off work for a day on the river. By midmorning, they were on the Flint, five miles south of Concord, waiting for something to move under their hands.
They didn’t wait long.
“Whoop!” Owen, 39, came out of the water like a dog, shaking himself, then plunged back under a gray rock in 4 feet of water. He thrashed once, twice, then came back out, grumbling.
“Got away” he said. “It was a little ‘un.”
When I lived in Georgia, handgrabbin’ was illegal. Can you believe that? It’s our God-given right as Americans to do stupid shit. I wasn’t about to let the damn state gubment keep me down. So, I drove over to the right-thinking state of Mississippi to stick my hand up in some catfish. (I actually rather enjoyed myself.)
I know I’ve linked to this story before. But hey, chicks dig it. And it’s the Fourth of July — so I thought this rather fitting. Our founding fathers would have wanted us to go noodlin’. I know that for a fact.
Happy Independence Day!
07.04.2005, 4:34 PM · Sports · Comments (4)
ESPN.com’s package on golf in China
You just might recognize the author
ESPN.com, the internet’s sports website of record, is running two stories I wrote about golf in China:
• Golf in China grows bigger by the day
• Chinese events bring interesting questions
At the time of this posting, the package was ESPN.com’s featured story on the site’s main page. But that changes pretty often, so here is a screen shot. It’s also the lead story on ESPN.com’s golf page (screen shot).
And yes, I think this is all pretty cool. It’s not too often you get to write for one of your favorite websites. (Even if they do initially spell your name wrong.)
05.19.2005, 2:20 AM · Featured, Sports, Stories · Comments (2)
MLB invests in China’s baseball growth
A version of this story appeared in the May 11, 2005 online edition of Baseball America.
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — The China Baseball League celebrated its Opening Day in April, but in Shanghai, the country’s showpiece “international city,” the invitations must have been lost in the mail. As the fledgling pro league’s Shanghai Eagles and Tianjin Lions battled it out in the ironically named Shanghai Sports Palace, a dusty field far northwest of city center, there was more activity at a bustling fish market nearby.
About 75 fans and curious onlookers were scattered throughout the stadium’s 800 or so seats, and they were treated to an exciting game. Shanghai, last in the league in wins and attendance since the CBL launched in 2002, squandered a 4-0 lead in the ninth inning and ended up losing 9-5 in 12 innings. Most of the cheering during the game, however, came from the dugouts.
05.17.2005, 3:48 AM · Sports, Stories · Comments (2)
Luxury cars, pro golfers and dirty underwear
The nice thing about covering a professional golf tournament sponsored by BMW is that there’s always a chance you might catch a ride home in a BMW. That happened to me three times during the Asian Open, which concluded Monday — a day late because of rain — at Tomson Golf Club in Pudong.
On Sunday, I shared a 7 Series Sedan with a caddie and two golfers who were competing in the tournament … and I had no idea who they were. I didn’t want to ask — I thought that would be insulting. It would also have been a little embarrassing. I mean, I was wearing a media badge — I was writing about the freaking tournament — so you would think I should be able to recognize the competitors. But I couldn’t. You’d be surprised how little golf you actually watch when covering a golf tournament.
A little internet digging told me that the professional athlete seated directly in front of me in the passenger seat was Richard Sterne. The professional athlete to my left — seated on the hump seat — was Wade Ormsby. “I’ll sit in the middle,” he offered. “I’m small.”
05.04.2005, 2:38 PM · Humor, Observations, Photos, Sports · Comments (1)
China’s top golfer demands more domestic support
Zhang: Playing for PRC an “ordeal”
Coverage of the BMW Asian Open, a professional golf tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. A version of this story appeared in the May 1, 2005 edition of the South China Morning Post (subscription only).
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — China’s top-ranked golfer Zhang Lian Wei criticized his government and Chinese companies Saturday, delivering an emotional post-round press conference that elicited applause from members of the Chinese media covering the BMW Asian Open at Tomson Golf Club.
Zhang, who turns 40 on Monday, said he has never received any state funding during his historic 11-year career. He added that he has zero domestic sponsors.
“It’s such an ordeal playing golf in China over the years,” Zhang said, his voice cracking at times. “It’s tough, it’s difficult and it’s lonely. I know golf is not an Olympic sport, but I think the sports authorities should at least have shown some kind of support, like air tickets or something, to show their appreciation of my contributions to Chinese golf.”
05.03.2005, 1:20 PM · Photos, Sports, Stories · Comments (2)
Els to fans: Put your phones on vibrate
Coverage of the BMW Asian Open, a professional golf tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. A version of this story appeared in the April 30, 2005 edition of the South China Morning Post (subscription only).
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — There are, by the most recent count, some 330 million mobile phones in China, so it’s not too surprising that one of them happened to be five feet away from Ernie Els as he lined up a putt Friday during the second round of the BMW Asian Open at Tomson Golf Club in Shanghai.
Els was at hole No. 6 and, already at 13-under for the tournament, enjoying a rather commanding lead. He was putting from 10 feet for his third consecutive birdie, his fifth on the first six holes of the back nine.
And then that darn phone rang.
Els stopped his putt in mid-swing, turned around and smiled at the phone’s owner, a middle-aged Asian woman. Others weren’t so kind. Fans yelled at her in English and Mandarin. She managed to stop the ringing — and then the phone rang again.
“It happens a lot more over here,” said Els, the world No. 3. “It seems like everyone has a camera and everyone has a mobile phone that can also take pictures. Most of the time I take it in stride, but hopefully it doesn’t happen too often over the weekend, because it is a bit of a distraction. You want a bit of quiet over the ball.”
This post has absolutely nothing to do with Japan
It’s about soccer
Or footie, as the cool kids call it these days. Sunday evening, Cecil, Gavin, Marina and I headed over to Hongkou Stadium to watch some China Super League action. Shanghai Shenhua vs. Inter Shanghai, to be specific. This is called a derby. But it’s pronounced darby, I think. Now would be a good time to admit something: Living in Shanghai, I believe I have learned more British English than I have Chinese.
When I was around six years old, my mom bought me some new pajamas. The shirt had a picture of two guys playing soccer on it. And, since some 6-year-olds are stupid, it also had the word “SOCCER” printed in big bold letters. I threw a fit. Screaming. Crying. Why? Because I’m an American, Godammit! We hate soccer.
And then my family moved to England. The West Midlands. Sutton Coldfield. I attended the Penns Combined School — uniform required. Everything changed. I wore Adidas Sambas. I played Subuteo. I collected soccer sticker albums. I pulled for Aston Villa. I played soccer, excuse me, football — with a tennis ball, on blacktop — during recess. (I also played marbles, something called conkers … and got sent to the headmaster’s office because I somehow convinced a fellow second-grader to, inside our Ally McBeal-style co-ed bathroom, pull her knickers down. I still feel bad about that. Kind of.)
04.27.2005, 1:22 AM · Observations, Photos, Sports, Video · Comments (2)
The coldest looking sport in the world
Also: I am a bad Pennsylvanian
As some of you may know, I’m in Honolulu now. The forecast for Sunday is 80 degrees and sunny. Perfect beach weather, right? Nope. Not today. Today, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. I will be seated in front of a television set. And I will be loving every minute of it.
This is a great time to visit America for NFL fans who happen to live in China. The division championships. Atlanta vs. Philadelphia. New England vs. Pittsburgh. Winners advance to the Super Bowl. And I get to watch both games live. I know it sounds ridiculous, but other than meeting my nephew and visiting with family, the prospect of watching NFL games live was the thing that excited me most about coming to Hawaii. Well, OK — the weather’s a draw, too. It’s nice to go “home” without freezing your ass off.
Speaking of home — and freezing your ass off — thanks to FOX and CBS, I’ll get to spend six hours in Pennsylvania tomorrow … and the only thing cold will be the beer in my right hand. They are expecting a foot of snow before kickoff in Philly. The high temperature Sunday in Pittsburgh is expected to be 17 — with wind gusts of 30 miles per hour. And I, if I get sick of the commercials, can walk barefoot out onto my brother’s porch and see the Pacific Ocean.
01.23.2005, 7:03 PM · Sports · Comments (6)
In search of baseball’s Yao Ming
China takes a swing at America’s Pastime
A version of this story appeared in the July 18, 2004 edition of the South China Morning Post (subscription required).
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — Seattle Mariners scout Ted Heid has spent the past four years searching China for “diamonds in the rough.” He hasn’t found any yet. Right now, he says, he is closely monitoring the progress of a lot of “lumps of coal.” But Heid will be back in Beijing and Shanghai next year, and the year after that. China’s baseball boom is coming … sometime. Only no one seems to be sure when it will finally arrive.
“You can’t discount China in anything, whether it is business or any athletic event,” said Heid, the Mariners’ Director of Pacific Rim Operations. “Once they make it a focus, their greatest asset is people.”
11.30.2004, 1:24 AM · Sports, Stories · Comments (3)
Tracking The Shark
i followed the group that included greg norman (otherwise known as “the great white shark”) and zhang lian wei, arguably china’s top pro golfer. last year, he became the first chinese golfer to win a european tour tournament.
most of these photos were taken on the sly, as photography by fans is strongly frowned upon. and imported security personnel communicating through earpieces, looking like members of the aryan nation or perhaps extras from sprockets, loomed and chastised those who dared to disobey their directives.
camera nazis notwithstanding, i must say that, after several years spent covering sports for newspapers, i’m having fun just being a sports fan again. it no longer feels like work.
anyway, enjoy the photos.
05.15.2004, 2:54 PM · Photos, Sports · Comments (1)
Chinese Football: Wilkinson’s Shanghai surprise
Hired by reigning league champs, Sgt. Wilko could be gone before the fall
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — Every time Howard Wilkinson exits his five-star Shanghai hotel, he thinks about Flash Gordon. Overlooking the Huangpu River, the Oriental Riverside Hotel sits in the shadow of the Pudong skyline, a scattershot vision of the future that feels about as humanistic as a set for a science-fiction movie. One of the otherworldly skyscrapers reminds Wilkinson of the Saturday morning trips to the cinema he used to make as a child in Sheffield, England. To him, the building looks just like Flash Gordon’s rocket ship. To him, the building, and those that surround it, look nothing like China — or at least the China that he was anticipating when he arrived in Shanghai in March.
05.14.2004, 9:59 AM · Sports, Stories · Comments (6)
Alex Scales: Standing tall in Shanghai
NBA dreams take former Oregon star around the world — and out of his element
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — Alex Scales was surrounded. Moments after the Shanghai Sharks defeated the Zhejiang Horses, a huge push of people had its favorite foreign player corralled. His head and shoulders poking through the throng, Scales was at the mercy of the masses. If the crowd moved, he moved too — a bust bobbing on a sea of black hair. They wanted autographs and photos. He wanted a way out. It was the only time Scales looked lost on the basketball court that night.
04.19.2004, 6:44 AM · Sports, Stories · Comments (6)
This just in from Hong Kong …
today i received PDF files of my two most recent stories for the south china morning post (subscription only). to check them out, click the links below:
take me out to the bangqiu bisai
if you’re a fan of mediocre baseball — yes, i mean you, pittsburgh pirates fans — you’re just going to love the china baseball league. baseball, huge in japan and taiwan, has never really caught on here in china. for evidence of this, just look at the CBL (the only pro league in a country of 1.3 billion), which could only scrounge up four teams.
this is the CBL’s third season, and last friday i was there for opening day: shanghai eagles vs. beijing tigers. shanghai’s congbei stadium in pudong is not conveniently located — the nearest subway stop is a 22 kuai cab ride away — but that didn’t stop shanghai’s baseball fans from coming out in droves.
04.08.2004, 3:06 PM · Observations, Sports · Comments (4)
i have the jaspers in the elite eight. and you?
but now i feel the real thing. my brackets are all filled out and we’re just 13 hours from tip-off. i have the feeling, however, that i may be the only person in shanghai who cares about college basketball. please let me know that isn’t the case.
so check out my bracket if you like. and share your thoughts. just bear in mind that i haven’t seen a college basketball game in two years.
speaking of which, does anyone know any place in shanghai that is showing ncaa tournament games? if so, let me know. i’ll buy you a beer when i get there.
03.18.2004, 12:40 PM · Sports · Comments (1)
where the hell have i been?
in a cave? well, yes. but only part of the time.you know it’s been a long time when you start getting text messages from your students telling you to update your website. so here you go, bonny.
over the past several weeks, i chose to concentrate on money-making ventures — you know, freelance writing and standing next to cars — instead of this website.
03.11.2004, 1:06 AM · Guangxi, Movies, Observations, Photos, School, Sports · Comments (4)
cricket fighting: shut the hell up, russell!
cricket fighting — yes, cricket fighting — has been a popular activity in china for thousands of years. they are the roy jones juniors of the insect world: they sing … and they kick ass!
09.22.2003, 11:35 PM · Observations, Sports · Comments (10)
buy me some peanuts and … soy sauce rice crackers?
something almost made me drop my tsingtao on friday (i said almost). at a bar, i glanced at a television expecting to see beckham or billiards or some bad chinese drama where the guys sport shaved heads and ponytails. instead, i saw my beloved new york yankees take on the toronto blue jays. i was stunned — my first time watching baseball in mainland china.
09.07.2003, 5:10 PM · Observations, Sports · Comments (2)
buddha made of stone
the latest from my student terra, the biggest NBA fan this side of the pacific:
as for the NBA playoffs, spurs finally won the game over mavericks,i believe it can win the final champion and also glad to see that result, because besides jordan and yaoming, i like tim duncan best.he is so calm in the court and never shows off and i can’t help appreciating this kind of property.his nickname is so great,but i don’t know how to say it in english, while in chinese called “shi fo(pronounce like four)” it means a buddha made of stone.
06.01.2003, 7:39 PM · School, Sports · Comments (7)
md or nba?
My students may know me better than I think.
More than a few of them accused me of canceling classes last Monday so I could stay home and watch the NBA All-Star Game on TV — not so I could go to the hospital and have a doctor check out my bum ankle.
I did go to the hospital. I promise. Of course, before I did, I watched the NBA All-Star Game on TV.
super bowling
I was in Nanning, China on Jan. 26 … and I couldn’t watch the Super Bowl for the first time that I can remember. Granted, the Super Bowl started at around 7 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 27 for me, but for some reason I still thought I might be able to catch the game on TV. (We Americans tend to think that the Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event in the world.) The TV in the $12-per-night “hotel” I was staying in had Star Sports and what appeared to be ESPN Asia — although the information on the station appeared to be a couple days old — but there was no Super Bowl to be found. The closest thing? The Asian Bowling Championships. And I watched every last frame. Would you believe a white guy won?
02.23.2003, 11:51 AM · Sports
