- Ichiro Suzuki has been an interesting character throughout his baseball career, a figure cloaked in mystery whose odd approach at the plate has made him one of the best hitters in baseball for two decades. His skills have been on display since debuting in 1992 for the Orix Buffaloes of Japanese Pacific League and he left in 1999 to sign with the Seattle Mariners. With a single to left off Toronto Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey in the first inning, Suzuki joined Pete Rose and Ty Cobb as the only players with 4,000 career hits in the highest levels of professional baseball. Even though his hits are split between Japan and the American major leagues, the game was stopped as Suzuki received a standing ovation and his Ichiro's teammates bounded out from the home dugout and met him at first base to give him hugs and high fives. Clearly, his refusal to speak English to reporters after 14 years playing in the U.S. and his odd fashion habits - pink man purses included - haven’t led to him being an outsider in his own clubhouse. "It was supposed to be a night that was special to me," he said through a translator after going 1-for-4 in the Yankees' 4-2 win. "But you know what happened tonight, I wasn't expecting when my teammates came out to first base, that was very special. To see the fans, I wasn't expecting so much joy and happiness from them. That's what made it very special tonight. Not just the number, but all the things that happened with it. That came with it. It was very special." Of his 4,000 hits, 2,722 are major league hits and he also surpassed Lou Gehrig for sole possession of 59th place on the all-time major-league hit list. With one more season remaining on his two-year, $13 million deal, he has an outside chance at 3,000 hits in MLB despite turning 40 on Oct. 1. He made it clear he isn't chasing Rose’s career hits total. "It's not a goal that I have," Ichiro said of catching Rose. "It's not a number that I'm looking at. I'm just coming to the ballpark every day, seeing if I'm in the lineup, keeping my schedule so that I'm in the lineup so that I can perform and do what I can to contribute to this team.” Whatever you say, Ichiro……
- R Kelly believes he can fly, he likes creeping on people while trapped in closets and he believes that a rising electro-indie band has much in common with the most iconic act in rock history. Kelly, who recently worked with French indie rockers Phoenix and made an unexpected guest appearance with the band at this year's Coachella Festival in California, compared Phoenix to The Beatles in a new interview discussing their recent collaborations. He did an odd mash-up at Coachella, performing his song “Ignition (Remix)” over the top of Phoenix's “1901.” He clearly thinks highly of his new friends, with whom he worked on a remix of “Trying to Be Cool,” a track from Phoenix’s latest album “Bankrupt!” Kelly admitted that he did not know much about the band prior to being invited to perform with them, but has quickly becomes a fan of their work. "I'm a lover of all sorts of music, which makes me a chameleon when it comes to performing anything, whether it's opera or whatever. As long as it's good and it feels good, I'm going to cling to it. But what shocked me was the fact that they wanted me on their record. I was honored," he said. Not only was he honored, but Kelly believes Phoenix are similar to the Beatles in at least one respect and he feels qualified to comment based on the fact that he has worked with some other big names in music. "There's the Michael Jacksons and the Ronald Isleys and all the other people that I've collaborated with,” he concluded. “Don’t get me wrong: I've worked with a lot of talent out there. But when you have a gift, it’s different than just having talent. [Phoenix] are gifted – they've got that Beatles thing going on. You can't explain it.” No, and we can’t explain you either, R………
- The common man’s opinion really doesn’t matter in China, but that doesn’t mean the locals in one neighborhood in southeastern China aren’t enraged by what they perceive as a double standard in housing law application. The target of their ire is an elaborate temple-like structure perched on an apartment block in their area. Those against the structure are hopeful of having it taken down much like to the result opponents of a similar rooftop folly in Beijing that was built to resemble a mountain idyll had earlier this year. This second temple in Shenzhen is believed to have been on the roof for about seven years, but it is in the spotlight due to complaints from neighbors motivated after a case earlier his month in which a Beijing was given 15 days to demolish his 88,600-square-foot house and garden built illegally atop a 26-story apartment block. The Shenzhen temple is supposed to be a public space, but the oh, so common fingerprint-activated lock stops others from accessing it. Chen Jiatao, chairman of the complex's housing management committee, insisted the temple owner must resolve the matter by opening the space to other residents, although he admitted there is little hope of that happening. "I once spoke with the past chairman, who was here for seven years," Chen said. "He said this to me: 'Oh my, don't you know? This person is an official, he has friends in high places.' So it's useless." Ah, big-timing the poor folk because a blatant disregard for laws and regulations by the rich and well-connected is how China rolls, gotta love it. Those arguing against the temple have cited safety concerns, including the fact that for residents on higher floors, the roof would be the main escape route in case of fire, while the added weight from the illegal structure could threaten the building's stability. Oh, and the rooftop temple exists atop a building where apartments sell for around $4,900 per square meter and the rooftop itself is worth more than $2.45 million, so there’s that as well………
- The Man is fighting The Man in Texas and the battle is over the Lone Star State’s requirement that voters show identification at the polls. In response to the new law, the Obama administration has vowed to sue to halt the law, which was put in place following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this year that threw out a key part of a landmark federal law. The Justice Department said it had already put in motion a plan to seek a court order declaring that the strict 2011 Texas law violates the Voting Rights Act and certain constitutional guarantees. "Today's action marks another step forward in the Justice Department's continuing effort to protect the voting rights of all eligible Americans," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. “The department will take action against jurisdictions that attempt to hinder access to the ballot box, no matter where it occurs.” Texas’ law came after a divided 5-4 Supreme Court in June invalidated the formula used to determine which states or local jurisdictions could remain under special federal oversight, requiring approval from Washington before they can change voting procedures. By muting much of the government's enforcement power in states that have historically discriminated at the polls, the court opened a major Pandora’s box and Texas ripped the lid clean off. It is still illegal to discriminate against a person when it comes to voting, but states now have more of a gray area in which to discriminate - which they could do against someone of any skin color, not jus gray. The administration’s plan to use a different section of the Voting Rights Act that allows federal authorities to ask a judge to order a state to be placed under the preclearance regime is possible, but in order to do so the Justice Department must prove "purposeful" discrimination. Texas, which is the subject of two ongoing court fights over its voter identification law and the voting boundaries created by the legislature, will be the first big test of the principle. Texas Gov. Rick Perry slammed the lawsuit within hours of Holder’s statement. "The filing of endless litigation in an effort to obstruct the will of the people of Texas is what we have come to expect from Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama," Perry said in a statement. "We will continue to defend the integrity of our elections against this administration's blatant disregard for the 10th Amendment." And if that fails, just use your arsenal of guns to solve the problem, Texas……..
No comments:
Post a Comment