Fernando Alonso of Spain steered his Ferrari to victory at Formula One’s Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday at Shanghai International Circuit. F1 fans should know Mark Webber didn’t do as well, as WorldCarFans.com reports. Alonso, sounding more bored than anything afterward, said: “The celebrations tonight will be nothing special as I have an early flight for Bahrain,”... Read more »
Guan Tianlang accomplished two historic firsts in the second round of the Masters yesterday. He made the cut, becoming the youngest player to do so in any major (he was, after all, the youngest player to ever participate in any major). And he was assessed a stroke-penalty for "slow play" on the 17th hole.
"He became the first player, by all accounts, in the 77 times they've held this tournament, to be assessed a penalty for slow play," writes ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski.
Guan Tianlang is precocious. He is a star. We're not sure if he knows this and is simply playing the role of establishmentarian golf prodigy to a tee -- with understated self-assessments washed with humility, a genial confidence -- or is just being himself, but judging by his post-round quotes, he doesn't feel at all uncomfortable in the spotlight as the biggest story story in this year's biggest golf tournament. Sergio, who? Marc Leishman, who? Tiger, who?
Any reference to Chinese golf sensation Guan Tianlang inevitably mentions his age, and rightly so: the kid is just 14 and, in 14 and a half hours (12:24 am local time), will become the youngest ever to play in the Masters by a full two years. But in a reworking of an old sports cliché, age is temporary, class is permanent.
Chinese golf prodigy Guan Tianlang, 14, is set to become the youngest player ever to play at the Masters — he tees off on Thursday at 12:24 pm Georgia time. But the youngster has already been busy on the links at Augusta, it appears. Behold, his Twitter account, @Guan_Tianlang (we can safely call it “under the radar,” with only... Read more »
Two-time Olympic gold-medalist Zou Shiming triumphed in his professional debut on Saturday, which you surely already know, if you follow Chinese news. He won a four-round unanimous decision against Mexico’s Eleazar Valenzuela in Macau’s Cotai Arena at the Venetian, the result alternately described as “dominating” and “a formality.” Ring announcer Michael Buffer, before the bout even... Read more »
“There aren’t many basketball stars who step off the bench and directly into the dictionary,” begins 60 Minutes’s Jeremy Lin story — only slightly belated. The part that’s probably most interesting is when Lin talks, frankly, about race and stereotyping. This from the show’s transcript:
Manny Ramirez launched a beautiful 7th-inning home run yesterday while playing for the EDA Rhinos in Taiwan, a rocket to deadaway center. He now has 556 home runs in the big leagues -- 555 in the MLB, and one in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
Ramirez, 40, also happened to hit the 7,000th home run in CPBL history, according to Baseball America (citing Taiwanese media).
Order was restored to the Chinese Basketball Association last night as the Guangdong Southern Tigers, winners of the CBA finals in 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, and 2004, beat Liaoning on the road, 94-74, to complete a four-game sweep.
By "order" we mean devastating lack of parity, the type that makes one wonder: is Guangdong actually any good, or is every other team really supremely that bad?
If you attempt to kick a ball while wearing loafers on perfectly trimmed grass, this is liable to happen — even if you’re the best 37-year-old free-kick-taker in the world. Look at that elderly Chinese man reaching out to help. Look at the dude with his foot on the ball, too cool for even bemusement.... Read more »
