All posts by Amok

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) blog, blog, diversity, journalism, news

Ho Lee Fuk! : KTVU Fires three over Asiana Airlines Fake Pilot Names, reports say. But are they the right three?

Three mid-level managers at KTVU-Oakland, CA were fired over the broadcasting of fake Asian names in the coverage of the Asiana Airlines crash, according to reports on SFGate.com.

The firings were first reported on Rich Lieberman’s 415 media website.

I knew one of those fired years ago, investigative producer Roland De Wolk, as a hard-ass, gotcha kind of journalistic guy. Not the type to let a slip like the names fiasco get through him and on the air.

But as a veteran, he probably was making enough money to make station brass make the firings “look good.”

See my full commentary  at www.aaldef.org/blog

Linceblog: Following Tim Lincecum, SF Giants, sports

Back from No-no is an “Oh-No!”; Terrible outing for Lincecum, SF Giants as Cincinnati revives Big Red Machine, 11-0

In your wildest dreams, maybe Tim Lincecum would come up with a 2nd no-hitter, a back-to-back that would make history. No one has done it in 75 years, not since Johnny Vander Meer did it for the Cincinnati Reds.

 

It certainly didn’t happen tonight for Lincecum and the Giants.

 

Lincecum:First pitch back from No-No, was a ball. And it was downhill from there.

 

 

 

Baseball records are made to be broken, but not on this night when  Lincecum simply just didn’t have it from the first pitch.

But Bronson Arroyo did.

The Reds starter pitched  a 7-hit complete game shutout, powered by a 11-run, 17-hit attack and buttressed by some good defense, including a circus catch by the substitute center fielder Derrick Robinson in the 9th. The Giants’ Jeff Francoeur had hit a long fly to center that Robinson caught over the wall with his glove. As his gloved hand came back from over the wall, the ball popped loose, but Robinson ultimately managed to keep it from hitting the ground to record the final out.

A fitting end for a strange bombast of a game won by the Reds, 11-0.

That’s right 11-0. The sixth time this year, the Giants have lost by 10 or more, but never by a shutout like this. (They’ve been shutout 7 times this season).

Lincecum was pulled after 3 and 2/3rds  innings, after giving up 9 hits and 8 runs, all earned, including 3 home runs.

Normally this season, you could see flashes of his brilliance amid one bad inning. In this game, every inning he pitched there was trouble.

The no-hitter had been a nice diversion in a season where Lincecum has lost ten of his last 12 decisions. Pitching on nine days rest, Lincecum said after the game, he felt fine going into this one.

It just seems  like we’ve returned to the troubled Lincecum, as the afterglow of the no-no has now officially ended. 

See  more of the  Linceblog at www.asamnews.com

 

 

 

blog, Linceblog: Following Tim Lincecum, SF Giants, sports

Linceblog: Lincecum all smiles, awaits next start on Monday (updated for 7/22)

Tim Lincecum was all smiles before the game tonight (7/20). Last night he was given a standing ovation from the dugout by the fans who still wear his #55 and live and die with every pitch he throws.

Lincecum is scheduled to start Monday night, and has said he’s ready to go after  the 148- pitch no-hitter he threw  on 7/13 against the Padres. 

In the meantime, the Giants need a good home-stand to put them back on track for a post-season run.  They started a new streak with a win against the Diamondbacks on Friday. But they are still 5.5 games behind Arizona  and in fourth place in the NL West.

Lincecum  was  the  focus of  trade  rumor talks well before the no-hit performance. But that may have only  increased his value, if the Giants consider themselves “sellers.”  The Giants’ front-office was quick this week to say they expect Lincecum to remain a Giant until the end of the season.

But you never know what might get dangled in front of the decision makers.

Judging from Lincecum’s pre-game demeanor tonight, the Asian American ace is staying loose and not letting any speculation spoil his post-no-hitter mood.

UPDATE (7/20)
On his 7th day of service in the major leagues, Kensuke Tanaka pinch-hit in the 8th, but grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Sergio Romo came out in 9th and gave up a run, but got former teammate Cody Ross to strike out and end the game.

With 4-3 victory, Giants take first two from NL West leading Diamondbacks, and will try to sweep the series on Sunday when the Giants’ real ace, Madison Bumgarner goes to the mound.

 

UPDATE: 7/21/13 9:30PM

The Giants couldn’t complete the sweep against the Diamondbacks, and lost the third game in the series, 3-1, despite a great performance from their de facto ace, Madison Bumgarner.

Coincidentally, it was poor outfield play by left fielder Kensuke Tanaka at the start of the game that resulted in the first DB run, and that held up for most of the game. 

Tanaka’s eighth day of service turned out to be not so great. The first-inning play was just the first of two that exposed him for being a converted infielder playing the outfield.  Another play, a ball in which Tanaka seemed to get a late jump, turned into a double, but did not end up costing a run. A third play, a base-running gaffe, saw Tanaka get thrown out at second after trying to advance on a misthrow to first.  It stifled a last inning rally that seemed to be developing for the Giants.

Later, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy told the media Tanaka’s first inning episode was a matter of poor defensive positioning and not his inability to play outfield. But I doubt if anyone in the front-office is considering Tanaka the solution to their left field needs.

The loss did keep the Dodgers from taking over first place from Arizona. LA beat the Nationals and were poised to take over if the Giants won. But that didn’t happen. LA is a half-game behind the Diamondbacks. The Giants remain in 4th, 5.5 games off the lead.

Still, the vibe is positive as Tim Lincecum takes the mound Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds. It’s the first start since Lincecum’s 148-pitch No-Hitter  week from Saturday in San Diego.

Though a longshot, there’s always the possibility of a back-to-back no-hitter.  Johnny Vander Meer did it 75 years ago on June 11 and then June 15. It’s the only time it has ever been done. And Vander Meer’s team? The Cincinnati Reds.

Are the stars aligned this week? Lincecum has looked good in his two starts prior to the no-hitter. In fact, he lost to the Reds when Homer Bailey no-hit the Giants on July 2nd.

I’m not worried about the 148-pitch count. Lincecum is well rested, and seems to have his confidence back in spades. 

B2B no-hitters requires a lot of luck, especially with catching teams at the right time. The Reds are 5-5 the last ten games and just lost a close one at home to the Pirates Sunday. And now they’re back Monday night? The tired, jet-lagged, time-shifted visitors may need some time to get used to the road, which means Lincecum is likely to have success keeping hitters off-balance with his fastball and change-up. Lincecum got the Padres to whiff in his no-hitter. And that should continue with the Reds.

There are a lot of positives going for Lincecum on Monday that say this is as good a time as there’s ever been for a back-to-back.

Besides, I figure there’s  more than a few of his Filipino fans saying multiple rosaries hoping for something special on Monday night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) blog, diversity, news, politics, race

In case you didn’t realize it–Trayvon Martin is a descendent of Vincent Chin

A reader from Philadelphia re-tweeted me this sign from a protest there.

Note Vincent Chin’s name at the bottom of the sign.

It’s significant. Trayvon’s family may ultimately take the same road Chin took to seek justice: a criminal case followed by a civil rights case. But as followers of the Chin story know, the Martin’s could find the same pitfalls. Bottom line: there’s simply no guarantee of justice at the end of that long road.

See also my post at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund blog.