I grew up watching Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) win the Little League World Series year after year. It was great! The American kids were always so cocky - it was great to see them lose.
This year, Taiwan did very well through Pool Play (beating American kids from Germany's Ramstein Air Force base 16-0 and beating Canadian kids 8-0). Though they did lose 3-2 to Mexico in Pool Play, they got their payback by first beating Curacao in the International semi-final (5-2) and then beating Mexico 9-4 in the International Championships.
I was (and still am) so proud of the team from Kuei Shan, Taiwan. They played with excellent defense (no errors or wild pitches through like 5 games), double plays galore, great pitching, and great hitting.
Sure, they lost in the LLWS game to Chula Vista, CA - in my opinion, because of their defense was lacking yesterday, but they did prevent Chula Vista from hitting any home runs. Considering Chula Vista held the record for total # of home runs, that's quite an accomplishment!
Brent Musburger was wrong when he said that Taiwan learned baseball from the Japanese, who learned it from American GIs in occupied Japan (i.e., after World War 2). Taiwan has been playing baseball for over one hundred years - the first official game was in 1906. Though Taiwan did learn baseball from Japan, it was while Taiwan was a colony of Japan (from 1895 to 1945). And lastly, Japan was defeated in WW2 and lost its colonies. China, which took over Taiwan, especially hated the Japanese (having been rivals for years and years). When would the Japanese have had the opportunity to teach baseball to Taiwan after WW2?
I did appreciate the fact that Brent mentioned (a couple of times) that Taiwan competes as Chinese Taipei, because China won't let them use the name Taiwan. However, it doesn't make sense why Taiwan has to compete as Chinese Taipei at the LLWS - if you're going to let them use the Taiwan (actually, Republic of China) flag, and let them play the RoC anthem, you might as well call the team Taiwan. Why even bother with "Chinese Taipei"? (I'm not saying that LL should clamp down and be like the IOC, who won't even let spectators wave Taiwan flags - those fans get tossed from the venues! - I'm just pointing out how stupid it is that Taiwan has to compete as Chinese Taipei).
I've recently started watching reruns of Friends. I've seen episodes on and off, but always hated all the characters. Now, though, since I know that all the characters have their annoying traits, it's actually a bit entertaining.
However, I absolutely hate the character of Monica. She is so incredibly annoying, even more than Rachel, whom I used to think was shallow and a ditz (she still is) or Phoebe, whom I didn't quite like because of her alternative hippy-ish ways, but they are both million times better than Monica.
Today's episode was the one right after Chandler proposed. Oh, can I say that Chandler's plan to make Monica think he didn't want to get married, was so stupid. I couldn't stand it. Who cares if Richard is there at the restaurant? Who cares if Monica knows you're going to propose?
So this episode - Monica suggests they all get dressed up and go to the Plaza to celebrate. Rachel and Ross decide they should hook up, just one last time and Monica finds them making out in the hall. And then Monica proceeds to whine about how Rachel and Ross (but particularly Rachel) are stealing her thunder.
Pul-eeze. You're still engaged, you're still getting married. Who cares if Ross and Rachel are kissing, hooking up, getting back together, whatever? You are the boring-est one of all the Friends - I wish you'd just disappear! (Maybe marry Richard and go away).
The world has changed so much since my parents and sister have been on an airplane. You could check in 3 bags, or carry-on 2. You could bring all the liquids you wanted, though scissors over a certain length were still banned. But rather than stopping us at the x-ray machines and making us mail the scissors back to ourselves (or tossing them into a trash bin), a stewardess (as they were called in those days) took them from us when we were already on the plane and stowed it away in their quarters until landing.
You could go through security and walk all the way up to the gate - seeing your friends board or arrive. I seem to even remember them allowing my mom to board the plane to check if her parents were still on the plane (they had mistakenly followed a good samaritan off at another terminal). Nowadays, you can't even get near a plane without the right credentials, lost parents or not.
So, as we plan for our forthcoming vacation, I've started to repeat instructions the same way the TSA agents do in the security check - take off your shoes, put them directly on the belt - not in a bin, take off your coat, take off your watch, make sure you don't have coins in your pockets, take out your 1-quart baggie and put it in the bin, make sure your bags/jackets are side-by-side - not on top of each other. No water bottles - just fill them after you pass through security. Though the instructions about the metal detector themselves haven't changed, our collective consciouness has. TSA agents will be on heightened alert, fellow passengers will be impatiently waiting.
(The last time my sis and mom flew was in 2000. The last time my dad flew was in 1985!)
