Huntr/x Joins Katseye for "Golden" Coachella Surprise

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Coachella Gets 'KPop Demon Hunters' Surprise as Huntr/x Joins Katseye to Sing 'Golden'

Coachella attendees got a "Golden" treat when the singers behind Huntr/x -- Ejae (Rumi), Audrey Nuna (Mira), and Rei Ami (Zoey) -- made a surprise appearance, joining the ladies of Katseye (Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung) on stage to perform their Oscar-winning hit from Kpop Demon Hunters.

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Mariners unveil broken Ichiro statue outside of T-Mobile Park

Awkward. On Friday, the Seattle Mariners unveiled a statue outside T-Mobile Park to honor Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki. Unfortunately, the bronze sculpture, which features Suzuki in a signature pose, was damaged upon being revealed to the public. When the tarp was pulled from the statue -- with some difficulty -- the figure's bat was bent backward at the handle. Womp womp.

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How Sheng Wang finds 'Purple' comedy in a stuck drawer and a toothbrush choice

For comedian Sheng Wang purple is more than a color, it’s a way of being. From his style... to the way he floats through the world writing jokes based on the small, fleeting moments of life, Weng's aura is maintaining a sense of tranquility and creating impact with his art by not trying so damn hard. It's no shock that his second Netflix special Purple is the most revealing of who he is at a time when folks are finally paying attention.

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‘Front Desk’ children’s author pivots with ‘The Take,’ a sharp critique of America’s antiaging obsession

In Kelly Yang’s latest novel, The Take, two women swap blood as part of an experimental antiaging therapy that's suddenly fashionable in California's high-income districts. A vibrant skewering of our youth-obsessed culture, it's quite the detour for a children's book author known for boldly blazing new trails.

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Q & A with cartoonist Derek Kirk Kim of upcoming series ROYALS

Acclaimed cartoonist Derek Kirk Kim talks about this latest comic book Royals, a mind-bending crime caper about telepathic twin brothers set in the shadowy back alleys of Seoul, South Korea.

They Call Us Bruce 233: They Call Us Asians in Baseball

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome Kim Cooper and Scott Okamoto, co-hosts of the podcast Asians in Baseball, just in time for spring training. They discuss the current renaissance of Asian and Asian American players in Major League Baseball; becoming a baseball fan in this extraordinary moment; Shohei Otani's ass; the Lenn Sakata Fan Club; and the unifying love of Kim Ha-Seong. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of Asians in baseball.

This Spring, Baseball Returns to Manzanar

The Manzanar Baseball Project will stage two games at the Manzanar National Historic Site.

Here's an incredible project that could use your eyes and dollars -- a unique community event that combines sports, history, memory and social justice. This spring, The Manzanar Baseball Project will stage two baseball games on a newly restored field at the Manzanar National Historic Site in the Mojave Desert.

Manzanar was the first of ten detention camps where Americans of Japanese ancestry were unjustly imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. Overall, it was the largest mass incarceration in American history with 120,000 people being imprisoned between 1942 and 1945.

For many incarcerated Japanese Americans during this time, resilience meant creating a sense of "home" in any way possible, including playing sports. And in the 1940s, baseball was the most popular sport in the country -- including and especially in the camps, where dozens of leagues were formed with hundreds of players.

Houston Astros' Yuli Gurriel suspended for racist gesture

...but he won't have to sit out the World Series.



If you were watching the World Series on Friday night, yes, that was indeed Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros making a racist gesture in reference to an Asian pitcher. For those who didn't catch it, you already know exactly what gesture I'm talking about: the slant eye. And it got him a five-game suspension.

Yuli Gurriel suspended five games, in 2018, for actions in World Series Game 3

During the Game 3 broadcast, cameras caught the Astros first baseman pulling his eyes back and uttering "chinito" while sitting in the Houston dugout. He was clearly referring to Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, who is Japanese and Iranian. Gurriel hit a solo home run off Darvish to kick off a four-run rally in the second inning.

Perhaps that was Gurriel's way of celebrating -- the international symbol for "chink." Well, the cameras were watching, the image was zapped across national television, and the outcry was fairly immediate.

Dave Roberts hired as new Dodgers manager

Former outfielder will be the first minority manager in the franchise's history.



Dave Roberts will be hired as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him the first minority manager in the franchise's history, and only the second Asian American manager in the history of Major League Baseball. The decision is expected to be officially announced on Monday.

Dodgers are set to hire Dave Roberts as manager

News broke over the weekend that Roberts would be named as the Dodgers' new manager, replacing Don Mattingly, who parted ways with the team last month. According to a source close to the decision, Roberts will receive a three-year contract with the team holding an option to keep him a fourth season.

Tim Lincecum scores an exclusive interview with Bruce Lee

Fun video splices interview footage of legendary martial artist with San Francisco Giants pitcher.



San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum recently sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with legendary martial artist, actor, philosopher and inspirational human being Bruce Lee. Whaaaaaat?

The Giants recently dropped this hilarious video that features Bruce Lee as a guest on The Tim Lincecum Show, splicing together classic interview footage of Lee from The Pierre Berton Show with some cheeky questions and responses from the Filipino American two-time Cy Young Award winning Freak.

As a lifelong fan of both Bruce and the Giants, this is a glorious combination of all my favorite things:

Travis Ishikawa's home run sends Giants to the World Series

Bottom-of-the-9th blast gives San Francisco a 6-3 win over St. Louis in the NLCS



First things first: I am a lifelong San Francisco Giants fan. So excuse me if this is a little gushy.

The Giants are going to the World Series, thanks to a massive, already-legendary bottom-of-the-9th walk-off home run by Travis Ishikawa last night, giving San Francisco a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!

Kawakami: Put Travis Ishikawa among San Francisco Giants' legendary heroes

Instant hero. Pretty awesome for a guy who, earlier this season, was considering quitting the game.

Ishikawa, 31, started his career with Giants back in 2002, was released, bounced around, started this season with the Pirates, got sent to the minors, but eventually made his way back on to San Francisco's roster. The journeyman first baseman found himself playing left field in the postseason, providing the Giants with some key at-bats and defensive plays. And then, tonight, that homer.

That blessed homer:

Jeremy Lin & Wong Fu Productions imagine "Lindorsements"

Also: Jeremy throws the first pitch at Dodgers Stadium



At the height of the era we affectionately call "Linsanity," basketball sensation Jeremy Lin reportedly turned down tens of millions of dollors in potential endorsement opportunities. Fast forward to 2014. Now that Jeremy has moved on to Los Angeles and joined the Lakers, what sort of endorsement deals is he looking at?

Jeremy recently teamed up with Wong Fu Productions to imagine himself as the star of various ad campaigns, poking fun at the Most Interesting Man in the World, Chris Paul's Cliff Paul commercials, Richard Sherman's Beats ad... and other endorsement indignities. Plus a surprise appearance from a fellow Laker.

Check it out:

Announcer calls Asian pitchers "Oriental." Two nights in a row.

Hawk Harrelson didn't get the memo. Or perhaps threw it in the trash.



Hawk Harrelson is on a roll. Oh, what has he done now? This week, the longtime announcer for the Chicago White Sox used the term "Oriental" to describe an Asian pitcher on two occasions, two nights in a row. Classy.

White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson continues to stereotype Asian pitchers

During the broadcast of Wednesday night's game against Boston, Harrelson referred to Red Sox pitcher Junichi Tazawa as "oriental." On Thursday night, he did it again. I guess Hawk didn't get the memo, or perhaps just crumpled it up and threw it in the trash can. Many, many decades ago.

You can hear the remark in this clip from Wednesday's game, in which Harrelson first says "Asian" then quickly says "Oriental," as if he's correcting himself. You're going the wrong way, sir:

Tim Lincecum throws second career no-hitter

"The Freak" no-hits the San Diego Padres. Again.



Awwwww yeah. As a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants, I gotta show some love for pitcher Tim Lincecum, who threw a no-hitter today against the San Diego Padres. Again. Stay classy, San Diego.

Tim Lincecum tosses second no-hitter against Padres

In his second career no-hitter in less than a year -- only the 16th in franchise history -- the 30-year-old veteran held the Padres to just a walk and struck out six, leading the Giants to a 4-0 victory at AT&T Park.

Lincecum becomes just the second major league pitcher, and the first in more than a hundred years, to no-hit the same team twice in his career. He's also the just the fourth active pitcher with multiple no-hitters.

While he's had his share of struggles, Lincecum dominated the Padres -- granted, the weakest-hitting team in the majors -- with 113 pitches. for the superfan, here's a video supercut of all 27 outs:

Watch out for those sneaky Asian pitchers

"Typical Asian motion. Deception involved."



This week in sportscasters who should shut the f*ck up... Watch and listen as this asshole announcer calls out a baseball player for employing "deception"... because he happens to be Asian. Typically Asian, apparently.

Hawk Harrelson Should Probably Not Suggest "Asians" Are "Deceptive"

During the broadcast of Thursday night's Indians/White Sox game, announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson took the liberty of providing some color commentary about Cleveland pitcher Chen-Chang lee, who is from Taiwan.

In the bottom of the sixth, Lee threw a nasty slider to Alexei Ramirez. Swing and a miss. Harrelson could only describe the pitch as a "typical Asian motion. Deception involved." Gotta watch out for those Asians!

[The video has been removed from YouTube. Watch the moment here.]

Inscrutable, like a freaking sneak attack.

Mets coach apologizes for using racial slur

Pitching coach Dan Warthen called interpreter a 'chinaman'



This comes from Stu Woo, sports reporter for the Wall Street Journal, who shares about a recent encounter with the derogatory term "chinaman" uttered in an unlikely place -- the New York Mets locker room.

In the Mets Locker Room, an Old Slur Resurfaces

Woo was in the locker room talking to Jeff Cutler, the 30-year old Japanese American who serves as the interpreter for Japanese-born pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, when they were approached Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen:

Justin Lin to adapt 'Battered Bastards of Baseball'

Lin's Perfect Storm acquires remake rights for Sundance sports documentary



So what's Justin Lin working on now? Add yet another movie to his giant, growing pile of projects. The Fast & Furious director's production company Perfect Storm beat out several buyers at the Sundance Film Festival to acquire the narrative remake rights for the documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball.

Sundance: Justin Lin to Adapt 'Battered Bastards of Baseball' Doc (Exclusive)

The sports documentary, which premiered last week at Sundance, tells the unheralded true story of the late Hollywood veteran actor Bing Russell -- father of Kurt -- who in 1973 created the only independent baseball team in America at the time, the Portland Mavericks, a ragtag underdog team that defied the odds.

It's just one of those feel-good sports stories. You can see why studios like Columbia Pictures, Fox Searchlight and DreamWorks were all clamoring for a shot at the remake rights. But Justin's got 'em.

Welcome to America, Masahiro Tanaka

Classy as always, New York Post.



Got this passed along to me from multiple people... Not that I expect anything less than tastelessly exploitative from the New York Post, but take a look at this cover from Thursday's metro edition. The headline heralds the New York Yankees' signing of Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka to a $155 million contract.

No doubt, that's a pretty big deal, but does it warrant the accompanying image of a Japanese World War II aircraft? Decades later, people still seem to go out of their way to invoke war imagery with anything related to Japan. How about trying a little harder? And stay classy as always, New York Post.

Kolten Wong picked off first base for final out of Game 4

To nobody's surprise, racist baseball fans tweet racist things.



Wow. Rookie mistake. Another shocking game-ender in the one of the weirdest World Series ever. Boston took Game 4 when St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong was picked off first base by Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara for the final out of the game: Koji Uehara picks off Kolten Wong for final out of Game 4.

Wong, a rookie from Hawaii, was pinch-running for Allen Craig, who singled earlier in the inning. Alas, with slugger Carlos Beltran at bat, Wong wasn't even trying to steal. He was just trying to get his lead for the pitch, but his "foot slipped," and he wasn't able to beat the throw to first.

It was the only game-ending pickoff in the World Series history. Here's the play:

Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara's son steals the spotlight

Adorably awesome photos of the ALCS MVP and his kid Kaz



A belated congratulations to Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Koji Uehara, who was named the 2013 ALCS MVP over the weekend after a triumphant performance during the American League Championship Series, picking up three saves and a win against the Detroit Tigers -- and a trip to the World Series.

But while the right-hander has pitched his way to some well-earned accolades, it's Koji Uehara's son, 7-year-old Kazuma, who might be stealing the spotlight. Check out this brief-but-awesome interview Fox Sports' Erin Andrews conducted with the young Uehara:

Ichiro Suzuki joins the 4,000 Hit Club

Ichiro joins only two other players in major-league history with 4,000 career hits.



Is it there any doubt that Ichiro Suzuki is one of the greatest baseball players of all time? On Wednesday, with a mighty swing of his bat, the New York Yankees outfielder collected the 4,000th hit of his professional career: Ichiro Suzuki reaches 4K-hit plateau.

There's a little twist, because the 4,000th hit reflects a combined total between his career in both the Japanese Pacific League and the American major league. But no matter how you slice it, the feat is impressive -- an exclusive benchmark that only two other players, Pete Rose and Ty Cobb, have reached.

Number 4000 was single in the first inning against Toronto Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey:

No, wait. THIS is the greatest windup in baseball history.

Whoa. Now that is how you throw a first pitch.



Dang! Koreans sure know how to start a baseball game. A few weeks back, folks got their minds blown by this clip of South Korean rhythmic gymnast Shin-Sooji throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears game, featuring what had to be the greatest wind-up in the history of baseball.

The greatest wind-up? Not so fast. I believe that distinction has been usurped by actress and taekwondo champ Tae-Mi (aka Kim Kyung-sook), who also threw the first pitch for a recent Bears game, adding some asskicking aerial flip-flair for good measure. Holy moly -- check the slo-mo:

No, ESPN. This kid's favorite band is not "Wandai Wrection."

Possible smartass shenanigans during ESPN's broadcast of the Little League World Series.



This is 13-year-old first baseman Nagiru Hiramatsu, who is representing Japan in the Little League World Series. His favorite singer, as identified by ESPN during a recent broadcast, is "Wandai Wrection." Huh? I believe young Nagiru meant One Direction, one of the most popular boy bands in the world. Oops.

I suppose that's better than "Sum Ting Wong."

Tim Lincecum throws a no-hitter against the Padres

As a diehard lifelong San Francisco Giants fan, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to give some props to San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, who pitched his first career no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night. The two-time Cy Young Award winner struck out 13 with a whopping 148 pitches: Freak performance: Tim Lincecum no-hits Padres.

Things haven't been too hot for Timmy for a while -- those Cy Young seasons feel like a long time ago -- so this was a pretty cool moment for Freak fans. First, here's a gif of Hunter Pence's awesome catch in the eight inning: