Olympic Hall of Fame welcomes Kristi Yamaguchi and other American legends into the Class of 2006

Figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, sprinter Evelyn Ashford, swimmer Rowdy Gaines and gymnast Shannon Miller along with fellow Olympian Bob Hayes (deceased) and Paralympian Diana Golden-Brosnihan (deceased) were inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2006 during a black tie ceremony at the Harris Theatre in Chicago this evening. The members of the 1984 Mens Gymnastics Team - Bart Conner, Tim Daggett, Mitch Gaylord, Jim Hartung, Scott Johnson, Peter Vidmar and alternate Jim Mikus were honored, in addition to "Miracle on Ice" Coach Herb Brooks (deceased) and Olympic speedskating gold medalist Jack Shea (deceased).

Inspired by 1976 Olympic skating champion Dorothy Hamill, Yamaguchi started competing at the age of seven, carrying a Hamill doll with her for good luck. At the 1988 World Junior Championships, Yamaguchi won the ladies' title as well as earning the pairs gold medal with partner Rudy Galindo. Winner of back-to-back world titles (1991, 1992), the four-time U.S. World Team member was one of the first American women to compete in both pairs and ladies singles. She won the Olympic gold in ladies singles at the 1992 Albertville Winter Games.

The nationally-televised broadcast of the ceremonies airs on NBC from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. ET Sunday, January 1, 2006.

The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to celebrate the achievements of America's premier...

Jeremy Lin graces the cover of the November issue of GQ Magazine, hitting news stands October 23. 

AsianConnections thanks GQ and Conde Nast for permission to use these knock-out images of Jeremy by Paola Kudacki/GQ Magazine.

The slogan on GQ's cover is "Look Sharp - Live Smart" - Jeremy Lin certainly looks sharp in these photos, he's one photogenic guy. 

Lin talks with GQ writer Will Leitch who spent time with him when he was in the Big Apple to do the GQ photo shoot and attend other events. It was Lin's first trip to New York since it was announced that he would no longer be a Knicks player. 

Lin talks about how the fans and Linsanity affected him, the Knicks, the Houston Rockets, and being Asian American. 

Read the GQ article and view more images of Jeremy by Paola Kudacki and a behind the scenes video by Matt Baron here.  

"There's a lot of perceptions and stereotypes of Asian-Americans that are out there today, and the fact that I'm Asian-American makes it harder to believe, even crazier, more unexpected," he says. "I'm going to have to play well for a longer period of time for certain people to believe it, because I'm Asian.

And that's just the reality of it." It's not all that dissimilar from what Yao Ming went through. "When Yao came out his rookie year as the first pick of the Draft, you have Charles Barkley saying, 'If he scores seventeen points in a game, I'm going to kiss a donkey's butt,' " Lin says....

Over 45 Asian LPGA Tour Golfers Attend Michelob ULTRA Open

Williamsburg, VA (May 15, 2007) - Michelob ULTRA welcomed over 45 Asian LPGA Tour golfers participating in the LPGA Tour at the Michelob ULTRA Open during a special reception at the Kingsmill Resort and Spa.

The tournament took place at the Kingsmill Resort and Spa, owned and operated by Busch Properties, Inc., the real estate subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies. Participating LPGA Asian golfers that attended the reception included former Michelob ULTRA Open champions Grace Park (2003) and Se Ri Pak (2004), 2006 champions Seon Hwa Lee, ShopRite LPGA Classic and Jin Joo Hong, KOLON-Hana Bank Championship, 2007 tournament winners Mi Hyun Kim, SemGroup Championship and Stacey Prammanasudh, Fields Open in Hawaii. Forty-seven of the top 50 LPGA Tour players competed in the Michelob ULTRA Open for a share of the $2.2 million purse. The winner, Suzann Pettersen, received $330,000.

Welcoming remarks at the reception were given by Wayne Nooe,Michelob ULTRA Open tournament director. LPGA player Mi Hyun Kim, winner of the recent SemGroup Championship, received special recognition from Chris Higgs, LPGA Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, for donating $100,000 of her winnings to the Kansas tornado victims.

"We are honored to be celebrating the achievements of the Asian LPGA golfers at the Michelob ULTRA Open for the fifth year,"said Jason Pak, Senior Director, Asian Marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "With each...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2012/11/23/houston-rockets-new-york-knicks-jeremy-lin/1723749/

December 27, 2012

New York City

Hideki Matsui announced his retirement at age 38 on Thursday in Manhattan. Known as "Godzilla" to baseball fans in Japan and U.S., the 6 foot 2 inch, 210 lb. athlete has had an illustrious career in both countries. 

He was named World Series Most Valuable Player in the U.S., and three times was named the Central League Most Valuable Player Award in Japan. He played seven seasons from 2003-2009 for the New York Yankees, and ten seasons for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.

He had a $52 million dollar four year contract with the New York Yankees through 2009. Matsui helped the New York Yankees win the World Series, defeating the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies earning him the World Series Most Valuable Player Award. At the end of 2009, Matsui agreed to a one-year $6.5 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

In addition, Matsui played one year stints with the Oakland Athletics, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a basebal outfielder and designated hitter, batting left-handed and throwing right-handed. 

For the full story click here.