Tigers' Granderson to promote baseball in China

Monday, October 20, 2008
Tigers' Granderson to promote baseball in China
The Detroit News

Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson will become the first active player in major league history to tour in China to promote baseball. He is scheduled to travel to Shanghai and then to Beijing from Oct. 19-26.

This is part of his itinerary:

Oct. 22: Appearance with Shanghai Eagles of China Baseball Association, the country's six-team professional league; clinics for school children who are involved in the MLB International Play Ball! program.

Oct. 23: In-game interview with Shanghai Media Group during second game of the World Series; instructional clinic with the Fudan University baseball team.

Oct. 24-25: In Beijing, Granderson will be the featured instructor at two Play Ball! clinics; featured guest at World Series reception at American Chamber of Commerce in China.

Granderson previously has served as an MLB Ambassador for the game with trips to England, the Netherlands and Italy in 2006, and to South Africa in 2007.

China= Evil


Why does MLB even want to send Game Ambassadors there?


Doesn't anyone besides me

Believe Boycotting China is the way to go

Olympics should have been boycotted

gs78 wrote:

Olympics should have been boycotted

I'll boycott them next year...

bobrob2004 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

Olympics should have been boycotted

I'll boycott them next year...

Wait a Second


There ain't any Olympics next year

Actually I have nothing against the 2010 Olympics

Love Olympic Hockey


But 2012

No Baseball

Bullshit

I liked it better when the summer and winter games were played in the same year

Sports and politics go together like church and school.

Maybe so

But boycotting the 1980 Olympics was the best thing Carter ever did as President

Actually

The only good thing he did as president


But Russia collapsed a decade later

China could have collapsed



But the Western Nations would not boycott

And you got Selig and Company sending Granderson there

Thursday, October 23, 2008
Diary from China
Granderson finds much to absorb
Tiger zooms into his role as ambassador, is awed by Shanghai and government's control.
Curtis Granderson / Special to The Detroit News

My flight from Chicago to Shanghai was a 14-hour trip. This was the first time my mom, dad and I have been on a plane for this long, so we weren't too sure how we would be.

I'm one of those guys that can sleep on any plane as long as I have a window seat and it's not hot on the plane. Sure enough, I fell asleep right away once we got into the air.

When we arrived at the Shanghai airport, we had to find our group from MLB International to get our ride to the hotel, but none of us had ever seen each other, so it was going to be a little bit difficult.

The good thing was that they were American and everyone else waiting with their signs for their guest were Chinese.

You would assume that our first meal when we got in would be Chinese, but it wasn't. We actually ate at a Tony Roma's because it was right next to our hotel. After dinner, we walked around a little, then called it a night.

On our second day, at breakfast, we met a Chinese gentleman who spoke great English. He was so happy to see another American. He and his girlfriend had moved to China about a year and a half ago. He said he was a Phillies fan.

We headed to Xintiandi, which is a big shopping area where my family and I got a lot of gifts for people back home. We had lunch at a very popular place called Nanxiang. We had many different types of dumplings, and I also had a hairy crab, a crab with hair on its claws. It was good but messy and was a lot of work to eat.

After lunch we went to the Lujiazui (Pudong New District). The reason they call it the new district is because a majority of the area has been built in the last 10 years. It's amazing to see big buildings on top of big buildings all over the place, and they all came in the last few years. We went to the World Financial Center, the tallest building in China.

We made it to the 100th floor, and that was the first time I could truly see how big Shanghai was. This is a city of 14 million. The skylines in Chicago and New York are amazing, but Shanghai blew both of those away. Later that night, with all the buildings lit up, we were able to get another amazing view. After dinner, I think the time change finally got to me. I found myself falling asleep at the dinner table at 8 p.m.

Our third day began with a visit to the Shanghai Eagles, a pro team that plays in the China Baseball Association. Their practice was at a sports complex that houses baseball, softball, basketball and many other sports. Kids ages 15-19 practice their sport twice a day, 365 days a year in this complex. You would think that with all that practice, these kids would be some of the best in the world.

One of the things I have found out really quickly here is that the communist government controls everything that happens from all angles. Even though they train and practice every day, the Shanghai Eagles may only play 5-10 games a year. As you can see, this is the main reason their skills aren't to their full potential. The kids have a lot of talent and a great makeup in terms of baseball bodies. I gave them a few basic thoughts about hitting and they asked questions.

After the session with the Eagles, my parents joined me for lunch with representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in China. We talked about the reasons baseball should be in China. There was a representative from the NBA at the meeting, too, and he mentioned some of the things that have made the NBA work in China, though they feel they still have a long way to go.

After lunch we headed to our second school, which was part of the MLB Play Ball! program. It gives kids age 8-12 the chance to start with baseball as a part of their education. For some reason, they all wanted to see me slide.

It was a long day, but I still had a lot of fun.

14 hours on a plane, I'd jump out by then!!! I can barely handle the flight to CA or Vegas before I get tired of sitting in that seat for 4 hours!!!
They need to increase jet speed :haha:

I think that is why Grandy slept on the plane....YAWN!! lol

Monday, October 27, 2008
Curtis Granderson in China
Tiananmen Square, Great Wall were memorable stops
Curtis Granderson / Special to The Detroit News

Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson is writing a diary for The Detroit News from China, where he is helping to promote the game for Major League Baseball. For information about Granderson's foundation, the Grand Kids Foundation -- which promotes education and baseball to young people -- visit grandkidsfoundation.com.

Our fourth day in China started with us heading to the Shanghai Media Group, which is one of the big sports broadcasting groups in Shanghai. We left the hotel at 8:30 a.m. so we could get there to do the interview during Game 1 of the World Series. With the time change, all the games come on here in the morning. It's a little funny to eat breakfast while watching baseball.

After the interviews, I headed back to my hotel and finished watching a really good Game 1. Then it was off to Fudan University, one of the best colleges in Shanghai. We went there to work out with their baseball team, which isn't exactly the same as the college team I played for, Illinois-Chicago. What I mean by that is that baseball is still a fairly new sport at the university. There are men and women on the team.A lot of them are happy to try something different, and others are mainly out there to be with their friends. Either way, they are learning a new game and having fun doing it.

The good thing about seeing baseball start at this university is that the younger kids now see that if they want to play baseball at a young age, there might be rewards by also getting a chance to play in college. There was a student from San Diego who was studying abroad at this camp, so that was cool to have someone from the United States here.

These kids all knew a little English, so it made it even easier to communicate with the group, and we finished up the day with a guys vs. girls hitting competition. There was a tie in the first group, and the girls won in the second group.

After the camp and competition, we had to rush back to the hotel to check out and head to the airport to catch our flight to Beijing. I ended up having McDonald's at the airport for the first time in China. It was interesting to have to order everything by pointing to the pictures. For the most part, the menu was about the same as it was in the U.S., but they had three levels of spicy chicken sandwiches, and also really spicy fried chicken wings, which were really good.

I learned something interesting from one of the coordinators and translators on this trip, XiaoXiao Jiang, who actually received her master's degree in the U.S. She said fortune cookies are not traditional Chinese fare. When she was in school in the U.S. and would eat at a Chinese restaurant, she would wonder what strange things would be brought to her at the end of the meal.

I thought always the fortune cookie was a Chinese tradition. Come to find out, it isn't. So who invented those?

Day 5

Our first stop in Beijing was Tiananmen Square. This is one of the most recognizable areas in the world. We all remember the footage from 1989, when a student stood against the advancing tanks of the People's Liberation Army.

A ton of people were out in this area and a lot of those people were also staring at my parents and me. I know it wasn't because they knew I played baseball -- even though one person said he did see me in the newspaper here. I remembered talking with a few people my first few days here and they were saying that the Chinese aren't use to seeing African-Americans. So throughout the day, it was funny to see little kids almost fall down to try and turn around and look at my dad.

We then walked into the Forbidden City, which is a huge city in itself. I thought it would have been smaller, more secret and secluded. But it is very big and surrounded by a 30-40-foot high brick wall.

Next I headed over to one of MLB's Play Ball! schools. It's a program to help get middle-school kids a chance to start playing team baseball, have practice and learn the game. In Detroit we have a Play Ball! campaign, which is very similar to the one in China, to help grow awareness and passion of the game of baseball in the inner-city community.

We had a few lessons, a short camp and some interviews. Later that night we headed to a place called the Goose and Duck, an American-style sports bar. The place had games, televisions, American food, and a whole pig, which was part of the meal. This event at the Goose and Duck was held also to raise awareness of the game of baseball for the people of China, and also to thank those currently in China who are helping to make baseball a success.

We handed out prizes to those who attended, we did a small raffle, and we even were able to watch a replay of Game 2 of the World Series.

Day 6

My final full day in China began with another Play Ball! event for kids, and a coaches' clinic at a university in Beijing.

The men and women who were at the clinic will all graduate from the college and also be certified to coach baseball in China. I think this was a great idea because it isn't just a class where you read about and study the game. These future coaches are also playing the game, so they understand the correct way to play baseball.

After this clinic, my parents and I headed to the Great Wall of China. Once arriving there, we had the option of either walking to the top of our section or taking the ski-lift. Taking the lift was a great suggestion, because once we made it to the top, there was even more walking. If you ever make it the Great Wall, I would suggest the lift, because once you do make it to the top, you want to be able to walk around up there, instead of exhausting all your energy trying to walk up it.

After making it to the top of our section, the sights that I was able to see were amazing. It's tough to imagine that over 2,000 years ago, people were able to build this 2,000-mile long wall, up at extremely high points of this hills and mountains.

We headed back into Beijing and got a chance to see some of the Olympic venues, stopping by the Birds Nest and the Water Cube. These two places, along with the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square, were other great indications of how many people are in China. All of these places that are really only an hour apart all had thousands and thousands of people.

The thing to do now in China is to come to Beijing and get your picture taken by the Birds Nest. Everyone is so proud of this stadium, and they should be. I have never seen anything like it.

For dinner on our final night we had Peking Duck. We ordered duck side dishes along with the whole duck, which was served with everything, including the head. XiaoXiao and I split the head and we each ate the brain and the other parts of the head that were edible. Sounds gross, but it was good.

Tomorrow I have an interview scheduled with Sports Illustrated China. I'm really excited about it, because I know how big Sports Illustrated is in the U.S., and to get a chance to be in it here in China is really cool. I hope I am able to get a copy of the issue.

He ate the Brain



Gross!





:puke2:

tigersaint wrote:

I think that is why Grandy slept on the plane....YAWN!! lol

I wish I could sleep on planes but I can't. Of course if I was on one that long I might.

Imagine the jetlag from that plane, it would last like a week.

One of my speech pathology professors spent a few months in China in the early 90s for linguistics research. Very interesting. The culture is still light-years away from ours in many aspects. Not a place I would enjoy visiting, but it's still neat to read about.

laprimamirala wrote:

The culture is still light-years away from ours in many aspects. Not a place I would enjoy visiting, but it's still neat to read about.

Yep, like they do not know what a toilet is. Like the Arab world, they stand over a whole in the floor.




Chinese bathrooms vs. Western bathrooms

1) Western bathrooms usually have a combination of ceramic tile and laminate while Chinese prefer ceramic tile both in the bathroom and on the outside of buildings.

2) Chinese bathrooms often have squat toilets while Westerners (especially Americans) like to read magazines and newspapers in the bathroom, so they prefer sit-down toilets.

3) Squat toilets in Chinese bathrooms sometimes serve as drains for the shower while Westerners usually stand in a bathtub to take a shower.

4) Sinks in Chinese bathrooms are 1-2 inches lower and the reflection in the lower mirror sometimes cuts off the top of your hea

-----------------------------------

Monday, January 03, 2005

Humor Iraq Style



Iraq 2004 - Saddam's Palace Bathroom Sign

Iraq's plumbing can't handle toilet paper, so we had to either put it in a bag or use the porta potties outside. When we got to Saddam's palace, we were amazed at how many bathrooms he had. Saddam had a thing for water. He had bathrooms around every corner - luxurious bathrooms ornamented with gold fixtures and marble floors. The funny thing to me was the fact that the plumbing pipes could not accomodate toilet paper...I guess that accounts for all the bidets. I sat on the commode and thought, "Damn, I am shitting on Saddam's toilet."


The sign above is an example of military language at its best. We live a basic existence here with no pretexts - a world free of real joy, where one has to find comedy in the absurd - and satisfaction knowing that a job well done means coming home sooner.

posted by TBone at Monday, January 03, 2005

----------------------------------------------------------


At U.S. base, Iraqis must use separate latrine
By Mike Drummond | McClatchy Newspapers

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq — The sign taped to the men's latrine is just five lines:

"US MILITARY CONTRACTORS CIVILIANS ONLY!!!!!"

It needed only one: "NO IRAQIS."

Here at this searing, dusty U.S. military base about four miles west of Baqouba, Iraqis — including interpreters who walk the same foot patrols and sleep in the same tents as U.S. troops — must use segregated bathrooms.

Another sign, in a dining hall, warns Iraqis and "third-country nationals" that they have just one hour for breakfast, lunch or dinner. American troops get three hours. Iraqis say they sometimes wait as long as 45 minutes in hot lines to get inside the chow hall, leaving just 15 minutes to get their food and eat it.

It's been nearly 60 years since President Harry Truman ended racial segregation in the U.S. military. But at Forward Operating Base Warhorse it's alive and well, perhaps the only U.S. military facility with such rules, Iraqi interpreters here say.

It's unclear precisely who ordered the rules. "The rule separating local national latrines from soldiers was enacted about two to three rotations ago," Maj. Raul Marquez, a spokesman for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas, wrote in an e-mail. That was before his brigade or the 3rd Stryker Combat Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., the other major combat force here, was based at Warhorse.

There's also disagreement on the reason.

Marquez cited security. "We are at war, and operational security (OPSEC) and force protection are critical in this environment," Marquez wrote. "We screen all our local nationals working and living in the FOB, however, you can never know what's in their mind."

Other soldiers traced the regulations to what they called cultural differences between the Iraqis and the Americans.

"We've had issues with locals," said Staff Sgt. Oscar Garcia, who mans Warhorse's administrative hub. "It's not because we're segregating."

Garcia said some Iraqis squatted on the rims of unfamiliar American-style toilets or had used showers as toilets, forcing private contractors who maintain the facilities to clean up after them.

Another soldier at the administrative hub who declined to give his name or rank cited conflicts over hygiene habits. "We can't accept people washing their feet where I brush my teeth," he said.

"It's to keep problems from happening," said Army Capt. Janet Herrick, a public affairs officer. "It's a preventive measure . . . so no one gets belittled."

But the Iraqis who're paid $80,000 to $120,000 a year for their interpreting services are offended.

"It sucks," Ahmed Mohammed, 30, said of the latrine policy. He called the signs — in English and Arabic — "racist."

He's worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military since 2004. He's college educated and well versed in the ways of Western plumbing. He said Warhorse was the only American base where he'd encountered U.S.-only signs on latrines and country-of-origin restrictions on dining hours.

"I live in the same tent with 80 Americans," he said.

Mohammed works for L-3 Titan Group, a unit of New York-based L-3 Communications. He declined to have his picture taken for publication. He fears for his life. He said his brother was killed last year in Baghdad for working for an American company.

Mohammed has sold his house and has squirreled away enough money to buy visas for his family of four. He said he intended to quit soon and emigrate to Germany. The latrine policy is part of the reason, he said.

L-3 officials didn't respond to a request for comment.

"On one hand we're asking Iraqis to help us," often at great risk, said Laila al Qatami, spokeswoman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Washington. "But at the same time we're saying, 'We want to keep you at a distance.' It's a mixed message we're sending.

"I don't understand having separate bathrooms. It seems to go against everything that the United States stands for."
McClatchy Newspapers 2007

Yep, if you read the posts in the Olympics section, there was an article about how they had to replace all the "bathroom facilities" all around the Olympic site, and install regular toilets!

For bathroom conditions around the world, CLICK HERE

This thread has gone into the TOILET!!

it's FLUSHING...

That's why I don't travel to other countries

tigersaint wrote:

This thread has gone into the TOILET!!

:haha:

gs78 wrote:

That's why I don't travel to other countries

They aren't all "bad". I was in Europe and the bathrooms were normal as can be...well some of them had bidets, too but I stayed away from those crazy things.

We had a bidet in our house when we moved in! Ick! We can't afford to have it ripped out at the moment, though, so I set magazines over it!