Chien Ming Wang is in Time's 100 most influential people

[Mephistopheles]

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100

 

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100/article/0,28804,1595326_1615754_1615885,00.html

 

At 8, barely off the boat from Shanghai, I found my way to the American Dream, courtesy of my love for Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play major league baseball.

 

Now there's Chien-Ming Wang. He's a member of my tribe. He too wrestles with English. But he has more in common with Jackie than with me. The Yankees ace won 19 games last year, and as runner-up for the Cy Young Award, he is a rising star. In his island home, he is already a supernova. Whenever he pitches, whether it's a live telecast or a rerun, Taiwan ditches its political woes and personal cares to huddle in the most unlikely places—from bars to beauty parlors to boardrooms—to cheer Chien-Ming. No matter that the fan shouting alongside is mandarin or mendicant, from the mainland or local born, a great-great-grandma with bound feet or a bare-bottomed tot, the voices are one.

 

Once Jackie's excellence and elegance broke the color barrier. Nowadays the Ichiros, Dice-Ks and Chien-Mings of baseball are chipping away at the culture barrier. At a time when clashes of civilizations warm up in the on-deck circle, this 8-year-old heart dreams of a world as hopeful and intimate as bygone Ebbets Field.

 

Umm....no.

[jersey cubs fan]

Umm....no.

 

When I first hear that I thought it was odd. Now it's just dumb.

[illiniguy]

If Wang were a Rockie or Marlin, I doubt he is on this list. :roll:

[TruffleShuffle]

love how the writer basically admits that he's inherently biased in the first paragraph

[ZFan38]

How did Wang make that list over George W. Bush.

[TruffleShuffle]

hell, bill clinton's wang is more influential than chien ming wang

[OleMissCub]

hell, bill clinton's wang is more influential than chien ming wang

 

bravo :)

 

I miss him as President

[Electron Blue]

If Wang were a Rockie or Marlin, I doubt he is on this list. :roll:

 

Well, yeah. The Yankee market is immensely larger than that of those two. And we're talking about being influential.

[Post Count Padder]

hell, bill clinton's wang is more influential than chien ming wang

Hahahahaha, nice

[XZero771679666304]

hell, bill clinton's wang is more influential than chien ming wang

 

bravo :)

 

I miss him as President

 

I think a whole lot of people do.

[Careless]

If Wang were a Rockie or Marlin, I doubt he is on this list. :roll:

Well, yes, anyone is much more influential being on the yankees than the marlins. That's a fact, not east coast bias

[Jehrico]

Time sucks. I didn't know anyone still read that.

[illiniguy]

Time sucks. I didn't know anyone still read that.

After they named us all man of the year I think we owe it to them to readit.

[Jehrico]

Time sucks. I didn't know anyone still read that.

After they named us all man of the year I think we owe it to them to readit.

No. They put me in the same group as Jim Edmonds, Hugo Chavez, and Michael Jackson. Previously, the only connection I had with those three nut jobs was we were all classified as the same species. Now I'm connected with all because we were all the Time co-people of the year last year. I don't like being affiliated with those guys in any manner, so no, I don't think I owe it to read anything of theirs.

[BigbadB]

Anybody watching the Yankees game? Check the box score.

[killthegoat06]

Anybody watching the Yankees game? Check the box score.

 

PERFECT GAME

PERFECT GAME

I HOPE HE DOESN'T BLOW

HIS PERFTECT GAME

 

 

 

DON'T CHOKE WANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BigbadB]

There was a reason I didn't say what was going on.

 

I really find it hard to believe how people can't or won't cheer for a guy to get a perfect game no matter what team they pitch for.

 

It shows you truly are not really that big of a fan of the sport.

[killthegoat06]

There was a reason I didn't say what was going on.

 

I really find it hard to believe how people can't or won't cheer for a guy to get a perfect game no matter what team they pitch for.

 

It shows you truly are not really that big of a fan of the sport.

 

I'm sorry. Now that you put it in that light .... :oops:

[killthegoat06]

May I quote Flames24Rulz, simply as an opposing argument: "ESPN would've hyped the perfect game for 5 years. I think you can sacrifice a fantasy win for that reason alone ESPN would've hyped the perfect game for 5 years. I think you can sacrifice a fantasy win for that reason alone."

 

By the way please don't bash just me and say I'm not a real fan. Go to 5/5 Other Games Thread and you'll find a whole bunch of people who were hoping that he didn't get a perfect game.

 

But you are right that we should hope for perfect games simply for the love of the sport.

[BigbadB]

I'm not in love with ESPN, so it really wouldn't matter to me how much or how long they hyped it.

 

Wang isn't on any of my fantasy teams. But, I think it would have been pretty cool to see him throw a no-no today.

 

I can't stand Mark Buerhle, but I watched him pitch the last 2 innings for his no hitter.

 

You don't get to actually see a guy do this very often in your lifetime. I'm not superstitious in the slightest and your "NO HITTER" had zero bearing on whether he accomplished it or not, but I just don't understand why people would cheer against it.

 

And no, I won't be visiting the 5/5 Other Game Thread.

[killthegoat06]

I'm not in love with ESPN, so it really wouldn't matter to me how much or how long they hyped it.

 

Wang isn't on any of my fantasy teams. But, I think it would have been pretty cool to see him throw a no-no today.

 

I can't stand Mark Buerhle, but I watched him pitch the last 2 innings for his no hitter.

 

You don't get to actually see a guy do this very often in your lifetime. I'm not superstitious in the slightest and your "NO HITTER" had zero bearing on whether he accomplished it or not, but I just don't understand why people would cheer against it.

 

And no, I won't be visiting the 5/5 Other Game Thread.

 

I agree that my post had nothing to do with it. Superstitution is stupd.

[RegulusBlue]

hell, bill clinton's wang is more influential than chien ming wang

 

bravo :)

 

I miss him as President

 

I think a whole lot of people do.

 

Actually, I got pretty tired of our countries secrets being sold for campaign donations to China, Indonesia, and North Korea. Anyone who pines for those days has their eyes glued shut and sand packed in their ears.

 

I'd tell you what's in your mouth, but.... let's just say its more influential than Chien Ming Wang.

 

That said, any list of most influential in the world that doesn't include the sitting president of the USA is completely irrelevant. Case and point: If Bush is so irrelevant, why can't people stop blindly defending or constantly screaming about him?

 

Thanks for playing.

[TruffleShuffle]

DON'T CHOKE WANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i'm pretty sure the Catholic church told me that at some point....

[J.R.]

But you are right that we should hope for perfect games simply for the love of the sport.

 

What?

[Abe Frohman]

Why are they comparing this "Asian Explosion" of ballplayers to Jackie Robinson?

 

I don't remember any Asian water fountains, or pushing Asians to the back of the bus. No offense, but the comparision is apples and oranges.