As Jackson mentioned, during our hiatus I fooled around with my own blog idea. Oh sure, we had our moments, me and Busan Lights, we had our alcohol-fueled bleary-eyed romps at 3 a.m. where we woke up in the morning not sure where we were. But it was never the same as with EWC. And I never told anyone about it.

I was hesitant to restart EWC. At one point I told Jackson that restarting would be kind of like sleeping with an ex-girlfriend. Sure, it would feel good at first, but then after a a few hours (a few minutes in Jackson’s case) it’s over and you’re back looking at the same rear end you walked out on in the first place.

Which isn’t to say Jackson has a bad rear end or that I have any idea about his rear end, but I did manage to compare blogging to sex in the opening two paragraphs of this comeback, so I guess I’m ready to roll.

Jose Canseco’s Mixed Mixed Martial Arts debut in Yokohama lasted all of 1:17 as he was KO’d by South Korea’s 7′2 Choi Hong-man in what Japan Times reporter Kaz Nagatsuka described as a disgrace to professional sports.

From the Japan Times:

In this brutal, no-mercy sport, it’s not unusual when a fight ends a moment after the gong is struck. But Canseco’s bout absolutely left nothing but a disagreeable aftertaste for the announced crowd of 15,009 fans, and in fact, it was such a disgraceful event, certainly to the sport but also to professional sports in general.

The former American League MVP was far from ready to step into ring, although he certainly has a bulky body (with some chemical assistance, possibly). Other celebrity-oriented fighters have had better shape compared to him.

Canseco showed nothing to convince us that he is a professional fighter. In their first contact, he swung a big right hook that actually grazed Choi’s face, but the rest of the way was just a big yawn.

What was disappointing was, he took his latest challenge so lightly. Canseco, who was driven in a white luxury limousine from Narita Airport on his arrival, even took some swings against former Seattle Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki as a game-opening ceremony at a Yokohama BayStars-Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles game at Yokohama Stadium two days prior to his MMA debut.

(Hat tip to Itchy for the link).

In recent weeks in Taiwan there has been a big to do about a disgraced Taiwan Government Information Office (GIO) employee getting sacked over a series of bigoted blog comments written under a pseudonym directed at Taiwanese people.

Kuo Kuan-ming–an employee of a Toronto TECO office (which serves as an embassy-like service abroad for Taiwan)–was fired for referring to Taiwan as a “ghost island”, describing himself himself a “superior high class-mainlander” (as contrasted with the supposedly lower class Taiwanese), and dismissing native Taiwanese people as a “nation of half-breeds” and “idiots”. He also indicated he believed Taiwan needed to be “purged”.

The self-described high class mainlander returned to Taiwan yesterday from Canada, with an angry group of 100 Taiwanese awaiting him and demanding an apology. View From Taiwan reports on a rather eventful confrontation in Taoyuan International Airport betwen the protestors and Kuo’s bodyguards:

“…a score of black-dressed young men tried to shield Kuo, and a few of the protesting crowd, including a press reporter, complained they were beaten up, airport police said.

Chang An-loh, a founder of the Bamboo Union mob family now staying in China, told the TVBS cable TV channel he sent members of his “Chinese Unification Promotion Party” in Taipei to protect Kuo, who is an old friend.

Surprisingly, many witnesses to the event chimed in in support of Kuo.

After the confrontation, a high-speed car chase through Taipei ensued. The Taipei Times has a detailed account of both events:

“Kuo Kuan-ying apologize, Kuo Kuan-ying apologize,” the crowd shouted, while others said: “I am a taibazi [“Taiwanese redneck,”台巴子],” referring to a term Kuo used in one of his articles to describe Taiwanese.

Flanked by about 20 men wearing black, Kuo did not respond, but some of his supporters shouted back: “What nonsense are you talking about. Why should [Kuo] apologize?”

A fierce melee then broke out between DPP supporters and Kuo’s escorts, with Wang later claiming that Kuo’s escorts beat up several DPP supporters and reporters.

Kuo was pushed into a waiting vehicle, prompting a high-speed car chase by several reporters’ vehicles on the freeway from Taoyuan to Taipei and then along streets in Taipei City.

The chase ended when Kuo got out of the car and walked onto Minquan Bridge in Neihu, with photographers in hot pursuit. Kuo then jumped into a waiting taxi, which sped away.

Kuo’s driver performed a number of dangerous maneuvers while driving at high speed to try to lose chasing cars. At one point, he drove the wrong way down streets, running red lights and hitting an ETTV cable channel vehicle while making a high-speed turn near Wuxing Street.

View From Taiwan has a more detailed account of Kuo’s bodyguard’s connections both to Chinese gangs as well as his political affiliations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6oQTgo02as

Taiwanese Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng has been captured in this video at a Taichung prison, mocking inmates and suggesting that they could “hug their way out of jail” and be eligible for parole by embracing State Prosecutor General Chen Tsung-ming. Hug the SPG, get parole. No hug, no parole. Isn’t that funny? The rather unreal video begins at 2:30. Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!  [Hat tip to Michael Turton for the link]

Despite one Mr. Shinsano’s edict to go ahead and “put the Wyverns in the finals”, KBO champions SK Wyverns were surpisingly sent home from the Konami Cup Asia Series last night as Uni-President right fielder Liu Fu-Hao belted a pair of three run home runs, handing the Korean champions to 10-4 defeat.

Since the Wyverns surrendered more runs in the tourney, it will be Taiwan’s CPBL champions versus Seibu in today’s final.

Meanwhile, the NPB Champs Seibu Lions breezed their way into the final, drubbing the Tianjin Eagles 16-2 in a game that was virtually unwatchable save for the first couple of innings.  The games highlight was a home run from rotund third baseman Nakamura Takeyama, which ended up far back in the upper deck in left field.

Today’s championship will feature the Seibu Lions versus the Uni-President Lions.   For more coverage, you can see my Taipei Times review.