Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun... Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Hines Ward retiring

To honor his Korean heritage, Hines Ward decorated his face
and his uniform with the Han•gŭl characters ㄴ, ㄱ, and ㅇ.

We got word last month that the Pittsburgh Steelers were letting go of Korean-American (and Black American) football sensation Hines Ward. Now we're getting news that, rather than playing football on another team besides the Steelers, Mr Ward has decided to leave the NFL entirely.

From ESPN:

Hines Ward believes he can still play football. The longtime Pittsburgh wide receiver known for his high-wattage smile and his bone-crunching blocks just couldn't stomach the thought of doing it in some strange uniform on some strange field with nary a Terrible Towel in sight.

Hines Ward could have chased another ring or paycheck in another uniform but it wouldn't have been for the Steelers and that just wouldn't be right, Jamison Hensley writes. Blog

"I just wouldn't feel right," Ward said.

So rather than play for a 15th season -- and his first outside the Steel City -- a tearful Ward opted to retire on Tuesday and secure a legacy unmatched in the franchise's long history.

"I can say I'm a Steeler for life and that's the bottom line, that's all I've really ever wanted," Ward said.

Ward holds every significant franchise receiving record, including receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. His 1,000 career catches rank eighth all-time and he is one of two players with at least 1,000 receptions and two Super Bowl rings.

Good on him for such loyalty. Now I hope he can head to Korea and work on some of the inclusion projects with which he'd previously been involved. Here are some suggestions.

...

4 comments:

John from DaejeonSunday, March 25, 2012 12:00:00 AM
It wasn't "Good on him for such loyalty."

It was that he couldn't find any team to hire him due to the old baggage (his decaying skills and body), and recent DUI, that he brings to the table.

In a league all about the passing nowadays, Ward definitely is well past his prime and all the other teams, and their scouts, know it.
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kushiboSunday, March 25, 2012 4:28:00 AM
Even if what you're saying is correct, his "loyalty" stretches back fourteen years beyond this season.
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John from DaejeonSunday, March 25, 2012 8:38:00 AM
If any team were willing to take a gamble and pay him what he wants (remember, he has spent the last several weeks testing his worth on the open market), he'd do a Peyton (as Montana and Farve did) and go where the money is or wasn't in his case. Loyalty just makes it sound better than "no one wants me."
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DouglasSunday, March 25, 2012 4:27:00 PM
Good on him that he retired when he should. I agree with John that at 36 he is nearly finished as a player. Could he play another year or two for another team? Sure. Or he might end up on the bench while guys 10 years younger than him get to play. It's unusual that anyone lasts that long in the league, let alone for one team. End of the day, I'm glad he had a good run and didn't do a Brett Favre at the end of it.
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九十五大怪獣란? 쿠시보의 몬스터 아일랜드란?

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans" ("foreigners" in Korea be they kyopo or non-kyopo), Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County, and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

* Monster Island (actually a peninsula)

The name of this blog comes from a line in "Lisa on Ice," a beloved episode of The Simpsons, perhaps my all-time favorite television show (even though for several seasons there, it really did suck). Lisa is imagining being sworn in as president, but at the last minute, it is discovered that she failed P.E. (physical education) and she is thus "sentenced to a lifetime of horror" on Monster Island. "Don't worry," the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court confides in her, "It's just a name."

Fast forward to Lisa and other prisoners running in panic through a tropical jungle, chased by Godzilla-like creatures, including a monster turtle and a monster firefly.

"He said it was just a name!" Lisa screams to the man next to her. While he, too, runs for his life, the unidentified man calmly says, "What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula."

Anyway, I thought in some ways that punchline summed up modern-day Korea in a nutshell. For many people—foreigners and Koreans—the ups and downs and everyday travails of the Republic of Korea make it as precarious as a Monster Island would be (and with the DMZ being the only land border, it really is like an island). But it actually is a peninsula. Okay, it made sense in my head.

So as you can see, despite the hits I get from people looking for Japanese tentacle porn, it has nothing to do with anything salacious as that.