K-O-R-E-A

I was fortunate in my travels to spend some time in Korea. My attempts with this series is to broaden your global perspective of the world as we know it.

With that in mind, lets take a look at Korea. Located in the far east, Korea is divided by the North and South. It's like two people living in the same house, but not speaking to one another.

My purpose here is to give you a glimpse of this beautiful country. If you ever get the opportunity to go there, by all means take advantage of your travel needs. I did several years ago.

Next, I will take a closer look at the people of Korea. Enjoy this series and let me know how I can better serve you.

Taking a bow.

The Buck Stops Here

Well, need I say more about these KC Royals. I know the season is still young, but these Royals are for real. Taking two games from their old rivals, the NY Yankees should serve as a precursor for things to come.

You may say, the Yanks were minus Jeter, but I don't care. Their roster was not built around one player. The Yankees are built around the old mighty dollar. Our Bucks paid dividends as J Buck sent one deep against the High Priced team from the Big Apple. Ha ha ha

In fact, the Royals pitching staff coupled with good hits have paved the way to a 6-2 start. Try this on for size, Zack Greinke pitched 8 strong scoreless innings against the hated Yanks.

It's time for the small market teams to get their props. For real for real. So, let me know your thoughts and remember...there's still a few seats left on the Royal Bandwagon.

I Was There

Ok, not quite, but I was born before 4 Apr 68, the day Martin Luther King was assasinated. Also, if you think I will tell you my age...forget it! Just take my word on this one!

What do I mean when I say I was there? Well, for the record, I was there standing face to face with straight up racism and its alter ego, discrimination. Together, these two masked marauders have shaped not only our nation, but has been a force behind the shaping of our world.

You see, I can recall walking into a barbershop in Phoenix back in the early 90's trying to get my doo did. Well, the white barber/stylist claimed she had left her clippers at home. I'm thinking, this is a b-a-r-b-e-r-s-h-o-p and this is where one would go for a haircut. Not that day! After a brief 3-5 minute conversation with the beautician, I was unable to get the service which was advertised on the outside of the establishment.

On another occasion, just prior to the famed video beat down of Rodney "Can't We All Just Get Along" King, I was pulled over by a cop in the Show Me State of Missouri for what the officer told me was a taillight that was out. This of course came after several polite attempts of me asking the officer why was I pulled over.

I was travelling to home from church that night with my wife and two sons (5 yrs and 3 months respectively). I was in a suit & tie, while my wife was in a dress. We posed no threat whatsoever, and on that night, the officers took me down to the station because of what he deemed to be a broken taillight.

Meanwhile, at the station the officer (whose name is not forgotten) was instructing me about the ticket and my upcoming court date. After gathering the information from the officer and realizing that I would not be in the country during the time of my so called court appearance because I was being reassigned to an overseas location with the US Armed Forces. When I made this observation known to the officers, what happened next was my ticket (no pun intended) outta that joint. The officers snatched the ticket from me (unsigned) and let me go.

I could only imagine if I went AWOL (that's absent without leave for those of you not familiar with the military) they would have some explaining to do.

Long story short, well I was there in Atlanta to see the childhood neighborhood where Dr Martin L King lived. I tour the fire station and his church, Ebeneezer Baptist church. His Center for Non-Violence was very enlightening and intriguing to say the least.

I was there when racism and discrimination called me out. But I would have to credit my mother for instilling in my good strong morals and respect as two elements which countered this sensitive situation. As we reflect on the legacy of Dr King and commemorate his life, may we all do our part to put away racism and discrimination.

Love,

RM

Saint Paul for MVP

Cleveland may have King James, but New Orleans has Saint Paul. When you look at what these guys bring to the table, you cannot overlook the contributions made by the Saint.

Saint Paul gets my MVP vote this year. He truly is the most valuable player. Valuable in the sense of great use or service, as defined by Webster.com is the perfect description of what Saint Paul has been to the Hornet's francise. Let’s face it; the Hornets would not be anywhere near the top of the Western conference without him. In fact, I’m not sure they would even be in the playoff hunt. Did I hear someone say Playoff...playoffs (watch video in it's entirity)?

Paul is leading the league in assists. This is important to note because so many guys are starving to be the STAR. He’s also taken the rock from opponents more than anyone else this year.

The Saint resurrected the career of Tyson Chandler. And when you need him to get his game on, he’s ranked 15th in scoring. I’ve watched his highlights and on numerous occasions you will find him crossing defenders up, and dishing out some oval love.

If you say it’s King James or Kobe, then consider this fact: Based on the final regular season record from the 06-07 season and current team records as of today (3 Apr 08), the Cavaliers have a -8 games won differential, whereas the Lakers are a +9. The Saint and the Hornets are a paltry +13 games won differential from last year.

Hopefully I brought some truth in this madness I hear on ESPN as to who should be voted as the league’s MVP.

Jump on this Wagon

The term "bandwagon" initially refered to a wagon used to carry a band of musicians in a parade. However, it is more commonly used when describing an overwhelming support of followers coming on board with a particular team, movement, etc.

Hence, with the 2008 Major League Baseball season in full swing (no pun intended), the Kansas City Royals are off to a blistering 2-0 start. I say blistering because the francise have only started a season with two straight wins 6 times in their forty year history. That isn't anything to brag about, but stealing two games from the Dee-troit Tigers is a big to do for Kansas City.

Therefore, I am offering free seats on the Royals bandwagon for a limited time only. You heard it hear on 2 Apr 08, the Royals will make the playoffs and shock to baseball gods with a season to remember.