She appears topless in the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue’s saucy centrefold.

And Jessica Gomes says she has no regrets stripping down for the men’s publication. 

Speaking to Sydney Confidential, the 29-year-old Australian model said: ‘If it’s tasteful and I feel comfortable doing it, then I’ll do it’.

Scroll down for video 

+5

On show: Jessica Gomes has spoken out about posing topless in the centrefold for Sports Illustrated’s latest swimsuit issue

Posing for Sports Illustrated for the eighth time, the brunette beauty appears in a very revealing centrefold shoot.  

In the shot she lays back on a rock as she wraps her slender arms around her body to cover her breasts, looking backwards at the camera.

Posing at the scenic Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in front of the famous Grand Prismatic Spring, Jessica looks at ease.

Explaining she only poses for shoots within her comfort zone, the brunette told News Corp: ‘I’ll never put myself in a situation where I don’t want to do something. It’s important to have your limits’. 

+5

Oozing confidence: Jessica has claimed she only takes part in photo shoots providing it’s within her limits

She said she was very well aware of the revealing nature of the publication’s steamy shoots,  

Speaking about posing for the men’s publication, she added: ‘You know what you’re getting yourself into. I was happy to do it for them’.  

On Thursday night the stunner continued celebrating Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue.

+5

Dressed to impress: The Australian model stunned in a sleek black ensemble at a Sports Illustrated event in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday

Jessica Gomes attends Sports Illustrated Swimsuit event in NYC

The Australian shared a photo of herself in Nashville, Tennessee, sporting a sleek black ensemble as she posed with a fellow model.

‘THE END NASHVILLE TENNESSEE SI #SWIMVILLE,’ she captioned the photo in which she wore a plunging black shirt teamed with a sultry skirt.  

Her sleek blouse revealing a glimpse of cleavage was layered with an edgy black leather jacket. 

+5

A body to die for: The brunette beauty flaunted her enviable figure in a black dress that clung to her curves a night earlier as she posed with fellow models

Meanwhile her trim pins were also very much on show with her sophisticated skirt finishing just below her knee and also featuring a saucy slit on one side. 

A pair of strappy snakeskin heels accentuated Jessica’s model height and she wore her dark tresses out sleek and straight.  

Earlier in the week Jessica flaunted even more of her incredible figure. 

When she arrived at the Sports Illustrated 2015 Swimsuit Takes Over The Schermerhorn Symphony Center event in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday the stunner ditched the stylish piece to reveal a show-stopping little black.

All eyes were on her killer figure, which was highlighted thanks to the plunging neckline and sexy side cut outs.   

 Smouldering: The 29-year-old’s sleek tuxedo blazer was teamed with a fitted skirt

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2951885/Jessica-Gomes-reveals-flaunts-toned-legs-sultry-skirt-thigh-high-slit-Sports-Illustrated-event.html#ixzz3RiWfcYgz
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

The post Photos: Jessica Gomes goes topless in 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine appeared first on Asian Players.

So it was the Senior Day and last game of the season/college career for Joseph Lin at Hamilton College in Pennsylvania

Despite recuperating from his injury, his coach still symbolically started and played him for 55 seconds to score a layup before DNP him for the rest of the game.

Jeremy Lin who is on break from the All-Star weekend, visited his younger brother to watch him play.

The game had a unique start to it as Joseph Lin ’15 — Hamilton’s other senior — took to the court with crutches and a brace on one of his legs. Lin, who is in the top 10 in Division III in assists per game and leads the Continentals in scoring with 14.0 points per game, was injured in a NESCAC game at Bates College last Saturday.

Hamilton was allowed to win the opening tip and the ball ended up in Donnelly’s hands. Donnelly passed to Kazickas, who handed it to Lin and Lin was allowed to make an uncontested layup for the first basket of the game.

The post Joseph Lin (Jeremy’s brother) last game as a collegiate basketball player appeared first on Asian Players.

The post Video: Happy Chinese New Years from Jeremy Lin and James Harden appeared first on Asian Players.

Manny Pacquaio who just turned professional basketballer in his country of the Phillipines, scored his first point for the Kia Carnival team against the Purefoods Star Hotshots in the Philippine Professional League.

Standing at 5ft6, the pint-sized boxer who is scheduled to fight Floyd Mayweather this year made just one of a possible two free throw points on Wednesday night.

He was the shortest player on the court, clearly revealing the discomfort.

‘I’m not used to this feeling.’

The Kia Carnival team emerged winners with a 95-84 points margin.

via Manny Pacquaio: Short Filipino boxer scores 1st point as professional basketball player.

The post Manny Pacquaio: Filipino boxer scores 1st point as professional basketball player appeared first on Asian Players.

GLENS FALLS — Devin Setoguchi is getting bored of shooting on an empty net. He’s been a player without a team for more than two months now as he recovers from a sports hernia and he’s tired of it.

Setoguchi and Bill Arnold are on similar schedules as they work their way back from both of their first long-term injuries. In his eight-year career, Setoguchi has had six previous surgeries, but all of them were in the offseason. Arnold only missed two games in his four years at Boston College, and that was for the world juniors tournament. He was on a similar track as the only Flame to play all of the first 39 games, but then a shoulder injury took him out.

Now, Arnold and Setoguchi spend most of their time in the weight room together and skating long bag skates to get their conditioning up again. Both have practiced with the team some, Setoguchi more than Arnold, but only in non-contact yellow sweaters and often not for the whole session.

Setoguchi sometimes has to take a break and sit down for a few minutes. During Wednesday’s skate, strength coach Mike Thompson repeatedly asked how Setoguchi’s back was doing, saying he didn’t want it to seize up.

The skates are informal, which is nice, and the players both suggest drills to try, but does that mean Setoguchi likes it?

“Uhh … no,” he said. “You just constantly are skating and constantly trying to get back into shape. You’d rather be around the guys, in more intense drills and shooting on a goalie.”

But, he and Arnold both know it’s necessary. They need to get back to game shape. If everything goes as planned, they’ll be practicing with the team next week and playing not too long after that.

It helps to at least mix up all the skating. Setoguchi suggested a different drill on Wednesday, trying just to add in something a little different. Thompson liked the new drill and said he’s going to add it in.

“When you do the same things over and over and over again, mentally it’s tough to stay engaged,” Setoguchi said. “I’ve done this long enough now — almost 500 NHL games — where I’ve been around some bag skates. It’s just nice to throw in some rotations of skate hard, stop, but still get a nice shot.”

The shooting is key for Setoguchi. Skating may be the base of hockey, but it’s not the fun part. Adding in skill elements is when it gets fun and for most players that means shooting. Setoguchi added a few rockets to his drills on Wednesday but still focused on the conditioning.

Arnold feels similarly but is more willing to try other forms of skating, as well. Thompson described an aerobic skating exercise — 10 minutes of hard skating down the middle, gliding to the wall and easy skate back along the boards. Setoguchi didn’t seem interested but Arnold said he’d give it a try. Soon, Setoguchi joined in and the three were skating lopsided circles.

It’s not just the boring practices. It takes some effort to feel like part of the team. It’s not hard, but it is effort.

“You feel a little bit on the outside,” Setoguchi said. “I try to be around the room as much as I can — except during the game — other than that, I’m one of the first guys here and we’re almost one of the last guys to leave. You get to see them and they keep you sane.”

When the team’s away it can be a little bit harder. It feels like only the three of them in the whole arena and no roommates to keep them company. Setoguchi said some of the players’ girlfriends live in the building and sometimes he takes his dog over to watch games, but that’s the best he can do.

Arnold tunes in on AHL Live, but said it’s hard to watch games because he’s not out there. He hates not being able to help.

via Bill Arnold, Devin Setoguchi working their way back : Adirondack Flames Update.

The post Devin Setoguchi working his way back to Adirondack Flames appeared first on Asian Players.

LAS VEGAS – After years of frustration and disappointment, following many starts and stops, perhaps the most talked about boxing match in history is finally a reality.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced Friday that he’s agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao in a welterweight bout May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. It’s a bout the public has been calling for since late 2009 and pits the two finest boxers of their generation in a historic event.

Floyd Mayweather is the pound-for-pound king. (AP)

“I am very happy that Floyd Mayweather and I can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years,” said Pacquiao, who signed the contract for the bout Thursday. “They have waited long enough and they deserve it. It is an honor to be part of this historic event. I dedicate this fight to all the fans who willed this fight to happen and, as always, to bring glory to the Philippines and my fellow Filipinos around the world.”

The bout is expected to set numerous records, including purse size, live paid gate and pay-per-view sales. The cost of the pay-per-view has yet to be determined and won’t be until there are deals with the distributors.

Formal details on the agreement have yet to be announced, but it’s expected that Mayweather will have a 60-40 split advantage on revenues, with Mayweather making at least $120 million and Pacquiao $80 million.

“Floyd should enjoy being the A-side while he can,” Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said. “Because on May 2, Manny is going to put him on his backside.”

The two nearly came to terms around the Christmas holidays in 2009, a month after Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand. It fell apart, though, when Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum balked at Mayweather’s demand for drug testing run by the United States Anti-Doping Agency during training camp.

There were numerous attempts over the last five years to reignite the talks. In 2011, then-HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg tried to act as a mediator between Mayweather adviser Al Haymon and Arum, but that didn’t come to fruition.

In 2012, Mayweather, who was in Las Vegas, called Pacquiao, who was at his home in the Philippines, and offered him a guaranteed $40 million but with no pay-per-view upside. Pacquiao declined that offer.

Mayweather jumped from HBO, which had him under an exclusive television contract for much of his career, to Showtime in 2013, which seemed to be the death knell for the fight.

Mayweather has fought four of the six fights on his record-breaking Showtime contract and didn’t have an opponent out there who would have made the kind of show that would resonate with the public the way a Pacquiao fight would.

Pacquiao remains under an exclusive television deal with HBO, so that further complicated the attempts to match the fighters. Only once previously, in 2002 when Lennox Lewis (HBO) and Mike Tyson (Showtime) fought, have the two premium cable giants gotten together to do a pay-per-view.

This most recent talks began in November and were started by CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves, a longtime acquaintance of Arum’s. Roach actually got them together by speaking to a friend of his who owns a Southern California pizza restaurant that Moonves frequents.

Moonves and Arum were joined in the talks by HBO CEO Richard Plepler. And while there were many false alarms along the way, they were able to get the deal done.

Arum told Yahoo Sports on Jan. 13 that Pacquiao had agreed to terms for the bout and that all that was required was for Mayweather to agree.

But because Mayweather, the pound-for-pound king and the sport’s biggest pay-per-view attraction, had the upper hand and was dictating the terms, there was a lot of skepticism and back and forth. Several times, Mayweather went to social media to announce that no deal had been reached.

Mayweather and Pacquiao spoke face-to-face for the first time during these negotiations Jan. 27 at American Airlines Arena in Miami at a Heat-Milwaukee Bucks game. Pacquiao had served as a judge at the Miss Universe pageant in Miami two nights earlier, but because of bad weather on the East Coast, his flight to Los Angeles had been canceled.

Manny Pacquiao is the highest-profile opponent remaining for Mayweather. (Getty)

As a result, he went to the game to see the Heat because he’s friends with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. Mayweather, who owns a home in Miami, also attended the game and walked over to speak to Pacquiao at halftime. Later, Mayweather went to Pacquiao’s hotel room and they had further discussions.

That led to intense speculation of an announcement, but it took several more weeks before the deal could be consummated.

Roach told Yahoo Sports in January that he’d already gotten bleary-eyed from watching film of Mayweather and coming up with a plan.

“It’s a huge challenge for Manny, no question, but I think it’s a fight that he can win,” Roach told Yahoo Sports.

The intrigue in the bout comes about because they are not only widely regarded as the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world but their styles are vastly different.

Mayweather is the brilliant tactician and one of the finest defensive fighters in the sport’s history. He has an innate sense of timing and can see punches coming that others can’t.

Pacquiao, a left-hander, is a powerhouse offensive fighter who has the speed and quickness to deal with Mayweather.

Former world champion Timothy Bradley, who has gone 1-1 in two bouts with the Filipino congressman and cultural icon, told Yahoo Sports last year that Pacquiao is an extraordinarily hard puncher.

“He hits hard, man,” Bradley said. “It’s a whole different level. You feel it when he hits you.”

The result is the kind of boxer vs. slugger match that has long intrigued boxing fans.

And five years after it first was talked about, it’s finally a reality, and the endless debates over who would win will be settled in the ring.

via Done deal: Floyd Mayweather will fight Manny Pacquiao on May 2 – Yahoo Sports.

The post The fight of the Century: Manny Pacquiao will fight Floyd Mayweather on May 2, 2015 appeared first on Asian Players.

Jarah Mariano is an swimsuit model who unfortunately might have become distracted or forgotten on her rise to elite status.

She recently posted a picture to her social media Instagram page in which she models a white and black polka dot bikini swimsuit and her sensational fit body and intoxicating facial pose showed that she is still a model of elite ability and form (Jarah Mariano Instagram – February 4).

via Jarah Mariano.

The post SportsIllustrated Swimsuit model Jarah Mariano is back to modeling appeared first on Asian Players.

via [1080][HD] 2015.02.20 湖人 vs 籃網 Jeremy Lin 林書豪 18分 Lakers Nets – YouTube.

The post Video highlights: Jeremy Lin – 2015.02.20 Lakers vs Nets – 18 pts, 6/9 FG, 24 mins appeared first on Asian Players.

Yu Tsai (Traditional Chinese: 蔡羽) is an American photographer working out of Los Angeles and New York. He was born in Taiwan and moved to a farm in Indiana with his family as a young child. Yu Tsai and his family then moved to Chino, California where Yu Tsai spent his adolescent life. He attended Don Lugo High School in Chino, California. During high school, he was a member of the Future Farmers of America and was also on his school’s track team.

Yu Tsai has photographed celebrities including Janet Jackson, Anne Hathaway, Alicia Keys, Ashley Judd, Zhang Ziyi, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton, Sienna Miller, Paz Vega, Ryan Reynolds, Sean Faris, Ryan Gosling and Zooey Deschanel, along with models including Alessandra Ambrosio, Kate Upton, Rosie Huntington, Liliana Dominguez, and Yamila Diaz.

Yu Tsai’s photography has also been featured in magazines including A Magazine, Arena, Flaunt, Harper’s Baazar, Marie Claire, Perfect, V Magazine and Vogue Japan and Sports Illustrated.

Below is a list of all the models who appear in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition (2015)

2015 Sports Illustrate Swimsuit Issue Rookie Models

Erin Heatherton

Solveig Mork
Hailey Clauson
Rose Bertram
Ashley Smith
Kelly Rohrbach
Robyn Lawley

2015 Sports Illustrate Swimsuit Issue Athletes

Ronda Rousey
Caroline Wozniacki

2015 Sports Illustrate Swimsuit Issue Returning Models

Gigi Hadid
Nina Agdal

Hannah Ferguson
Sara Sampaio
Emily Ratajkowski
Emily Didonato
Samantha Hoopes
Chanel Iman
Hannah Davis

Kate Bock
Ariel Meredith
Genevieve Morton
Irina Shayk

Lily Aldridge
Chrissy Teigen
Jessica Gomes

The post Photo Gallery: Yu Tsai is the photographer for the 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition appeared first on Asian Players.

The post Video highlighs: Jeremy Lin 2015 02 22 Lakers vs Celtics – 30 mins, 25 pts, 6 ast, 10/15fg appeared first on Asian Players.

BRADENTON, Fla. — After hitting an $11 million jackpot with the Pittsburgh Pirates, infielder Jung Ho Kang wants to pay it forward with other ballplayers in his native Korea.

Kang signed a four-year contract with the Pirates, who in December paid a $5 million posting fee to the Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization.

The 27-year-old Kang is the first position player to jump from the KBO to Major League Baseball.

Shortstop Jung-Ho Kang hit .356 with 40 homers last season for the Nexen Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization.

“I know that if I do well, more Korean players will come here,” Kang said through an interpreter. “So, while I feel pressure (to perform), I’m also very excited about opening the market here for Korean players.”

Kang was among three Korean players to be posted over the winter, but he is the only one who signed with an MLB team. The San Diego Padres were unable to work out a contract with pitcher Kwang-hyun Kim. In November, the Kia Tigers rejected a bid for pitcher Hyeon-jong Yang.

The Pirates scouted Kang for a couple of years, but kept their interest in him hidden during the posting process.

“It was quite a surprise,” Kang said. “I didn’t expect the Pirates to bid on me.”

The KBO’s marquee export is pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu, who signed a six-year, $36 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012.

“I’m excited to face him again,” said Kang, who homered off the left-hander in Ryu’s final game in the KBO.

Two Korean hitters, Shin-Soo Choo and Hee-Seop Choi, found success in MLB. However, both were signed as amateurs and developed in the minor leagues.

Over nine seasons in Korea, Kang, batted .298 with an .886 OPS. Last season, he hit .356 with 40 home runs in 117 games.

Kang has a strong, accurate throwing arm and played shortstop with Nexen. At 6-feet, 180 pounds, his stocky lower body was not an issue on the artificial turf fields of the KBO.

Many scouts, however, believe he’s better suited for third base in the majors.

“I have no idea where I’ll play,” Kang said. “That’s decided by (manager) Clint Hurdle. I’ll prepare for all the things they want me to do.”

The Pirates have established players at all four infield spots. Shortstop Jordy Mercer batted .255 with 12 homers in 2015, his first full season as a starter. Neil Walker hit a career-best 23 home runs, the highest single-season total for a Pirates second baseman.

Josh Harrison, who batted .315 in a breakout season last year, will start at third base. Pedro Alvarez, a former first-round pick who shared the National League home run title in 2013, will move from third to first base this year.

Hurdle said Kang will play shortstop for at least the first couple weeks of spring training.

“Once he’s built up some time and comfort at shortstop, we’ll move him to third,” Hurdle said. “If those both work well, we might move him to second. We’re just going to have communication with him and get him reps. We want to put our eyes on him, too, in our camp, at this level, with the speed of this game.”

After signing Kang, the Pirates allowed him to work out for a couple of weeks in Surprise, Ariz., with his former Nexen teammates. Kang got a few lessons on playing second base from Nexen manager Kyung-yeop Yeom.

“It’s been quite a long time since I played second base,” Kang said. “At first, it was a little awkward. But as time went on, I adjusted to it. I feel it’s pretty much the same as any other position.”

via Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang hoping to pave way for other Koreans – ESPN.

The post Feeling the pressure, Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang hoping to pave way for other Koreans appeared first on Asian Players.

Jeremy Lin林書豪│2015 02 25 Lakers vs Jazz 湖人vs爵士 – YouTube.

The post Video highlights: Jeremy Lin – 2015 02 25 Lakers vs Jazz – 8pts, 3 ast, 3/12 fg, 24 mins appeared first on Asian Players.

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ junior buddy, Matt Dumba, was the seventh player selected in a defence-heavy 2012 NHL draft.

He went after Hampus Lindholm and before Derick Pouliot for those keeping score.

Dumba was with the Minnesota Wild for the first 22 games this season, then in the American Hockey League with Iowa for the next 20, before being recalled Jan. 15.

He is definitely a unique talent, playing upwards of 18 minutes a night on the Wild’s blue-line. He loves to rush the puck and shoot, which got him drafted after playing with Nugent-Hopkins for coach Brent Sutter with the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League. But he also loves to crack on opposing players in open ice, which belies his medium 189-pound chassis.

“He would double back and boom,” said Nugent-Hopkins, recalling some of the open-space collisions where bodies were flying after a Dumba hit.

Now that he’s in the big-boy NHL, Dumba, 20, is more judicious with the offensive wizardry and the search-and-destroy smackdowns have been rare. But he’s still making impressive strides, showing why he was picked where he was.

“I am trying to play a simpler game, doing the little things asked of you. I’m a guy who wants to make a difference all the time, but you can’t do that in the NHL. They’re great players,” he said.

Ryan Suter, who plays the second-most minutes of any NHL defenceman behind Drew Doughty, is sitting beside Dumba in the Wild dressing room.

“Yes, that is by design,” said Minnesota coach Mike Yeo. “We have a lot of young defencemen and we try to make sure they’re surrounded by guys they can learn from, whether that’s a play in the course of a game where Suits can act as another coach or helping them to become a good pro and prepare for games.”

Yeo has seen a major improvement in Dumba since his short Wild audition last season.

“His progress this year has been very steady. I’m quite pleased he’s come along as quickly as he has,” said Yeo. “It’s obviously a different game in junior than the NHL. In junior, you can get away with more and he had the ability to go all the time.

“The pace of play wasn’t as fast there. If he made a mistake, he could recover. We’re still encouraging him to jump into the play and make things happen, though.”

Dumba was on a Red Deer team that beat a young Edmonton Oil Kings squad in the 2012 playoffs, with Nugent-Hopkins leading the way.

“Playing with Nuge was awesome. In Red Deer, we had a really good team … it was a blast,” said Dumba, who sees a much stronger Nugent-Hopkins now at 190-some pounds than the slender frame — Dumba called it “wiry” — he had with the Rebels.

“What I like is he hasn’t changed as person. He’s still really humble. In junior, he was easily the best guy in the league and you could never tell how he acted off the ice. He carried himself with such humility,” Dumba said.

The two players shared a few chuckles in Edmonton last week.

via Former Red Deer Rebels defenceman Matt Dumba’s progress steady with NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

The post Former Red Deer Rebels defenceman Matt Dumba’s progress steady with NHL’s Minnesota Wild appeared first on Asian Players.

During his seven seasons in MLB, Hiroki Kuroda managed a 3.45 ERA in 211 starts (and one relief appearance), which is slightly better than the 3.69 ERA he posted with the Carp. Kuroda is the rare example of a player who came over from Japan and improved his performance. His 79-79 record with the Dodgers and Yankees really doesn’t do justice to his seven years in MLB.

At this point, a strong case can be made that Kuroda has been the most successful Japanese-born pitcher in MLB history. He’s clearly on the short list. Others like Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka still need to put in a few more years before matching Kuroda’s career value.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the 25 best players to come over from Japan using the Baseball-Reference version of WAR (pitchers, position players).

CAREER WAR: MLB PLAYERS FROM JAPAN

PLAYER WAR PA OR IP OPS+ OR ERA+

OF Ichiro Suzuki 58.8 9,663 PA 110 OPS+

RHSP Hideo Nomo 21.8 1,976 1/3 IP 97 ERA+

RHSP Hiroki Kuroda 21.7 1,319 IP 115 ERA+

OF Hideki Matsui 21.3 5,066 PA 118 OPS+

RHSP Yu Darvish 12.8 545 1/3 IP 127 ERA+

RHSP Tomo Ohka 11.9 1,070 IP 105 ERA+

RHRP Koji Uehara 11.6 350 1/3 IP 174 ERA+

RHRP Shigetoshi Hasegawa 11.6 720 1/3 IP 125 ERA+

RHSP Hisashi Iwakuma 11.5 524 IP 120 ERA+

RHRP Takashi Saito 10.5 338 IP 185 ERA+

RHSP Daisuke Matsuzaka 9.3 790 1/3 IP 99 ERA+

OF Norichika Aoki 7.5 1,811 PA 103 OPS+

RHSP Masato Yoshii 7.4 757 1/3 IP 101 ERA+

LHRP Hideki Okajima 6.9 250 1/3 IP 149 ERA+

RHRP Akinori Otsuka 6.6 232 IP 171 ERA+

2B Tadahito Iguchi 6.3 2,079 PA 93 OPS+

IF Kazuo Matsui 5.3 2,555 PA 83 OPS+

C Kenji Johjima 5.3 1,722 PA 91 OPS+

IF Akinori Iwamura 4.5 1,755 PA 92 OPS+

OF Kosuke Fukudome 4.3 2,276 PA 99 OPS+

OF Tsuyoshi Shinjo 3.9 960 PA 77 OPS+

RHRP Kasuhiro Sasaki 3.7 223 1/3 PA 138 ERA+

RHSP Hideki Irabu 3.4 514 IP 89 ERA+

RHSP Masahiro Tanaka 3.3 136 1/3 IP 140 ERA+

RHRP Junichi Tazawa 3.2 203 2/3 IP 127 ERA+

Yeah, no surprise Ichiro’s at the top. He’s going into the Hall of Fame in both countries and is simply one of the best and most dynamic all-around players we’ll ever see.

If you want to sort the rest of these players into tiers — with Ichiro being in his own little Tier 1 world — Tier 2 would be Nomo, Kuroda and Matsui, the grizzled veterans whose MLB careers are over. Tier 3 is the miscellaneous arms. Middling starters like Ohka and Dice-K and good relievers like Uehara and Saito. Tier 4 consists of position players who didn’t quite live up to expectations, like Kaz Matsui, Johjima and Fukudome. Then Tier 5 is pretty much everyone else.

There are some exceptions, of course. Darvish is well on his way to joining Tier 2 and we can say the same for a healthy Tanaka, though his health is far from guaranteed at this point. Tazawa seems more likely to wind up in Tier 3 than Tier 5 when it’s all said and done as well.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence most of the best Japanese players in MLB history are pitchers (16 of the 25 are pitchers). Pitching is generally easier to scout, even with the differences that exist between MLB and NPB baseballs, mounds and schedules. A 95 mph fastball is a 95 mph fastball. A nasty slider is a nasty slider. You know it when you see it.

Hitting is tougher to evaluate because there is no textbook swing. What works for one player won’t necessarily work for someone else. That’s why more hitters come out of nowhere to be elite players than pitchers. Judging whether an NPB player with a hitch in his swing can hit MLB caliber pitching is not easy. Guys like Ichiro and Hideki Matsui, who made the transition from NPB to MLB seamlessly, are the exception, not the rule.

via Leaderboarding: Best MLB players from Japan – CBSSports.com.

The post Best MLB players from Japan appeared first on Asian Players.

Former Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle Waterson is currently in negotiations to join the UFC, sources close to the situation told MMAFighting,com’s Ariel Helwani, as reported on Wednesday’s episode of UFC Tonight.

A congenial and marketable atomweight affectionately nicknamed “The Karate Hottie,” Waterson, 29, was expected to be the lynchpin of the Invicta FC brand following the UFC’s mass signing of the 115-pound division and filming of The Ultimate Fighter 20.

Waterson (12-4) currently remains under contract with Invicta FC, although a contract buyout would not be without precedent. Waterson would assumedly shift up to the strawweight division if signed by the UFC.

Over the course of her Invicta FC tenure, Waterson captured the promotion’s 105-pound title in April 2013 with a stunning and electrifying fourth-round armbar victory over Jessica Penne, then defended it once with a three-round beatdown of Yasuko Tamada at Invicta FC 8 — which marked the all-female promotion’s first event to broadcast exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

Her road hit an unexpected speed bump this past December though, when Waterson met unheralded 22-year-old Herica Tiburcio in the main event of Invicta FC 10. Waterson and Tiburcio battled back-and-forth for three gripping rounds before the young Brazilian caught Waterson in a nasty guillotine choke and stole away the 105-pound belt, becoming the youngest champion in Invicta FC history.

The loss snapped a six-fight win streak for Waterson, who trains out of Jackson/Winklejohn in Albuquerque, N.M. and has competed professionally since 2007.

via Former Invicta FC champ Michelle Waterson in talks with UFC – MMA Fighting.

The post Former Invicta FC champ Michelle Waterson in talks with UFC – MMA Fighting appeared first on Asian Players.

Currently the team has Lester, Jake Arrieta, Hammel and Kyle Hendricks penciled in as starters for the start of the season. The fifth spot is likely to be a battle between several players, including Edwin Jackson, Travis Wood, Jacob Turner and Tsuyoshi Wada all appear to be in the mix for that final spot.

While all of them have their strengths and weaknesses, if there’s one that appears to have a secured role on the 25-man roster it’s Wada and that’s due to his versatility. Wada already showed he can start at the MLB level – going 4-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 69.1 IP last year – but his spot on the rotation isn’t promised. The Japanese lefty signed a one-year, $4 million deal during this offseason and his signing – shortly after the Cubs declined his option – should speak volumes of how the front office values him. Wada is a finesse pitcher; he controls the strike zone and tries to keep the ball down in the zone, so he’s essentially a similar pitcher to Travis Wood.

In the case that Wada is unable to secure a spot in the rotation, he’s still likely to have a shot on the team as he’s a lefty that could potentially come out of the bullpen. Wada isn’t a hard-throwing pitcher, but his speed changes and his mixed repertoire – he works with a pitch arsenal that includes his fastball, a good slider and a change that could be considered as plus or, at least, above average. That array of offerings could make him a potential good option off the pen as he can change enough velocities to keep the hitters honest.

Pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training on February 19th and Wada will have more than a month to battle for the final rotation spot. However, he showed enough last season to, at least, secure a role in the Cubs’ 25-man roster once the 2015 season kicks in.

via Tsuyoshi Wada’s role for the Cubs in 2015.

The post Tsuyoshi Wada’s role for the Chicago Cubs in 2015 appeared first on Asian Players.

Jeremy Lin林書豪│2015 02 27 Lakers vs Bucks 湖人vs公鹿 – YouTube.

The post Jeremy Lin – 2015 02 27 Lakers vs Bucks – 14 pts, 4/10 FG, 6 ast appeared first on Asian Players.

Jeremy Lin Full Highlights 2015 03 01 NBA Thunder 雷霆 @ Lakers 湖人 Jeremy Lin 林書豪20分8助攻 – YouTube.

The post Jeremy Lin Highlights 2015 03 01 – Thunder vs Lakers – 20 pts, 7/14 FGs, 8 Ast appeared first on Asian Players.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) Nori Aoki has reconsidered his original plan to wrestle big ace Madison Bumgarner.

“Maybe after practice,” he cracked, chuckling while sitting at his locker before the San Francisco Giants hit the field for their first full-squad workout.

A few hours later after seeing Bumgarner in person, he had changed his tune completely.

No way, not happening.

Shortstop Brandon Crawford could have told his new teammate that much. Crawford had already planned to advise him against taking on the 6-foot-5, 235-pound reigning World Series MVP.

“That would probably be my advice, don’t do it,” Crawford said. “If he is going to do it, I’d go for the hair if I was him. That’s his weak spot, that’s his Achilles’ heel.”

Center fielder Angel Pagan put his money on his outfield mate, even if at 5-9 and 180 pounds, Aoki has a serious size disadvantage.

“That’s my way to win against Bumgarner,” Aoki said.

Hunter Pence won’t try to talk Aoki out of a showdown, offering a, “Have fun, good luck.”

All good-natured wrestling talk aside, the Giants are thrilled with how their outfield is shaping up considering Pagan is healthy after the back surgery that derailed his 2014 season, the speedy Aoki is ready to be the regular left fielder, and Pence, well, he’s just the durable, do-everything Pence who plays every day in right. Gregor Blanco, who could be a starter on many teams, will begin as the fourth outfielder.

“We have a lot of options, a lot of really good bats and really good defenders,” Pence said. “That’s a really good addition (Aoki).”

The 33-year-old Aoki signed a $4.7 million, one-year contract in January after losing to the Giants in the World Series last fall with Kansas City. He could become the leadoff hitter depending on how Pagan comes along this spring.

Aoki batted .285 with a home run, six triples, 22 doubles and 43 RBIs over 132 games in his lone season with the Royals after two in Milwaukee. He also stole 17 bases.

Manager Bruce Bochy told Aoki he’s expecting 30 home runs this season, to which the good-natured outfielder promised to hit 24.

Pagan is ready to put up his own big numbers as he looks to stay in the lineup now that his back is pain-free. Last year, he tried to play through despite the challenges of even getting out of bed in the morning.

“If you see a picture of my body, it looked like a Z when I got up,” he said. “My mornings were miserable.”

Pagan played in only 96 games last season and 71 in 2013 because of injuries. He looks back and is happy he chose to have surgery, for his career as well as his quality of life beyond baseball.

“I had to think of the future,” he said. “I’m so glad I got it done and out of the way.”

He recently told Bochy he’s planning for 160 in 2015, the third season of his $40 million, four-year contract.

“He really feels great, he’s very upbeat,” Bochy said. “When you feel as good as he does, you’re pumped about getting it going and starting a new season. It’s a new slate for everybody, including him. You can see the smile on his face.”

Bochy plans to experiment with some different batting orders early in Cactus League play beginning next week before settling into a more regular lineup in mid-March.

As usual, Pence joined Bochy in addressing the team before Tuesday’s workout at Scottsdale Stadium.

The every-other-year Giants – they’ve won championships in 2010, ’12 and last year – want to capitalize on the momentum from last season to keep on a roll given the fleeting opportunities in professional sports.

“This is a big day,” Bochy said. “We had a great year last year. … We’ll still enjoy and savor those memories but at the same time it’s time for us to get ready. Your clock on success is as good as your last game. In this game, your time’s limited. It’s been great to have this type of success that we’ve had. That window, it’s not always going to be there. You’ve got to seize that moment.”

Aoki appreciated Pence’s pep talk, which he described as “full of passion.”

“We’re playing for a championship,” he said through interpreter Kosuke Inaji, who has worked with Aoki throughout his major league career. “I had a lot of fun.“

via Expectations High With Healthy Giants Outfield « CBS Sacramento.

The post Expectations High For New San Francisco Giants Outfield Norichika Aoki appeared first on Asian Players.

Jeremy Lin 23 Points/8 Assists Full Highlights (3/3/2015) – YouTube.

The post Jeremy Lin 3/3/2015 – Lakers vs Hornets – 23 Points, 8 Assists, 6 rebs, 9/16 fgs appeared first on Asian Players.