Friday Monkey-God Blogging

Bethlehem Shoals observes: "Duncan's deviousness has been obscured because his game is all old-school fundamentals, causing the media to inaccurately label Duncan the individual as stoic and wholesome. Indeed, his Chinese fans call him the 'Stone Buddha'. In reality, Duncan is more similar to Sun Wukong, the Chinese Monkey King, who liked to play pranks and acheived greatness through craftiness." Indeed. Which seems like as good a time as any to mention Maxine Hong Kingston's Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book which, unfortunately, I was first assigned to read as part of a tedious "let's read books by minority authors" course and toward which I therefore adopted the knee-jerk hostile attitude of the 19 year-old white dude.

In fact, it's a great book that, yes, is about the perplexities of Chinese-American identity but also so much more. The motif of Sun Wukong the Monkey God-King is, suffice it to say, important to the narrative. As is Vertigo. Googling around I see that there's a website with the funny name: "Tripmaster Monkey: Home of Yellow Journalism." It's a "cheeky news site for the Asia-savvy" and I'm not sure I really qualify as Asia-savvy.

UPDATE: That's Brown Recluse I'm quoting, not Shoals. Apologies for the error.

4/20/07 11:31AM del.icio.us this incoming links

Comments

I'm pretty sure you're quoting Brown Recluse, Esq., the only Asian, non-Jewish, member of that FD project. Way to ramp up the racial tension at FD, MY. Quoting from a post about the same, no less.

Posted by: SomeCallMeTim on April 20, 2007 11:43 AM

Does anyone get the feeling that the NBA refs may, um, shade some calls against Duncan as a result of the Joey Crawford thing? I am not a San Antonio fan, but if I were, I would be really worried about that. Comes a big spot in, say, game 5 against PHX and, whaddya know, some ref makes a questionable call against Duncan. No way to prove that the ref was shading it against Duncan in solidarity with Joey Crawford, right? Just that Duncan gets a bad 5th foul, say. Or has a block call goaltending.

The possibility makes me think that the SA/PHX series, which might normally be a 50-50 tossup, would instead be 51-49 in favor of PHX.

Posted by: Al on April 20, 2007 11:47 AM

Does anyone get the feeling that the NBA refs may, um, shade some calls against Duncan as a result of the Joey Crawford thing?

Given their prior tendency to shade everything in Duncan's favor*, at worst the Spurs will have to win a game straight up.

*Not really a fair criticism anymore.

Posted by: SomeCallMeTim on April 20, 2007 11:52 AM

I don't know from basketball (happily), but The Monkey King by Timothy Mo is really good.

Posted by: Tom Hilton on April 20, 2007 12:03 PM

Tim Duncan -- a seven footer who scores with lay-ups from three feet away from the basket. Exciting stuff.

Remind me again why you watch the NBA?

Posted by: Fred on April 20, 2007 12:10 PM

Yeah, its much more exciting to watch 6'9" players score from three feet away in the NCAA!

Posted by: Rob on April 20, 2007 01:19 PM

Tim Duncan -- a seven footer who scores with lay-ups from three feet away from the basket. Exciting stuff.

Remind me again why you watch the NBA?

Because of the 7 footer on the other team who's two feet from the basket.

P.S. tell me you're not one of those football fans who can't appreciate a 2 yard run for a first down.

Posted by: WillieStyle on April 20, 2007 01:59 PM

"Comes a big spot in, say, game 5 against PHX and, whaddya know, some ref makes a questionable call against Duncan."

How is some ref gonna call a foul on Duncan when he's in Aruba for the second round? Even Joey Crawford wouldn't go that far.

Posted by: Petey on April 20, 2007 03:22 PM

And would someone explain this to me?

In ESPN's expert's panel, one one of twelve experts picks Denver as the most likely "First round upset", but seven of twelve experts pick Denver as the "Most dangerous team". Say wha?

And even better, the only expert who picked Denver as his first round upset, Scoop Jackson, picks Golden State as his most dangerous team.

Posted by: Petey on April 20, 2007 03:26 PM

How is some ref gonna call a foul on Duncan when he's in Aruba for the second round? Even Joey Crawford wouldn't go that far.

I don't understand. Which of Phoenix and San Antonio plays their home games in Aruba?

Posted by: Al on April 20, 2007 03:48 PM

In ESPN's expert's panel,

Too many &#% experts picking the Nets. Grrr.

BTW, clearly the most fun first round series will be Vince Carter personally taking on the entire city of Toronto (I know, I know, Powder Blues, blah, blah, blah - expect a sweep). The Canadian fans are clearly disturbed if they are still upset by what Vince did more than two years ago. As Sam Mitchell says, get over it.

Posted by: Al on April 20, 2007 03:57 PM

"I know, I know, Powder Blues, blah, blah, blah - expect a sweep"

I dunno. I actually kinda doubt Denver will be able to sweep San Antonio. The Spurs are pretty strong at home.

-----

I do love the Sam Mitchell quote.

Posted by: Petey on April 20, 2007 04:03 PM

as a hindu i resent your making light of the 'monkey god.' he threw shit upon you for your sins.

Posted by: razib on April 20, 2007 04:10 PM

The Canadian fans are clearly disturbed if they are still upset by what Vince did more than two years ago.

Two years is nothing in terms of sports grudges... not to mention you're talking about the guy who was like, the one basketball star in the entire country.

Should Cleveland fans be over Carlos Boozer? I wouldn't, the ass.

Posted by: Steve on April 20, 2007 05:15 PM

The thing about Duncan is that he doesn't look like much in any given short stretch of play. He posts up over a shorter defender. Of course it's going to go in. He's bigger. He gets around a bigger guy. What did you expect? He's faster. He gets a rebound over smaller guys because he's bigger and against bigger guys because he just so happens to be where the ball bounces out when the bigger guy isn't. Nothing for the highlight reel (do they even have reels these days, or is it all digital?), but by the end of the game he has 28-12-6 without having done anything that, at the time, wasn't just what you'd expect.

Posted by: CJColucci on April 20, 2007 06:07 PM

I read an excerpt from the e-mail Joey Crawford sent the league on espn I think and he was talking serious shit about Dick Bavetta. It really gave me the sense that Crawford had alienated himself from the rest of the refs and from the league, not just Duncan, so I wouldn't be surprised if refs call a reasonable game on the big fundamental.

Posted by: Tim Sullivan on April 20, 2007 10:40 PM

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