February 2012

Ryukyu Golden Kings Game
Living in a foreign country occasionally has its disadvantages. One big disadvantage for me is not being able to attend Suns games; something I did at least once a year. Fortunately, we discovered that Okinawa has its own professional team: The Ryukyu Golden Kings. We looked into their schedule and found they actually play close by. So we bought tickets and went to a game. It was no Suns game, but it was definitely entertaining. We weren’t too impressed with the skill level – Chris and I thought we both could make the team. In fact, every guy over 6 feet tall was not from Okinawa or Japan. Most were from the USA; probably some college guys that couldn’t make the NBA or even a semi-pro team in the states.

A view of the stadium from outside (left). The stadium wasn’t very big and it was open seating. This is the view of the game when we walked in (right).

Chris and Teanna excited for the game (left). The picture on the right is a view from our seats. Not bad, right?

Chris and me (left). Kings team huddle (right).

The score at half-time. It didn’t start out good for either team, but the Kings got hot in the 2nd quarter (left). This is a picture of the players running in to the locker room for half-time, but it reminded me of the half-time entertainment. They did the “YMCA” and it was really funny to see the locals do it. I wish I had gotten video.

The final score. Way to go Kings!

Super Bowl Monday
We are 16 hours ahead of Arizona time, which means our live sports coverage is usually in the morning. That means the Super Bowl is at 8:30 Monday morning for us. The military actually gives everyone the day off here. We decided to do a big breakfast to watch the game. Eggs, hash browns, bacon, and juice. Chris even went all out and made Swedish pancakes! It was fun watching and cheering for Prince Amukamara of the NY Giants. He attended my high school. We weren’t close, but we did know each other. I played basketball with his sister, Precious – don’t get me started on their names! Anyway, the Giants won, so all was well. Maybe not for Chris. He was still bitter at the loss of his 49ers. I may or may have not jinxed them…