I'm all for calling people what they want to be called, but it should be noted that "Orient" comes from the Latin word for "rising" (and "Occident" comes from the Latin word for "setting"). It's not an insult; it essentially means "Land of the Rising Sun", just like the Japanese word for "Japan" does.

Again, though, "Orient is an insult" has somehow got into the popular consciousness (I think it started with a popular book that claimed "Oriental" meant "foreigner"), and I'm totally willing to avoid calling people "Oriental" due to that in and of itself. But that doesn't change the fact that it's wrong.

From what Latin word is "colored" derived? It's not just the meaning of the word, it's also the historical context of its use.

Did you ever watch Dice-K pitch? Painful. He’d rather bite the head off a rattlesnake than throw his fastball for a strike. He was actually a long relief pitcher even when he was winning games, because with today’s pitch count limitations he was over his limit in the 5th inning most of the time.

By far the best summation of Dice K I've seen yet.

Yeah, "negro" is just the Spanish word for black. Still OK in that context, but not otherwise. Much like "Oriental" when it references people. Does anyone even use it much to refer to rugs or noodles these days? Seems like we've come far enough socially (and culinarily) to specify whether foods are Japanese or Chinese or what have you most of the time.

Dude, Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian-American, please.

"Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, what are these?"

Never would have guessed that the Pride of Taiwan was Jim Kaat's favorite Asian pitcher, but that sure makes me happy!

Yeah, "negro" is just the Spanish word for black. Still OK in that context, but not otherwise.

Just ask Luis Suarez.

Does anyone even use it much to refer to rugs or noodles these days? Seems like we've come far enough socially (and culinarily) to specify whether foods are Japanese or Chinese or what have you most of the time.

I've always been amused by "Oriental" flavor ramen. Shrimp ramen tastes like shrimp. Chicken ramen tastes like chicken. What the heck is "Oriental" ramen supposed to taste like?

Dion James was playing for the Yankees at the time, and told me about an exciting 19-year old named Ichiro Suzuki who had a chance to be the first. We all know that story. Big fan of Bernie Williams from watching Yankee games in Japan. Wears number 51 because of that.

Um, no. Bernie Williams was a rookie in 1991, wearing #51 for the Yankees, and hit .238 in 85 games. Ichiro Suzuki was a rookie in 1992 for the Orix Blue Wave, and wore #51.

There's no significance to Ichiro's number.

Ichiro tells John Hickey, Mariners beat writer for the P-I, that he was a low draft pick and that he was simply handed a uniform bearing #51 in recognition of his lowly status at the start of his career. When Ichiro began to demonstrate his prodigious talents, he was offered a more prestigious number (#7) but declined. He has stayed with #51 ever since.

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/The-Answer-Guy-Ichiro-s-number-hearkens-back-1119865.php

I've always been amused by "Oriental" flavor ramen. Shrimp ramen tastes like shrimp. Chicken ramen tastes like chicken. What the heck is "Oriental" ramen supposed to taste like?

Soy sauce.

What the heck is "Oriental" ramen supposed to taste like?

It's not the taste. It's that it goes through you like the Orient Express.

I’lll be keeping a close eye on Yu Darvish and see if he is finally the one to be able to challenge and dominate our bigger, more powerful big league hitters.

This guy was OK:


Or this guy:

Or:

Or:

Who has been the best baseball player of Persian ancestry?

Who has been the best professional athlete (in an even that would get shown on television in the U.S.) of Persian ancestry? I suppose Andre Agassi could fill that bill.

Shrimp ramen tastes like shrimp.

This is just empirically not true.

Here's The Real Deal (with Bill McNeal).

13: Kuroda and Otsuka as well