Attention SASUKE Lovers! 新SASUKE 2007春!

Since 2001, I have been a big fan of SASUKE, a televised obstacle course on TBS. I have several shows on tape plus the 筋肉番付　マッスルウォーズ21 game for the PS2 which I still have never completed because it's the analog stick game from hell. Even though I tape it I watch every broadcast live because there's no better way to watch it. Actually, the only reason I ever go back to watch old tapes is usually to laugh at certain portions. Usually, I laugh at anything involving this man:

This would be 山田勝己 (Yamada Katsumi). Or as people (the broadcasters at TBS, random people and most annoyingly, Yamada himself) call him Mr. サスケ. I laugh because he hasn't been able to pass the first stage in years. He fails on a consistent basis and is basically coasting on the success he had early on in the life of SASUKE (not coincidentally this was before I started watching seriously). I mean, it's just...
He fails.


Then he fails again.


And again.


I know. I know. I certainly can't pass the first stage but I can't help it. I mercilessly mock the guy whenever he shows up on my TV. I was actually scared at the last SASUKE because the announcers were teasing that someone was going to finish it for the first time in seven years. I thought it was going to be Yamada (thank god it was Nagano). I mean, what's the fun in him finishing it and realizing his dream?

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this post is to let people know that the newest version of SASUKE will be out soon (according to the Japanese SASUKE wikipedia page):
第18回大会 2007年　3月21日（「新・SASUKE2007春」として18:55～21:48の3時間放送予定
That's the 18th tournament being aired on March 21st at 6:55 to 9:48 PM on TBS.
WOO HOO!
I guess they're calling it the New SASUKE because at the end of the 17th (after 長野 誠 - Nagano Makoto - finally finished the course) they "blew up" the old final stage and debuted a new one.
Will anyone be able to make it to the new final stage?
Will all of the SASUKE All-Stars participate? Several of them considered quitting after the 17th.
But more importantly...
How will Yamada fail this time?

Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Internet

Spring Training is upon us (Go Mets!) and while Ichiro and Hideki Matsui are the established names, most eyes will be on the newest Japanese player on the block, Daisuke Matsuzaka.
The Internet being what it is there are already sites up for either shilling Dice-K merchandise or almost obsessively um...watching Dice-K.

By the way, I absolutely despise the "Dice-K" name. I almost prefer the already played-out first name initial, last name first syllable (J-Lo, K-Fed) name of D-Mat. Besides, someone was already using the Dice-K name and those Red Sox shirts that say Dice Man? Please.

Anyway, the always entertaining, sometimes controversial Deadspin presented a link the other day to another D-Mat blog but this one playing more on an interesting picture of Daisuke at Spring Training.
Ladies and gentlemen...

FATSUZAKA

A blog pretending to be D-Mat (that's what I'll be calling him dammit!) that claims 1) his achievements in Japan were "Hollywood special effects", 2) he will be using his 103 million dollars to buy Combos and 3) he will be spending his time making fun of fellow Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima.
Obviously a joke but I'm on the fence as to whether people (especially Japanese people -- D-Mat is going to have to learn that the net is not a nice place for athletes playing in America) should be offended or just take it for the joke it is. Either way, all eyes (and Japanese cameras) will be on the D-Mat man!

Naughty Naughty Naughty (A ロバート on ダウンタウンＤＸ)

I try to be a good boy and keep this blog clean but then the Green ロバート had to go and wear this on ダウンタウンＤＸ...



Honestly, I don't know if there was anything else written on his shirt that perhaps made the visible part..um..non-sexual in meaning. I also couldn't really tell what exactly was on the shirt. I guess I have to go looking for other pictures. Japanese bloggers tend to get the job done when it comes to screencaps so I'll keep my fingers crossed for a better picture.