Latest news with #Hawaiian-born
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
MLB draft prospects in College World Series: Is No. 1 pick playing in Omaha?
MLB draft prospects in College World Series: Is No. 1 pick playing in Omaha? Show Caption Hide Caption Which NCAA baseball teams could blow up the bracket The Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole and The Southwest Times Record's Jackson Fuller break down who could wreck the tournament bracket. With one month until Major League Baseball's draft, all but a handful of the hundreds of draft-eligible players have concluded their amateur seasons. Yet the 2025 College World Series will provide a final showcase for a fortunate few – including a group that will hear their names called very early on draft night. Others may have to wait a day, although the high-profile platform the CWS affords can likely only help their stock, even as most of the data is already in hand. MLB MOCK DRAFT: Who will Nationals take with first pick? With bracket play commencing in Omaha, USA TODAY Sports examines eight draft-eligible players among college baseball's final octet: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State It could be a long stay in Omaha for the Beavers, but a very short draft night for their 6-5, 220-pound anchor. Arquette has, according to some draft projections, joined the pool of players under consideration for the No. 1 overall pick by the Washington Nationals and shouldn't fall beyond the top three. His farewell to Corvallis was outstanding: Arquette had 14 hits in 36 at-bats (.389) during regional and super regional play as the Beavers survived winner-take-all tilts in both rounds. Arquette plays as large as his measurements suggest, which theoretically might pose a problem as a future shortstop, but he has very smooth actions around the bag and a deluxe offensive package (.354, 18 homers, 1.124 OPS, 112 mph maximum exit velocity). Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas Not sure if two Hawaiian-born shortstops have ever squared off in the CWS, but that would occur if the Beavers and Razorbacks advance to the championship series. And while Aloy won't likely elbow his way into the draft's top 10, he hardly takes a backseat to Arquette. The SEC player of the year, Aloy is a specimen himself, at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, and cranked 20 home runs for the Razorbacks. A Golden Spikes Finalist, Aloy has elite arm strength and committed just five errors in more than 200 chances this season, and played his way into at least the teens of the first round. Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU The Razorbacks and Tigers are the lone SEC survivors in this diverse pool, and they'll meet in Saturday's opener – with a decent chance at a repeat engagement. Catch Anderson while you can: He'll likely fall somewhere between No. 1 and No. 5 on draft night. In his first season as a starter, Anderson is second in the nation with 163 strikeouts in 103 innings, with a powerful repertoire that belies his 6-2 frame. Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas Root might have been leaped by rotation mate Gage Wood on the draft board, but his import to the Razorbacks can't be undersold. He pitched seven innings of one-hit ball eliminate Tennessee in the super regional and, in 13 postseason innings, given up just four hits and one run. Root, a transfer from East Carolina, seems burlier than his 6-2, 210-pound frame would indicate, but pumps his fastball up to 97 mph and features a fastball-changeup-curveball mix that seems pro-ready. Likely on the outskirts of the first round at the moment, and could benefit from a high-profile Omaha showcase. Mason White, SS, Arizona A third-generation Wildcat, White offers one of the most compelling narratives in this CWS, as his two-run single atoned for an earlier error and lifted Arizona past North Carolina in the decisive super regional game at Chapel Hill. White, at 5-11 and 180 pounds, is the glue for the Wildcats and is aiming to play his way into a first-day draft selection. He went a long way toward that this season, equaling his 19 home runs as a sophomore while cutting his strikeout rate from 30.5% to 21.2%. Jacob Morrison, RHP, Coastal Carolina While the Chanticleers' lone first-round hope is contact-crazy catcher Caden Bodine, Morrison is crucial to their survival in Omaha. He's already slain one big-conference giant, tossing six innings of six-hit, one-run ball at Auburn to eliminate the Tigers. Now, he'll be tough to miss: At 6-8, Morrison is a towering presence on the mound, using that extension to cultivate weak contact and finish sixth in the nation with a 2.15 ERA. Like White, Morrison will be on the fringes of the first-day selection pool, but could be a nice mid-round find for a pitching-hungry team. Daniel Dickinson, 2B, LSU While Anderson figures to be their lone first-round pick, the Tigers will be littered all over the first few rounds. Dickinson's one who will be fun to watch in Omaha. In his lone season in Baton Rouge, the Utah Valley transfer posted a .312/.463/.534 line, stole nine bases and hit 12 home runs. A late bloomer, the 6-foot Dickinson bats third and is a contact machine, drawing 39 walks to just 36 strikeouts over 286 plate appearances. Multiple projections peg him in the second to third round. Payton Brennan, UCLA We'd be remiss to ignore the Bruins, who have quietly dominated their Westwood regionals yet feature few draft-eligible stars. No, the Bruins are a year ahead of schedule, with shortstop Roch Cholowsky a likely top 10 pick in 2026 and a bevy of power arms right behind him. So let's toss some roses to Brennan, a third-year sophomore who's produced 12 hits in 24 at-bats this postseason and slashing .304/.384/.500, with 11 steals this season. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: JSA must explain its shoddy treatment of retired Hakuho
After resigning from the Japan Sumo Association, retired yokozuna Hakuho, 40, told a news conference on June 9, 'For 25 years, I was loved by sumo and I loved sumo in return.' But for a relationship of supposedly mutual love, it ended too abruptly for Hakuho, who is believed by many sumo fans to be the greatest grand champion in the sport's history, given his record and extraordinary longevity at the pinnacle. It was actually painful for me to watch his news conference. Hakuho did not express any personal dissatisfaction or grievance with the JSA. But from time to time, his facial expressions seemed to give away his inner hesitation. One such instance was when he said he could no longer tell when his problems with the JSA would be resolved. 'I felt conflicted,' he admitted. He waited for one year and still has no idea when his stable will be reopened. I can imagine how he must have felt like giving up. During his active years, his behavior in and off the dohyo invited mixed reactions from sumo fans. After he became a stablemaster, his 'maturity' was called into question regarding his handling of scandals caused by his disciples. The criticism was probably warranted, but I still cannot dispel the suspicion that his being Mongolian-born must have affected how the JSA ultimately acted. Put simply, I have been suspicious for years that the JSA treats foreign-born wrestlers differently from their Japanese-born counterparts. In retrospect, it was the popularity of Hawaiian-born wrestlers that caused the JSA 49 years ago to spell out the rule that only Japanese citizens could become stablemasters. There also was the time when the JSA came under fire for allegedly lowering the yokozuna promotion hurdle for a Japanese-born contender. If the JSA insists its decisions are never wrong, I believe it should explain itself in a public setting. And if and when that happens, I would very much want to ask the association to give a detailed explanation of how it handled Hakuho's case, including whether it ever appreciated his decision to become a Japanese citizen. At the news conference, Hakuho spoke of his dream of promoting sumo broadly around the world. I suppose this implies that sumo was what Hakuho truly loved and was loved by, not the sport's organizing body, the JSA. —The Asahi Shimbun, June 10 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Hollywood heavyweight buys slice of Queenstown business
Jason Momoa Hollywood heavyweight Jason Momoa has bought into a longtime Queenstown hospitality business. Last December, Momoa bought 81 shares of Grey Door Ltd, which operates Bunker in the resort's CBD, Arrowtown's Hyde and recently took over Arthurs Point's Gin Garden, turning that into The General Kitchen & Bar and The General Store, which opened just before Christmas. Company director Cam Mitchell said Momoa "just loves it here". "He's a mountainbiker, he's a rock climber, he's a snowboarder — we've got all the things here that he loves, and I don't think it's any secret that he's looking for residency, however that happens." Then last year, when an opportunity arose for Momoa to take a stake in Grey Door, "he kind of jumped on it". While the actor, who is starring in the recently released Minecraft movie, is a minority shareholder at 7.49%, "he wants to increase his shareholding over time". Hawaiian-born Momoa has strong connections to New Zealand. In November, he was made an honorary citizen of Rotorua, but he has been able to trace his family back to New Zealand. In an interview with Newshub, he said the Momoa lineage went back about nine generations in Hawaii, but he had discovered they started there, came to New Zealand, and then went back. "Since I was a baby, seeing pictures of New Zealand, I've been just pulled there and the moment I stepped foot there, it was the only place on earth I felt like this is exactly where I'm from," he said. Mr Mitchell said there was a chance the new partnership would bolster the Wakatipu film industry. "He's got projects in the future that he wants to bring here — multiple projects. "There are rumours about movie infrastructure in the future, that would all help bring industry down here ... it's all good for the local economy."
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Jason Momoa buys into South Island hospitality business
Jason Momoa Hollywood heavyweight Jason Momoa has bought into a longtime Queenstown hospitality business. Last December, Momoa bought 81 shares of Grey Door Ltd, which operates Bunker in the resort's CBD, Arrowtown's Hyde and recently took over Arthurs Point's Gin Garden, turning that into The General Kitchen & Bar and The General Store, which opened just before Christmas. Company director Cam Mitchell said Momoa "just loves it here". "He's a mountainbiker, he's a rock climber, he's a snowboarder — we've got all the things here that he loves, and I don't think it's any secret that he's looking for residency, however that happens." Then last year, when an opportunity arose for Momoa to take a stake in Grey Door, "he kind of jumped on it". While the actor, who is starring in the recently released Minecraft movie, is a minority shareholder at 7.49%, "he wants to increase his shareholding over time". Hawaiian-born Momoa has strong connections to New Zealand. In November, he was made an honorary citizen of Rotorua, but he has been able to trace his family back to New Zealand. In an interview with Newshub, he said the Momoa lineage went back about nine generations in Hawaii, but he had discovered they started there, came to New Zealand, and then went back. "Since I was a baby, seeing pictures of New Zealand, I've been just pulled there and the moment I stepped foot there, it was the only place on earth I felt like this is exactly where I'm from," he said. Mr Mitchell said there was a chance the new partnership would bolster the Wakatipu film industry. "He's got projects in the future that he wants to bring here — multiple projects. "There are rumours about movie infrastructure in the future, that would all help bring industry down here ... it's all good for the local economy."
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Star's involvement could boost region
Jason Momoa Hollywood heavyweight Jason Momoa has bought into a longtime Queenstown hospitality business. Last December, Momoa bought 81 shares of Grey Door Ltd, which operates Bunker in the resort's CBD, Arrowtown's Hyde and recently took over Arthurs Point's Gin Garden, turning that into The General Kitchen & Bar and The General Store, which opened just before Christmas. Company director Cam Mitchell said Momoa "just loves it here". "He's a mountainbiker, he's a rock climber, he's a snowboarder — we've got all the things here that he loves, and I don't think it's any secret that he's looking for residency, however that happens." Then last year, when an opportunity arose for Momoa to take a stake in Grey Door, "he kind of jumped on it". While the actor, who is starring in the recently released Minecraft movie, is a minority shareholder at 7.49%, "he wants to increase his shareholding over time". Hawaiian-born Momoa has strong connections to New Zealand. In November, he was made an honorary citizen of Rotorua, but he has been able to trace his family back to New Zealand. In an interview with Newshub, he said the Momoa lineage went back about nine generations in Hawaii, but he had discovered they started there, came to New Zealand, and then went back. "Since I was a baby, seeing pictures of New Zealand, I've been just pulled there and the moment I stepped foot there, it was the only place on earth I felt like this is exactly where I'm from," he said. Mr Mitchell said there was a chance the new partnership would bolster the Wakatipu film industry. "He's got projects in the future that he wants to bring here — multiple projects. "There are rumours about movie infrastructure in the future, that would all help bring industry down here ... it's all good for the local economy."
