I had to work last night, so I had the pleasure of having the TV tuned to the World Series while people sat and drank and stared at the game. ZDub’s house does not follow baseball, we really don’t have time with Nascar running from FEBRUARY UNTIL NOVEMBER. As I was standing behind the bar waiting for someone’s credit card to run, I glanced up at the TV as I heard the crack of the bat. I saw the ball go very, very far. People cheered.

I did a double take.

WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME HOT TALENTED ASIANS WERE PLAYING BASEBALL?

Now, here’s the deal. I puffy pink heart all things Asian related, love the culture, love the food, love the people. My husband is Thai, my son is Thai. (I know, it’s so obvious with the blonde hair/blue eyed thing Baby Troy has going on.) I really think that the NFL, NBA, PGA, MLB, NHL and Nascar could use more Asians. I also feel this way about country music, but I don’t think America is ready for all that jelly.

While researching important facts for this post (I’m being serious), I came across some interesting information. According to the article ‘Promise To Prominence For Asian Athletes‘ by Richard Lapchick for ESPN.com, men and women of Asian decent have a difficult time breaking into professional sports due to stereotypes, mainly Asians are uninterested in putting their children in sports and prefer to focus on academics and Asians are typically not viewed as athletic.

This is not to say professional sports are completely without Asian standouts. Tiger Woods, who is half Thai, dominates golf and drives a Buick. Hines Ward, half Korean, was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. Yao Ming, Chinese badass, is the tallest player in the NBA. According to Lapchick’s article, Ming attracts so many Asian supporters that the NBA advertises in Mandarin on billboards in the Houston area and distributes statistics in both English and Mandarin at their games.

Let’s not forget this guy, Hideki Matsui, Japanese baseball player and last night’s MVP for the 2009 World Series after hitting .615 (8 for 13) with three home runs and eight RBI’s. I’m going to be honest, I have no idea what that means.

I do know that I might love him. Go Yankees. And Go Asians. It’s a great day to be both.

And whether Troy decides to become a neurological surgeon, bang on a drum all day or become the first Thai American champion bass angler, I hereby promise to support him in whatever avenue he decides to take. It is my civic duty as a parent of Asian American, one that I do not take lightly.

Of course, let’s not ask Troy’s father for his opinion. I think we all know the answer to that.

Baby Troy AKA Mr. Toasty, one Thai American doing the best he can to break down barriers and build bridges, the future of Nascar. Coming to a racetrack near you.

Images from here, here and here. Big ups to Kreg and his mad photoshop skillz that he used to make Baby T even more awesome.